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HISTORY 



OF THE 



WILLAMETTE VALLEY, 



BEING A 



Description of the Valley and its Resources, with an account of its 

Discovery and Settlement by White Men, and 

its Subsequent History-, 



TOGETHER WITH 



Personal Reminiscences of its Early Pioneers. 



Edited by H. O. LANG. 



Published bt Himes & Lang. 



<£>%«« SHT. n *Jj 

MAR 27 1885 I 

S~ 1~ f ~7 ~~~ 



PORTLAND, OREGON: 
Geo. H. Himes, Book and Job Printer. 

1885. 



NOTE. 



This work is written and published for the purpose of arranging and preserv- 
ing, in useful and compact form, the scattered records and recollections of this por- 
tion of Oregon. It will be found to contain a considerable amount of matter which 
seems properly to belong to a history of the State at large, and which has been 
incorporated into this volume because, as is well understood, the Willamette Valley 
contains the greater part of the population of the commonwealth, and has, since 
the earliest settlement of Oregon, constituted by far the most important section, 
although its area only amounts to one-seventh of the present State. Much of the 
contents of this volume has never before appeared in print, and except for its pub- 
lication herein would never have appeared, as it consists largely in personal recol- 
lections which, by the laborious method pursued, have been gathered up and pre- 
served herein. In this connection the publishers desire to express their thanks to 
all who have, without asking remuneration, contributed information or otherwise 
favored the progress of this work. Their gratitude is particularly due to John 
Minto, S. A. Clarke, D. D. Prettyman and C. Uzafovage, of Salem; Dr. J. L. Hill, 
of Albany; J. M. Bates, of Jefferson, the first of the living pioneers; and S. A. 
Moreland, of Portland, the author of the treatise upon the railways of the Valley, 
which is included. The newspapers of the Valley have, almost without exception, 
devoted their columns generously to the needs of the new publication. The valu- 
able collections of the Portland Library Association have been of such use that an 
acknowledgment is suitable. Having completed the work with whatever of indus- 
try and ability the compilers have been enabled to expend upon it, it is now sub- 
mitted to the criticisms of those to whom its contents may have interest. By criti- 
cism is meant that fair and profound discussion which intelligence inspires. Such 
criticism invariably is of value, and in this instance will prove doubly so, as the 
present work is but one of a series of historical compositions, whose later issues will 
rectify the possible errors of their predecessors. 



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£2- _ v 



COPYRIGHT, 1885, 
BY GEO. H. HIMES AND H. O. LANG. 



\ 



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/6* 



TO THE 

pioneers ok Oregon 

THIS WORK 

Is dedicated as a token of re- 
spect and reverence for their character and their 
actions Amid constant and arduous trials and privations, and in 
the frequent presence of danger, they transplanted from the distant lands of their 
nativity the civilization which has converted this once trackless wilderness into the flourishing Com- 
monwealth whose history is the theme of these pages; and their story — oft told 
before, and now imperfectly repeated here — will bear a charmed 
interest as long as patriotism exists, or courage 
and fortitude are admired. 



i 



i 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

America in the Sixteenth Century.— Spain's Foothold in the New 
World— The Age of Romance and Adventure— The Method and Succes- 
sive Stages of Conquest — Discovery of the South Sea, or Pacific Ocean, by 
Balboa and Magellan — Conquest of Mexico and Peru — First Attempt to 
Colonize the Peninsula of Lower California — Efforts of Portugal, Eng- 
land and France 17 

CHAPTER II. 

The Fabulous Straits of Anian. — Cortereal Discovers the Straits of Lab- 
rador — Imagines he has passed through Novus Mundus — Vasco de Gama 
reaches India by doubling the Cape of Good Hope — Naming of the Straits 
of Anian by Cortereal— Magellan's Discovery of a Southwest Passage 
Confirms the Belief in a Northwest one— Explorations of Cortes in the 
Pacific— Voyage of Francisco de Ulloa — Mendoza Dispatches Alarcon and 
Coronado in Search of Cibola and Quivira — Voyage of Juan Rodriguez 
Cabrillo— His Death — Ferrelo Continues the Voyage to Latitude 43° or 44° 
— Spain Abandons the Search for the Straits of Anian and Turns her At- 
tention to the Indies — Spanish Commerce Supreme in the Pacific — Her 
Claim of Exclusive Domain — The Buccaneers, or Freebooters of the Span- 
ish Main, Invade the Pacific — Piratical Voyage of Sir Francis Drake — He 
Searches for the Straits of Anian — Dispute among Historians as to the 
Extent of his Voyage — Drake Lands his Pilot in Oregon — Drake's Bay 
not the Bay of San Francisco — Drake Takes Possession of New Albion — 
Romances of Chaplain Fletcher — Drake's Success Excites the Emulation 
of other Adventurers — Fraudulent Claims of Discovery of a Northwest 
Passage— Maldonado's Pretended Voyage through the Straits of Anian 
— His Memorial a Sham 21 

CHAPTER III. 
The Straits of Juan de Fuca and the River of Kings.— Narrative of 
Michael Lock, the Elder — Story of Juan de Fuca, as told by Lock — de- 
scription of the Straits of Fuca — Controversy among Historians over 
Fuca' a alleged Voyage — Both Sides Carefully Considered — Probably a 
Myth — Admiral Fonte's alleged Voyage — The River of Kings — Its Ab- 
surdity Pointed Out 37 

CHAPTER IV. 
Voyages and Events of the Seventeenth Century. — Philip orders a 
Voyage along the Pacific Coast — Reasons Assigned by Torquemada and 
Venegas— Viscaino sent out by the Viceroy in 1596 — Viscaino's second 
Voyage in 1602 — Ravages of the Scurvy— He Enters Monterey — Argu- 
ment of the Claim that he Entered San Francisco Bay— Earliest Positive 



VI CONTENTS. 

Knowledge of that Harbor — Viscaino goes to Latitude 42° and returns ; 
but Aguilar reaches 43° — Cape Blanco and the River of Aguilar— Califor- 
nia Supposed to be an Island— Viscaino dies a'fter Obtaining a Royal 
Mandate to occupy Monterey — Spain Ceases all Explorations of the Coast- 45 

CHAPTER V. 
Hudson's Bay, Cape Horn, and Behring's Straits.— Discovery of Davis' 
Straits— Henry Hudson, William Baffin, and other Explorers in the 
North-Atlantic — Dutch Navigators Discover the Passage around Cape 
Horn — Buccaneers Swarm into the Pacific by the New Route— Otondo 
attempts to Colonize Lower California — The Hudson's Bay Company Char- 
tered, in 1669, to Discover the Straits of Anian — Privileges Granted by the 
Charter — The Company Heads off all efforts at Exploration— Russians 
cross Siberia and Explore the Pacific — Plans of Peter the Great — Dis- 
covery of Behring's Straits and Alaska— Voyage of Tchirikof— Behring 
Discovers Mount St. Elias and Dies on Behring's Isle— The Early Fur 
Trade of the North Pacific— Benyowsky Takes a Cargo of Furs to Canton 
and thus Reveals the Magnitude of the Pacific Ocean— Russian Idea of 
Alaskan Geography 52 

CHAPTER VI. 

From Captain Carver to Captain Cook.— The Jesuits Colonize Lower Cal- 
ifornia — The Franciscans Enter California — Discovery of San Francisco 
Bay — Early French Explorers— The River of the West — Verendrye Ex- 
plores the Rocky Mountains — France Sells Louisiana to Spain and Loses 
Canada to England by Conquest— Journey of Captain Carver— He calls 
the River of the West "Oregon" — Argument upon the Origin of the 
Word "Oregon"— The Generally Accepted Spanish Theory does not 
Stand the Light of Investigation — The Hudson's Bay Company's Policy 
of Keeping the World Ignorant of the Geography of the Country Occu- 
pied by Them— Samuel Hearne Discovers Great Slave Lake, Coppermine 
River and the Arctic Ocean — Russia's Activity in Alaska Incites Spain to 
Renew her Explorations — Voyage of Perez and Martinez — Perez enters 
Port San Lorenzo, or Nootka Sound— Martinez Claims to have Observed 
the Straits of Fuca— Voyage of Heceta and Bodega y Quadra — Bellin's 
Wonderful Chart— Discovery of Trinidad Bay— Isla de Dolores, or Destruc- 
tion Island— Heceta Attempts to Enter the Columbia — Spanish and En- 
glish Methods of Exploration Compared— Bodega and Maurelle Discover 
Mount San Jacinto, or Edgecumb — They Land and Take Possession for 
the King of Spain — They Reach Latitude 58° and Return— England, in 
Alarm at the Progress Made by Spain and Russia, Sends Captain Cook to 
the Pacific— His Particular Instructions— Cook Names the Sandwich 
Islands, Cape Flattery and Nootka Sound, and Searches for the Straits of 
Fuca, River of Kings and Straits of Anian — He Passes Through Beh- 
ring's Straits and Around the Northwestern Extremity of Alaska — 
. Winters in the Sandwich Islands and is killed by the Natives— The Ex- 
pedition Again Visits the Arctic, Takes a Cargo of Furs to Canton and 
Returns to England— The Record of the Voyage Pigeon-holed Until the 
War is Over— Enterprise of John Ledyard— Arteaga, Bodega and Maurelle 
Follow Cook's Route Up the Coast 63 

CHAPTER VII. 

Spain's Supremacy in the FACiFrc Overthrown.— The Russian- American 
Trading Company — France sends La Perouse to the Pacific— James 



CONTENTS. VI 1 

Hanna makes the First Voyage in the Fur Trade from England— Eng- 
land's Short-sighted Policy of Granting Monopoly Charters— The East 
India Company and South Sea Company — Their Conflicting Interests • 
Lead to the Organization of the King George's Sound Company — Belief 
that North America above Latitude 49° was an Archipelago of Huge 
Islands— First Voyage of Captain Meares — His Terrible Winter on ttie 
Alaskan Coast— Captain Barclay Discovers the Straits of Fuca— Meares 
Engages in the Fur Trade under the Portuguese Flag— He Builds the 
.Schooner " Northwest America " at Nootka Sound— Explores the Straits 
of Fuca — His Unsuccessful Search for the Rio de San Roque — Deception 
Bay and Cape Disappointment — The United States Enters the Contest 
for the Control of the Pacific Coast— The "Columbia Rediviva " and 
" Lady Washington "—The Latter Attacked by Indians, and the Former 
Supplies Spain with an Opportunity to Promulgate her Doctrine of Ex- 
clusive Rights in the Pacific — Martinez sent to Explore the Coast and In- 
vestigate the Russians — His Report of Russian Operations Causes Spain 
to Send a Remonstrance to the Empress— Martinez Fortifies Nootka and 
Takes Possession in the Name of the King of Spain— He Seizes the "Iphi- 
genia" and " Northwest America "— Colnett and Hudson arrive in the 
•'Argonaut" and "Princess Royal" — Are made Prisoners by Martinez 
and sent to Mexico — The Prisoners Released and Vessels Restored— Con- 
troversy between England and Spain Terminated by the Nootka Conven- 
tion — Stipulations of the Treaty Displease both Parties 92 

CHAPTER VIII. ' 
Puokt Sound and Columbia River Discovered.— Explorations of Lieuten- 
ant Quimper in the Straits of Fuca — He takes Formal Possession for Spain 
— Elisa Explores the Straits of Fuca and Gulf of Georgia — Malaspina and 
Bustamante Search for the Straits of Anian — Kendrick Again Visits the 
Coast and Buys Land from the Indians — Gray Arrives in the Columbia 
and Winters at Clayoquot — Events of 1792 — Spain makes a Last Effort to 
Explore the Disputed Region— Arrival of Vancouver's Expedition — He 
Examines the Oregon Coast— Searches in Vain for the Rio de San Roque 
—He Records his Unqualified Disbelief in such a River — Gray Builds the 
'Adventure" at Clayoquot— He Discovers the Columbia River — Vancou- 
ver Explores Puget Sound and Falls in with the Spaniards — He Examines 
the Coast Carefully— Meets Quadra at Nootka— Finds Him Prepared with 
Proofs to Sustain the Cause of Spain— They Fail to Agree on Terms— 
They Bestow their Names upon the Island of Vancouver and Quadra— 
Broughton Explores the Columbia— Vancouver Finishes His Explorations 
and Returns to England— The Nootka Question Settled and the Port 
Abandoned . 118 

CHAPTER IX. 

Ovebland JOURNEYS TO THE Pacific— Organization of the Northwest Com- 
pany of Montreal— Mackenzie's Journey to the Arctic Ocean— His Trip to 
the Pacific in 1792— Discovery and Naming of Eraser River— Treaty of 
1794 Opens a Western Field for American Traders— Conflicting Claims of 
Various Nations at the Beginning of the Present Century— Spain Recon- 
veys Loui«,iana to France in 1800- Thomas Jefferson's Efforts to have the 
Unknown Region Explored— Louisiana Purchased by the United States 
— The Lewis and Clarke Expedition — They Winter with the Mandan 
Indians— Ascend the Missouri— Cross to Clarke's Fork— Reach the Nex 
Perces — Descend Clearwater, Lewis (Snake) and Columbia Rivers to the 



vm CONTENTS. 

Pacific— Winter at Fort Clatsop— The Multnomah, or Willamette, River 
—The Walla Walla, Cayuse and Nez Perce Indians— Lewis and Clarke 
Descend the Yellowstone and Missouri — Effect of their Great Journey — 
Anxiety of Great Britain— Fort Fraser Established in New Caledonia — 
Fort Henry Built on Snake River 130 

CHAPTER X. 

Astoria and the Joint Occupation Treaty. — The Pacific Fur Trade at the 
Beginning of the Present Century— Americans in the Lead — Their Plan 
oi Operations— Russia Complains of the Sale of Fire-Arms to the Indians 
— John Jacob Astor's Plans — The Pacific Fur Company Organized — 
Astor's Alien Partners— The "Tonquin" Sails from New York — Dissen- 
sions on the Voyage— Dangers of the Columbia Bar— Astoria Founded — 
Sad Fate of the " Tonquin " and Her Crew— Appearance at Astoria of an 
Agent of the Northwest Company — Fort Okinagan— Launch of the 
"Dolly " — Sufferings of Wilson Price Hunt's Party— Operations along the 
Columbia— Astoria Sold to the Northwest Company— Captured by the 
English and Named "Fort George "—Unsuccessful Efforts of Mr. Astor 
to Regain Possession — Negotiations under the Treaty of Ghent — Conflict- 
ing Claims to Oregon Advanced by England and the United States — 
Technical Surrender of Fort George— Joint Occupation Agreed Upon — 
The Florida Treaty 147 

CHAPTER XI. 
The Rival Fur Companies. — Growth and Power of the Northwest Company 
— Rivalry between it and the Hudson's Bay Company — The Red River 
War — Barrows' Description of the Hudson's Bay Company— The Cana- 
dian Voyageurs— Fort Vancouver Founded — Dunn's Description of the 
Fort and the Methods of the Hudson's Bay Company in Oregon 169 

CHAPTER XII. 

Diplomacy Again Ends in Joint Occupation.— Claim of the United States 
to the Columbia River — Spasmodic Consideration of the Oregon Question 
in Congress— The Russian Ukase — The Monroe Doctrine — Negotiations in 
1824 — Claims of the United States Advanced by Mr. Rush— The Opposing 
Claims of Great Britain — Reply of Mr. Rush and the English Commis- 
sioners to Each Other — England Rejects America's Offer of the Fifty-first 
Parallel, and Proposes the Forty-ninth and Columbia River— Rush Offers 
the Forty-ninth to the Ocean— Rejected and the Negotiations Terminate 
—Mr. Gallatin Sent to London in 1826— Offer of the Columbia again made 
by England and Rejected— The Doctrine of Contiguity— The Spanish 
Title as Modified by the Nootka Convention— Trading Posts Declared not 
to be Settlements by Mr. Gallatin, a Declaration which Becomes a Boom- 
erang — The Period of Joint Occupation Indefinitely Extended 179 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Failure of all Attempts at Joint Occupation by the Americans.— 
Outlook for Joint Occupation — Comparison of the Advantages of the Eng- 
lish and American Traders— Character of the American Trappers— The 
Hudson's Bay Company's Methods and Servants— Growth of the Ameri- 
can Fur Trade — The American Fur Company — The Missouri Fur Com- 
pany — Ashley, of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, Penetrates the 
Rocky Mountains— Method of Conducting Trapping Enterprises — The 
Annual Rendezvous— Jedediah S. Smith's First Overland Journey — His 
Second Journey Fraught with Disaster— His Adventures in California— 



CONTENTS. IX 

His party Massacred on the Umpqua— The Hudson's Bay Company Re- 
cover Smith's Furs and Pay him for Them— Gray's Version of this Affair 
—The Subject Discussed— Bostons and King George's Men— Dr. Mc- 
Loughlin's Account of this Episode— McLeod's Unfortunate Expedition 
— Ogden's Expedition to the Humboldt and California— Death of Smith 
—Major Pilcher and Ewing Young— Hudson's Bay Company Establish 
Fort Umpqua and a Headquarters in California— Bonneville's Trading 
Ventures— Two Efforts of Nathaniel J. Wyeth to Trade in Oregon Result 
Disastrously— McLoughlin's Remarks on Wyeth— Abandonment of Ore- 
gon by American Trappers 186 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Foundation and Progress of the Missions. — Missionaries Introduce a 
New Element into the Oregon Question — The Flatheads send Messengers 
to St. Louis to Procure a Bible— Jason Lee and others sent by the Meth- 
odist Board of Missions— They Locate in the Willamette Valley— Their 
Plan of Operations— Sickness at the Mission and Hostility of the Indians 
—Parker and Whitman sent by the American Board— Parker's Triumphal 
March— He Returns Home and Publishes a Book— Mr. and Mrs. Whit- 
man—Whitman Takes a Cart as Far as Fort Boise— Missions Founded at 
Waiilatpu and Lapwai— Progress of the Missions of the American Board 
— Mission Founded at The Dalles — Advent of the Catholics — A Religious 
War at Once Begins — A Few Sample Incidents — Effects of the Two 

Forms of Worship upon the Natives 207 

CHAPTER XV. 

American Emigrants Organize a Provisional Government. — Early 
Advocates of Oregon Emigration —Efforts of Hall J. Kelley — The Ameri- 
can Society for the Settlement of Oregon Territory — It Memorializes Con- 
gress and Advertises for Emigrants — Wyeth, Kelley and Ewing Young 
come to Oregon— Earliest American Settlers — McLoughlin's Account of 
Settlement of French Prairie — The Willamette Cattle Company — Popula- 
tion of Oregon in 1840— First Effort at a Government — Settlement at Wil- 
lamette Falls — Radical Change in the Policy of the Hudson's Bay Com- 
pany as Regards Settlers — The Company's Deep Laid Plan — Attitude of 
the Company and its Chief Representative — Dr. McLoughlin Considered 
—Reasons for the Bitter Feeling Entertained by some Americans— Dr. 
McLoughlin's Statement of His Conduct and the Treatment Received 
from both English and Americans— A Bad Showing, for the Gratitude of 
some Americans — Classification of the Population as Regards Interests — 
Reasons for Desiring a Government — A Petition Sent to Congress in 1840 
— First Meeting to Form a Government— Death of Ewing Young Leads 
to the Organization of a Government— The Officers Elected — Failure to 
Form a Constitution— The Wilkes Expedition— The Wolf Meeting— The 
First Legislative Committee — Organization of the Provisional Govern- 
ment—The First Officers— Condition of the Missions— Antagonism of the 
Indians to American Settlers— Dr. White Induces the Nez Perces, Was- 

copums and Cay uses to Adopt a Code of Laws 222 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Dr. Whitman and the Emigration of 1843.— What Induced the Emigra- 
tion of 1843 — Steps Taken to Organize the Movement — Dr. Whitman's 
Character— His Anxiety to Americanize Oregon — The Ashburton Treaty 
and the Cod Fishery— Whitman's Decision to Visit Washington— The 
Waiilatpu Meeting — The Unfortunate Controversy over the Services of 



X CONTENTS. 

Dr. Whitman— Gray's Walla Walla Romance— Its Absurdity Pointed Out 
—The Facts— Whitman and Lovejoy's Journey— Extent of Whitman's 
Influence in Inducing Emigration — His Visit to Washington and Boston 
—Organization and Journey of the Emigrants— List of Emigrants and 
Population of Oregon in 1843— Fremont's Exploring Party 260 

CHAPTER XVII. 

1844 to 1849.— Indian Difficulty at Oregon City— First Military Company— 
Methodist Missions Abandoned— Increase of the Catholic Workers— Elec- 
tion of 1844— Abstract of Votes— Proceedings of the Legislative Commit- 
tee—Emigration of 1844— List of Emigrants— Election of 1845— George 
Abernethy Chosen First Governor of Oregon --Abstract of Votes— Oath 
of Office — Dr. White and the Memorial to Congress— Wheat a Legal 
Tender — Census of 1845— Emigration of 1845— Meek Takes the Emigrants 
by a New Route and Loses Them in the Mountains — The Eventful Year 
of 1846— Mr. Blaine's Account of the Settlement of the Oregon Question 
—Election of 1846— Emigration of 1846— The Applegate Trail— Flags of 
the Schooner "Shark" — Emigration of 1847— The Traveling Nursery — 
Elections of 1847 and 1848— Emigration of 1848 279 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

The Whitman Massacre and the Cayuse War.— Condition of Protestant 
and Catholic Missions in 1847 — Situation of Affairs at Waiilatpu — Tom 
Hill and Joe Lewis— Whitman Buys The Dalles Mission and Prepares to 
Abandon Waiilatpu— Catholics Establish a Mission on the Umatilla— 
Sickness among the Cayuses — Joe Lewis' Poison Story— Evidence of 
Colonel Craig and the Whitman Indians— Details of the Massacre- 
Charges Against the Catholics — Ransom of the Captives — Action of the 
Provisional Government — Oregon Rifles take Possession of The Dalles— 
A Regiment Organized— Campaign in the Cayuse Country— End of the 
War — Five Cayuses Executed at Oregon City 305 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Oregon Becomes an Organized Territory.— News Brought by Emigrants 
in 1847 very Disheartening — Letter of Senator Benton— J. Quinn Thorn- 
ton Sent to Washington to Urge Legislation— Incidents of his Journey — 
Joseph L. Meek Sent to Washington after the Whitman Massacre — His 
Mid- Winter Journey — Interesting Account of the Contest in the Senate 
over the Oregon Bill— General Joseph Lane Appointed Governor— His 
Trip Overland— Organization of the Government— Officers of the Old and 
New Governments— Census of 1849— Discovery of Gold in California- 
Beaver Money 319 

CHAPTER XX. 

Oregon as a Territory.— Organization of the Territorial Government- 
First Legislature— Towns in Oregon in 1850— A Military Episode— John P. 
Gaines Succeeds General Lane as Governor — Inharmony between Demo- 
cratic Legislature and Whig Officers— Three Newspapers Enter the Field 
—The Steamer " Lot Whitcomb "—Oregon City and Salem Contest for 
the Capital— Wreck of the "General Warren "—Indian Troubles in 1851- 
52-53— George L. Curry becomes Governor— Efforts to Form a State Con- 
stitution— Colville Mines— Indian War of 1855-56— Political Complica- 
tions— Fraser River Excitement— Oregon Admitted to the Union 332 



CONTENTS. XI 

CHAPTER XXI. 

Indian Wars of 1853 and 1854.— Outrages Committed in Rogue River Valley 
— Volunteer Companies Organized— General Lane Takes Command — De- 
feat of Lieutenant Griffin and of Lieutenant Ely— Indians Defeated at 
Battle Creek— Armistice of Seven Days— The Table Rock Treaty— Inci- 
dents of the ''Peace Talk"— The Grave Creek Massacre— Captain Miller 
Sent to Escort Emigrants through the Modoc Country— Expenses of the 
War Paid by the Government— Events of 1854 — The Snake River Massacre 
—Expedition of Major Haller to Fort Boise 353 

CHAPTER XXII. 
The Great Outbreak of 1855.— Inability of Indians to form a Coherent Com- 
bination—Rogue River, Puget Sound and the Columbia Hostilities Dis- 
tinct and Separate — Relation of Whites and Indians in Rogue River Val- 
ley—Controversy between General Wool and the Citizens— Incidents be- 
fore the Outbreak— The Lupton Affair— Quick Revenge of the Indians — 
Massacre of October 9th— Heroic Defense of Mrs. Harris— Great Excite- 
ment Prevails — A Review of the Situation — Causes which Led to the War 
on the Columbia — Indian Treaties made by Stevens and Palmer—They 
Mislead the People by Publishing Incorrect Statements of what they have 
Accomplished — Discovery of Gold in the Colville Region — Sauce for the 
Goose not Sauce for the Gander— Murder of Mattice— Hegira from Colville 
and Walla Walla — Murder of Indian Agent Bolan — Regulars Invade the 
Yakima Country— Defeat of Major Haller— Major Raines Calls for Volun- 
teers—Governor Curry Calls for Ten Companies— General Wool's opinion 
of Governor Curry's Conduct— Auother Cause Assigned for the War — 
Excitement in Willamette Valley— The "Oregonian" and " Statesman" 
— Wars and Rumors of Wars Alarm the People 365 

CHAPTER XXIII. 
The Fall Campaigns in the South.— Governor Curry Calls for Two Bat- 
talions of Volunteers— Siege of Galice Creek — Battle of Hungry Hill — A 
Poor Commissariat, and Jealousy between Regulars and Volunteers Cause 
Disaster — Organization of the Two Battalions— They Arrange with the 
Regulars for a Joint Campaign— The First Meadows Campaign — Invasion 
of the Rice Settlement — Massacre of Peaceable Umpquas in Looking-Glass 
Valley — Attack on the Camps of Jake and John — The Siege on Applegate 
Creek— Fight on Murphy Creek — Close of the Campaign for the Winter-- 394 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

The Yakima, Walla Walla and Puget Sound Campaigns.— Troops 
Concentrate at The Dalles— Conflict of authority — An Incident at Van- 
couver—Block House Built at the Cascades — Efforts to Equip the Volun- 
teers—Regulars and Volunteers March North from The Dalles — Plan 
of the Campaign — The Fight on the Banks of the Yakima and at the 
"Buttes" — Burning of the Catholic Mission Ends the Campaign— Ef- 
forts to Treat with Peu-peu-mox-mox— Prelude to the Walla Walla Cam- 
paign—Fort Henrietta — Regulars Refuse their Aid in a Useless Winter 
Campaign— Unfitness of the Volunteers for such a Campaign— Colonel 
Kelly Marches Against the Walla Wallas— Capture of Peu-peu-mox-mox 
Under a Flag of Truce— A Night of Suspense and Excitement — A Fruit- 
less Ante-Breakfast March— Battle of Walla Walla— Killing of Peu-peu- 
mox-mox and other Prisoners— Ears and Scalp of the Chief Exhibited in 
the Willamette Valley — The Situation after the Battle — Killed and 



Xll CONTENTS. 

Wounded— Great Excitement in the Willamette when the News is Re- 
ceived— "Oregonian" Editorials on the Situation — General Wool Con- 
demned — His Opinion of the War and the People's Opinion of Him — 
Governor Stevens Prefers Charges Against General Wool — Incidents At- 
tending the Return of Governor Stevens from the Blackfoot Country — 
The Charges of the Irate Governor Pigeon-holed — The Situation During 
the Winter — Unpleasant Experiences of the Volunteers —Reinforcements 
sent to Walla Walla — Colonel Cornelius Resumes the Offensive — Horse 
Meat Causes a Mutiny — No Enemy Being Found, the Command Aban- 
dons the Walla Walla Country — Farewell Courtesies of Kama-i-akun — 
The Volunteers Disband Without Official Recognition of their Services — . 
Honors Received from the People — Two Companies Raised to Guard the 
Columbia — Refrain of the "Horse-fed Volunteer" — The Political and 
Speculative Aspect of the Campaign — Governor Curry goes to Washing- 
ton to Counteract the Influence of General Wool, and Secure an Appro- 
priation to Defray the Expenses of the War 404 

CHAPTER XXV. 

Closing Scenes of the War on Rogue River.— Reorganization of the Vol- 
unteers — Appointment of General Lamerick — Removal of the Table Rock 
Band to the Coast Reservation — The Flag of Truce Incident — Battle of 
Eight-Dollar Mountain— Campaign to Big Meadows— Battle at the Bar- 
Fort Lamerick Built iu Big Meadows — Massacre at Gold Beach — The Reg- 
ulars Assume the Offensive — They Chastise the Indians at different Places 
— Council of Oak Flat — Battle between Chief John and Captain Smith — 
The Volunteers defeat Limpy and George — All the Hostiles Surrender 
and are taken to the Coast Reservation 483 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

The Attack on the Cascades. — Colonel Wright Assumes Command of the 
Regulars— His Instructions from General Wool— He Starts for the Walla 
Walla Country with a Strong Force— Fears of an Attack on the Cascades 
—The Attack is Made on the Twenty-Sixth of March, 1856— Details of the 
Affair — Colonel Wright Comes to the Rescue from The Dalles, and Lieu- 
tenant Sheridan from Vancouver — Indians Captured and Hanged— List 
of Killed and Wounded— Intelligence of the Attack Creates Great Excite- 
ment in Portland and up the Valley— Two Volunteer Companies go to 
• the Rescue— Panicy Rumors Distract the People— All Quiet on the Sandy 447 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

Campaigns of Colonels Wright, Steptoe and Shaw.— Additional De- 
fenses at the Cascades— Colonel Wright Invades the Yakima Country- 
He Fails to Negotiate with Kama-i-akun, and Returns to The Dalles- 
Plans of Governor Stevens— He sends the Second Regiment into the Walla 
Walla Country in two Battalions— Composition of the Regiment— Battle 
of Grand Ronde— Battle of Burnt River— Killed and Wounded— Colonel 
Shaw Averts a War with the Nez Perces— Colonel Steptoe sent to Walla 
Walla to Build a Fort — His Proclamation that the Indian Treaties were 
not yet in Force — Governor Stevens Invites the Tribes to Hold a Council 
at Walla Walla— The Council an Unfriendly one— Lack of Harmony be- 
tween Stevens and Steptoe — Stevens Attacked by the Indians and is Res- 
cued by Steptoe— A Block-House Built and Garrisoned and the Troops 
Return to The Dalles— Colonel Wright Leads an Expedition to Walla 
Walla — He holds a Council and Arranges a Peace upon the Grounds of 



CONTENTS. X1U 

Mutual Forgiveness for the " Late Unpleasantness " — Governor Stevens' 
Treaties and his Opinion of Wright's Treaty— Northern Indians Invade 
Puget Sound— Erection of Fort Walla Walla— Situation of Affairs in the 
Indian Country— Colonel Steptoe's Defeat in the Palouse Country— His 
Disastrous Retreat South of Snake River — A Record of Heroism and 
Cowardice — Colonel Wright Chastises the Indians at Medical Lake — The 
Spokanes, Yakimas and Palouses Sue for Peace and Surrender Uncondi- 
tionally—Hostages Taken and Twelve Indians Hung— The Walla Wallns 

Tamely Submit to the Hanging of Four of their Number 455 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Aboriginal Inhabitants. — Character of the Indians of the Valley— De- 
structive Influences — Sources of Indian History — Extract from Lewis 
and Clarke's Narrative — Various Tribes Recounted — Their Locations— 
The Klickitat Invasion— The Chinook Family— Ethnology— Habits and 
Appearance — Tattooing — Clothing — Habitations — Food — Easy Ways of 
Life — Salmon Catching — Canoes — Tribal Government — Weapons — Habits 
of War — Diseases and Treatment — The Vapor Bath — Disposition of Dead 
Bodies — Influence of the Missions— Antiquities of Linn County — Their 
Probable Origin — Indian Names of Localities — Good Taste Demands their 

Perpetuation 478 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

History of Railways.— Primitive Ideas— Pioneer Railway Projects— Elli- 
ott's Plan of a Railway from Portland to California — Incorporation of the 
Astoria & Willamette R. R. Co.— Names of the Incorporators — The East 
Side Railway — Ben Holladay — The Oregon Central R. R. Co. — Anecdote 
— Need of Railways— The West Side R. R. Co.— A Railroad Boom in Or- 
egon—Effect of the Introduction of Railways— Public Opinion— Dissolu- 
tion of the Oregon Central, and Organization of the Oregon and California 
Company — Officers of the New Company — River Transportation — Holla- 
day Buys a Newspaper— Its Character— Issue of Bonds of the O. & C. R. 
R.— Completion of the Railway to Roseburg— Want of Economy— Cessa- 
tion of Railway Building— Resumption of Work in 1883— Railways Needed 
in Southern Oregon— The Railroad Leased to the Oregon and Transconti- 
nental Co.— The West Side Road- Holladay 's Shrewdness— Portland's 
Princely Gift— Progress of the West Side Road— Two Factions— Exit Hol- 
laday— Land Grants— The Conqueror Appears— A Giant's Plans— Vil- 
lard — The Narrow-Gauge Road — The Oregon Pacific — Railroad Lands — 

Railway Officials— Concluding Remarks 491 

CHAPTER XXX. 

Description of the Willamette Valley.— Boundaries of the Valley— Di- 
mensions — Streams — Mountains — Cascade Range — Peaks — The Minto 
Pass — Coast Range — Animal Inhabitants— Trapping and Hunting- 
Distances — Elevation of Places on the Willamette River— Lands— Prairie 
and Timbered Lands — Those First Taken Up— Foothill Lands— Their Im- 
portance and Great Value — Brush Lands— Advantages — Location — Unoc- 
cupied Lands of Value— Altitude of Vacant Lands— How Brush Lands 
are Cleared— Railroad and Government Land— Amount of Vacant Land 
in the Valley— Railroad Grants— Timbered Sections— Catalogue of Forest 
Trees— Valuable Sorts— Trees Which Grow on Low Lands— Conjectures 
Regarding the Amount of Timber now Standing — Effect of Denuding the 
Land of Trees — Injurious Results Predicted— Forest Fires Produce Vast 
Damage and Should be Prevented 513 



XIV CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

Climate and Geology. — Peculiarities of Climate — Distinctions of the Seasons 
— Particular Seasons — Table of Pleasant, Rainy. Stormy and Snowy Days 
—Averages of Each— Tables of Maximum, Minimum and Mean Tempera- 
tures and Rainfall for Thirteen Years— Table of Monthly and Annual 
Mean Temperatures for Nine Localities — Geology — Dynamical Geology — 
Sandstone the Prevailing Sedimentary Formation — It belongs to the 
Tertiary Age— Newer Deposits — Erosion of Sandstone Strata — Fossils of 
Tertiary Mammals— The Volcanic Rocks— Whence They Came— Enor- 
mous Extent— Composed of Basalt— Volcanic Buttes in the Upper Part 
of the Valley— Composition of the Cascade Range— Glaciers — Mines— 
Santiam Gold Mines— Bohemia Districts-Other Minerals— Iron Ore— Im- 
portant Developments at Oswego — Ore Beds Worked and Furnaces 
Erected — Sketch of the Operations There— Quality of Product— Soils 
Considered— Origin of Rich Basalt Soils— Their Constant Renewal— Red 
Hills — Mixed Soils — Valley Loams the Result of Disintegration and Al- 
luvial Action 529 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

Grain Products.— Wheat the Staple Production— Its Earliest Cultivation- 
Impetus Given by Mining — Laxity of the State Government in the Mat- 
ter of Statistics — Want of a Policy — Flour Successfully Made — Its Quality 
Never Elsewhere Surpassed — Wheat Crop Never Fails — Wheat the 
Principal Factor in Commercial Affairs — Why Farmers raise Wheat — 
Objections Thereto — Persistent Wheat-Raising will Impoverish the 
Country — Statistics — Productiveness and Endurance of the Soils — Cost 
per Bushel to Raise Wheat — Influence of the Railways upon Wheat-Grow- 
ing — Increase of the Business from 1869 — Its Probable Future — Its Possi- 
ble Production — Varieties Cultivated — Wheat Crop of 1880 — Other Grain 
Products— Oats a Favorite Crop— Immense Production— Indian Corn not 
a Success— Barley— Table of Production of Wheat, Oats, Corn and Barley 547 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 

Other Field Products. — Flax— Well Adapted to the Lands of the Willam- 
ette—Linseed Oil— Table of Flax Production — Quality— Hops a Certain 
and V aluable Crop — Table— Hay— Clover — Grasses— Vegetables — Potatoes 
— Market Gardening a Profitable Industry— Table — Fruit — Apples, Pears 
and Prunes the Principal Varieties— Markets— History of Apple-Raising— 
William Meek— Present Condition of Orchards— Yield of Apples— Deal- 
ings with San Francisco— Mode of Culture— Fruit Drying— Importance of 
the Industry— Prospective Growth— Prunes— Plums— Peaches— Future of 
Fruit-Growing— Berries— Wild Species— Table Showing the Production 
of Principal Varieties and Value of Orchard Products— Beet Sugar and 
Potato Starch 560 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 

Live Stock.— The Earliest Introduction of Cattle— Cattle Brought from Cali- 
fornia—Herds Brought by Immigrants— Improved Stock— Dairying— 
Non-progressive Practices of the Farmers— Beef Animals— Table of Cattle 
and Dairy Products— Statistics of Horses, Etc.— Sheep, Introduction of— 
Brought from California and the East— Improved Breeds— The Merino- 
Domestic Animals Uncared For— Woolen Mills— Watts Leads the Way- 
Mill at Oregon City— Willamette Mill at Salem— Mill at Brownsville— 



CONTENTS. XV 

Excellent Quality of Cloths Manufactured —Table of Sheep and Wool 
Production — Swiue — Peculiar Advantages in Pork-Raising — Animals 
Neglected— Table Showing Xumber of Hogs and Their Value— Goats 578 

CHAPTER XXXV. 

Statistics.— Scarcity of Reliable Statistical Information— Duty of the State 
Government — How Performed — Tables of Production of Wheat, Indian 
Corn, and Oats— Amount in Gross— Amount per Acre— Gross Value, **nd 
Value per Bushel— Number and Size of Farms at Different Dates— Statis- 
tics Gathered rrorn the Census Report of 1880 — Xumber of Farms— Of 
Owners— Valuations— Industrial Establishments— County Valuation and 
Assessments -__ 583 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 

Review oe Auric ultuke- Essay Necessarily Imperfect— Policy of the Farm- 
ers — Injurious Effect of Exclusive Devotion to one Crop— Farmers not In- 
structed in Great Business Affairs— Theory versus Practice— Productions 
of Small Farms— Size of Farms — Twenty Acres Enough -Mixed Farming 
— Chances for Improvement— Conclusion 587 

CHAPTER XXXVII. 

History oe Immigration.— Table of Population of Each County in 1850, 1860, 
1870, and 1880 — Comparison of Aggregates — Proportion of Population Be- 
tween the State and the Willamette Valley — Personal History of Pioneers 
and Representative Individuals 591 



CHAPTER I. 

AMERICA IX THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 

Spain's Foothold in the New World — -The Age of Romance and Adven- 
ture — The Method and Successive Stages of Conquest — Discovery of 
the South Sea, ur Pacific Ocean, by Balboa and Magellan — Conquest 
of Mexico and Peru — First Attempt to Colonize the Peninsula of 
California — F forts of Portugal, England and France. 



DURING the fifty years immediately following the discovery of 
America, Spain gained a firm and lasting foothold in the 
New World. Ferdinand and Isabella, those Christian rulers who 
sat upon the united throne of Castile and Aragon, and freed their 
kingdom from the invading Moors, and redeemed it from the faith 
of Islam, and under whose patronage Columbus sailed upon that 
voyage which revealed to an astonished world a new continent and 
a vast unknown ocean, were succeeded in power by the mighty 
Charles V. Under the reign of this enlightened monarch, the most 
powerful, wise and enterprising ruler that ever sat upon the throne 
of Spain, that nation approached the zenith of its power, wealth 
and importance in the political affairs of Europe. This she reached 
and passed during the reign of his son and successor, the haughty 
Philip, whose power and magnificence was supported chiefly from 
the endless stream of treasure which flowed into the kingdom froin 
conquered provinces in the New World, or from the commerce of 
the East. There existed no rival to share with her the riches of the 
long -sought Indies, save ambitious little Portugal, who had early 
gained a footing there and established a considerable commerce by 
the long and tedious route around the southern extremity of Africa. 



18 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

While other nations confined themselves to occasional voyages 
of exploration and spasmodic efforts at planting feeble colonies, 
Spain was pursuing a vigorous policy of conquest and colonization. 
That was the halcyon age of romance and adventure, and Spain led 
the van. The whole nation seemed imbued with a spirit of con- 
quest. Imagination and romance peopled this vast unknown land 
with nations of strange civilization and amazing wealth; made it 
the repository of gold, pearls and precious gems in such fabulous 
quantity that the greatest riches of the known world seemed but 
the veriest dross in comparison; gave into its keeping the mystical 
fountain of youth ; endowed it with all the beauties and wonders of 
earth, air and water the mind could conceive, and even located 
within its confines the Terrestrial Paradise from whose gates the 
angel of the Almighty had driven the great progenitors of mankind 
with a naming sword of fire. Beyond this was the great South 
Sea, with its thousands of islands — a region romance had filled 
with nations of Amazons and enriched with gold and pearls; while 
still further was the Indies with its known treasures of silk and 
porcelain; the magnificent Cathay, that land of great cities and 
hoarded wealth, of which Marco Polo had written; and the marvel- 
lous Island of Cipango, whose treasures were ready to fall into the 
lap of him who was bold enough to seek them. 

Stimulated by avarice, love of adventure and a religious zeal 
which often approached fanaticism, many of the nobles of Spain 
embarked upon expeditions of exploration and conquest, accom- 
panied by bands of equally avaricious, adventuresome and fanatic 
soldiers, whose reward for their services consisted chiefly of the 
plunder obtained in their bloody campaigns. Such expeditions 
were fostered and encouraged by the Spanish monarch, who saw in 
them a means of extending his power and dominions, and filling his 
treasury with the supposed wealth of the New World. Whoever 
discovered and conquered a new country in the name of the king 
was commissioned governor, or viceroy, of the subdued region, and 
granted all riches he might thus acquire, save only that which was 
to be the portion of the crown. In this way America was invaded 
from Florida to Chili. 

Briefly summarized, the successive steps by which Spain grasped 



AMERICA IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 19 

the richest portions of the New World were as follows: In 1495, 
only three years after the memorable voyage of Columbus, the 
Island of Hayti was conquered and named u Nuevo Hispanola," 
a name afterwards transferred to Mexico. Here work was begun 
in the mines, the natives being enslaved to perform the labor. 
These being found physically unable to endure the hardships 
imposed upon them, negroes were imported from Guinea for that 
purpose, thus laying the foundation of African slavery, which the 
civilization of the nineteenth century has not yet been able fully to 
abolish. In 1511 the Island of Cuba was invaded by 300 men, and 
conquered in the name of the king of Spain. In 1513 Vasco 
Nunez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Darien and discovered the 
great South Sea, of which the natives had so confidently spoken 
that it had already found a place on the maps of European geogra- 
phers. Seven years later the great Magellan entered it through the 
straits that bear his name, and christened it " Pacific. " In 1519 
Cortes landed in Mexico, and with an army of 950 soldiers and a 
great cloud of Indian auxiliaries invaded the ancient kingdom of 
the Montezumas. In two years he completely subjugated the 
country, his progress being marked by the blood of the Aztecs 
poured out like water in the defense. Ten years later the cruel 
Pizarro, whose only object was conquest and plunder, entered Peru 
with a thousand men, subdued the country and plundered the king- 
dom of the Incas of its treasures of gold and silver. In 1535 Men- 
doza entered Buenos Ayres at the head of 2,000 men and subjugated 
the country as far as Potosi, whose famous mines of silver were 
discovered nine years later. In 1537, Cortes 9 seeking further con- 
quests to the westward of Mexico, landed at Santa Cruz, near the 
lower extremity of the peninsula of California, but finding neither 
wealth nor civilized nations, and being unable to subsist his force 
in such a barren land, soon abandoned his effort at colonization and 
returned to Mexico. In 1541, Chili was conquered by the restless 
adventurers of Spain. 

By the middle of the sixteenth century Spain had conquered 
and colonized every portion of America inhabited by wealthy and 
semi -civilized nations, and was enjoying a revenue of almost fabu- 
lous amount from her provinces in the New World. Portugal alone, 
of all her rivals, had accomplished anything of a similar nature, 



20 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

having planted a colony in Brazil. England and France had suc- 
ceeded simply in laying a foundation for a claim of dominion in 
North America, but, unlike their enterprising rival, received as yet 
no revenue from the New World. Such was the condition of affairs 
when the first efforts were made to explore the coast of Oregon. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE FABULOUS STRAITS OF ANIAN. 

Cortereal Discovers the Straits of Labrador — Imagines he has passed 
through Novus Mundus — Vasco de Gama reaches India by dotobling 
the Cape of Good Hojje — Naming of the Straits of Anian by Cor- 
tereal — Magellan's Discovery of a Southwest Passage Confirms the 
Belief in a Northwest one — Explorations of Cortes in the Pacific — 
Voyage of Francisco de TJlloa — Mendoza Dispatches Alarcon and 
Coronado in Search of Cibola and Quivira — Voyage of Juan 
Rodriguez Cabrillo — His Death — Ferrelo Continues the Voyage to 
Latitude Jf3° or IpJf Spain Abandons the Search for the Straits of 
Anian and Turns her Attention to the Indies— Spanish Commerce 
Supreme in the Pacific — Her Claim of Exclusive Domain — The 
Buccaneers, or Freebooters of the Spanish Main, Invade the Pacific — 
Piratical Voyage of Sir Francis Drake — He Searches for the Straits 
of Anian — Dispute among Historians as to the Extent of his Voy- 
age — Drake Lands his Pilot in Oregon — Drakes Bay not the Bay of 
San Francisco — Drake Takes Possession of New Albion — Romances 
of Chaplain Fletcher — Drake's Success Excites the Emulation of 
other Adventurers — Fraudulent Claims of Discovery of a Northwest 
Passage — Maldonado's Pretended Voyage through the Straits of 
Anian — His Memorial a Sham. 



THE immediate cause which led to the discovery and consequent 
occupation of Oregon was the long and eager search for the 
mythical Northwest Passage, which continued for nearly three cen- 
turies, and was participated in by seven of the leading nations of the 
world, England, France, Holland, Spain, Portugal, Russia and the 
United States; and since it makes so conspicuous an object in the 
foreground of Oregon's history, it is worthy an extended descrip- 
tion. 



22 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

One of the most noted of the many explorers attracted to the 
New World by the great discovery of Columbus, was Gaspar Cor- 
tereal, a Portuguese. In the year 1500 this great navigator explored 
the Atlantic coast of North America — then called "NovusMun- 
dus," and supposed to be a portion of the continent of Asia, extend- 
ing a long distance to the eastward — and sailing round the coast of 
Labrador entered the straits which lie in the 60th degree north lat- 
itude. Through these he passed into Hudson's Bay, supposing he 
had now entered waters which communicated with the Indian ocean. 
Absurd as this supposition is in the light of our present knowledge 
of the earth's surface, it was by no means so when the geogr apical 
ideas and theories prevailing at that time are considered. It must 
be remembered that eight years had not yet passed since the voyage 
of Columbus had compelled the world to accept the theory which he 
and a few others had for years been enthusiastically advocating — 
that the earth was round and could be encompassed by traveling 
either east or west. Though this was now generally admitted, no 
one had ever actually accomplished the journey, and, in consequence, 
the distance round the globe was a matter simply of conjecture. 
That it was more than half the distance it was afterwards found to 
be, no one at that time imagined ; and this accounts for the belief 
that Novus Mundus was a portion of Asia, of whose eastern coast 
geographers had no knowledge whatever, and for the supposition 
of Cortereal that he had passed through this new land and entered 
a sea connecting with the Indian Ocean, when, in fact, he was not 
within ten thousand miles of that great body of water. Two years 
before, one of these Portuguese navigators, Vasco de Gama, had 
reached the Indian Ocean by sailing eastward around the Cape of 
Good Hope, a voyage historians believe to have been frequently 
accomplished in ancient days by those venturesome mariners, the 
Phoenicians; and now Cortereal believed that he had found a route 
into the same waters by passing around the northern extremity of 
the New World. 

To the straits through which he had passed he gave the name 
of " Anian," and the land to the south of them he called Labrador, 
and these were variously indicated on the subsequent maps as 
" Straits of Anian," " Straits of Cortereal," " Straits of Labrador," 
u Land of Cortereal," and " Land of Labrador." The exact sig- 



THE FABULOUS STRAITS OF ANIAN. 23 

nificance of the word " Anian " is generally admitted to be un- 
known, although it lias been the subject of much dispute. By some 
it was claimed to have been derived from the Japanese word Ani, 
meaning " brother,' 1 and to have been applied to these straits because 
Cortereal believed them to separate Asia and Novus Mundus, which 
stood on opposite sides in brotherly conjunction; but as Japan was 
at that time utterly unknown — unless, indeed, it was that wonder- 
ful Island of Cipango, of whose fabulous riches such extravagant 
expectations had been created, — Cortereal can hardly be assumed 
to have been sufficiently familiar with the language to employ it 
in bestowing names to the exclusion of his native tongue, and 
especially to the ignoring of that long list of saints which furnished 
such an inexhaustible supply of names for the devout Spanish and 
Portuguese explorers, lying as thick upon the map of America as 
pin holes in an old paper pattern. 

A few years later the ideas of geographers in regard to the size 
of the world began to expand, and with the discovery of the South 
Sea all belief in the proximity of the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean 
vanished. In 1820, Magellan, another Portuguese mariner, but 
sailing under the nag of Spain, entered the South Sea through the 
straits which bear his name, and bestowed the name " Pacific " upon 
it. The voyage was continued westward until the world had been 
circumnavigated, and an approximate idea of the distance around 
it was thus gained by geographers. Belief was immediately revived 
in the Straits of Anian. It was then supposed that Cortereal's 
passage led from the Atlantic into the South Sea, of whose immen- 
sity the world had become deeply impressed, since Magellan had 
traversed it in its broadest part. If the North American continent 
narrowed northward as South America had been found to do in the 
opposite direction, then it must be but a short distance from the 
Atlantic to the Pacific in the region of Labrador; and since a pas- 
sage had been found through the land to the south — for in their 
ignorance of the open sea below South America, geographers believed 
Magellan's Straits to be simply a narrow waterway piercing the 
heart of the continent where it was much narrower than elsewhere — 
it was reasonable to suppose that a similar one existed to the north, 
especially since Cortereal had reported finding it. To discover this 
northwest passage was the desire of explorers for many years there- 



24 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

after. England, France and Portugal, and Holland in later years, 
sought it in the Atlantic, while Spain put forth her efforts to attain 
the same object in the Pacific. To the efforts made in the latter 
direction this narrative will be chiefly confined, since to them is due 
the discovery of Oregon and the complete exploration of the Pacific 
Coast. 

When Cortez had subjugated Mexico he at once began con- 
structing vessels on the western coast of Central America for service 
in the Pacific. He possessed a roving commission from his sover- 
eign, the powerful Charles V., which granted him almost despotic 
powers as a ruler in all new countries he might discover and sub- 
due in the name of the king, the conquests to be made at his own 
expense and risk, and the expeditions to be fitted out from his own 
resources. To follow his movements in detail is unnecessary. They 
resulted in the discovery and temporary colonization of Lower Cal- 
ifornia, the discovery of the Colorado River, and the knowledge that 
the Sea of Cortes, or the Vermilion Sea, was a gulf, the one now 
known as the " Gulf of California." 

It had been the plan of Cortes to coast northward, westward and 
southward, along America and Asia, until he reached the Indies, 
noting the exact position of the Straits of Anian as he passed ; but 
the vessels he had constructed for that purpose were ordered to be 
sent in a direct path across the Pacific, and he was compelled to build 
others. It was with these that his expeditions along the Mexican. 
Coast and in Lower California were conducted. The first attempt 
to pass around the southern extremity of the Peninsula of Califor- 
nia and follow the outer coast northward was made in 1539. On 
the twenty-ninth of October of that year Francisco de Ulloa, who 
had been the energetic assistant of the great conquesitador in all 
his operations on the western coast of Mexico, sailed from the bay 
of Santa Cruz, the scene of Cortes' disastrous attempt at coloniza- 
tion in Lower California, and passed around the cape now known 
as " San Lucas." On the first of February he had proceeded as far 
north as 28°, when he encountered an island near the coast which he 
christened " Isle of Cedars." For two months he was baffled by 
head winds and contended with sickness among his crew, afflicted 
with that dread malady the scurvy, the scourge of the early mariners, 
who neither understood its nature nor knew how to prevent or cure 



THE FABULOUS STRAITS OF ANIAN. 20 

it. The sickness unabating' and his stock of provisions beginning 
to run short, Ulloa abandoned the effort to progress further and 
returned to Mexico. 

No immediate attempt was made to continue the explorations 
thus begun by Ulloa. The fact was that Don Antonio de Mendoza, 
a Spanish nobleman of high rank, who had succeeded Cortes as 
Viceroy of New Spain, was deeply interested in exploring the inte- 
rior to the northward, in search of a mythical country called 
" Cibola," and another named " Quivira," stories of whose wonder- 
ful richness had been received from wandering refugees, who claimed 
to have seen them or been informed of their existence by the Indians. 
Two expeditions were sent out to accomplish this purpose. One 
under Fernando de Alarcon ascended the Colorado a distance of 
300 miles without observing anything suggestive of civilized nations; 
while Francisco Vasquez de Caronado was equally unsuccessful in 
a land journey which took him as far north as 40°, and extended 
over two years of time. 

Even before Coronado returned from following the ignis fatuus 
of Quivira, Mendoza dispatched an expedition by sea to search for 
the Straits of Anian, and incidentally to discover any of those civ- 
ilized nations which Indian tradition and Caucasian imagination 
located further to the northwest. This fleet consisted of two small 
vessels, commanded by Juan E-odriguez Cabrillo, and sailed in the 
year 1542. Cabrillo followed the coast as far north as latitude 38°, 
when he encountered a violent storm which drove him many miles 
backward. From this he found shelter in a small harbor in the 
Island of San Bernardino, lying near the coast in latitude 34°, 
which he christened " Port Possession,' ' being the first point on the 
California coast of which the Spaniards took possession. While 
the vessels were lying in this harbor, Cabrillo died, on the third of 
January, 1543, and the command devolved upon Bartolome Ferrelo, 
the pilot, as the second in power upon the Spanish vessels was des- 
ignated at that time. This position was always occupied by an 
experienced seaman, as it frequently happened that the commander 
of the expedition was not a practical navigator; and this partially 
accounts for the fact that but little accurate knowledge was gained 
by Spanish explorers, who took but few observations and kept 
exceedingly poor records, so much so, in fact, that after half a dozen 



26 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

voyages of exploration they were unable to trace the contour of the 
coast line upon the map with even an approach to accuracy. 

Upon assuming command of the expedition, Ferrelo again 
headed the vessels to the northward. Near latitude 41° he discov- 
ered a prominent headland on a rocky and forbidding coast, which 
he named Cabo de For tunas, the " Cape of Perils," and which is 
probably the one subsequently christened " Mendocino, 1 ' in honor 
of the Mexican Viceroy, Mendoza, who had dispatched the expedi- 
tion. On the first of March, 1543, Ferrelo reached the farthest 
point to the northward, which is given by some authorities as lati- 
tude 44°, and by others as 43°. Other historians, including Ban- 
croft, do not accord him even so high a latitude as 43°. The con- 
flict arises from the careless and meagre records above referred to. 
However, it makes but little difference, as he progressed as far as 
Rogue River, and possibly to the Umpqua, and can safely be cred- 
ited with the discovery of Oregon, so far as sailing along its coast 
without making a landing, or even drawing a chart of its outline, 
may be considered to constitute a discovery. Lack of provisions 
and the ravages of the dreaded scurvy among his crew compelled 
Ferrelo to abandon the effort to proceed further and return to 
Mexico. 

The return of Ferrelo without having discovered the mythical 
straits or the equally visionary cities and wealthy nations, reports 
of which had attracted the cupidity of the Spanish adventurers, 
following close upon Alarcon's fruitless voyage up the Colorado, 
and Coronado's wild-goose chase in search of Quivira, and com- 
bined with the report of the survivors of DeSoto's unfortunate 
expedition to the Mississippi, satisfied the Spanish authorities in the 
New World that neither wealthy nations nor navigable passages of 
communication between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, were to be 
found north of Mexico, unless beyond the 40th parallel of latitude. 
With this conclusion they abandoned all effort to explore the country 
to the northward, and turned their attention to more remunerative 
ventures across the Pacific to the Indies. 

By this time Portugal had established a large and immensely 
profitable commerce with the Indies, by following the long route 
around the Cape of Good Hope. Spain viewed this with jealous 
eye, notwithstanding the enormous revenue she was already receiv- 



THE FABULOUS STRAITS OF AX IAN. 21 

ing from her possessions in the New World, and put forth great 
exertions to secure a footing for herself in the Indies. Several mi- 
successful expeditions were dispatched across the Pacific from Mex- 
ico, but, finally, in 1564, the Philippine Islands were subdued and 
taken possession of in the name of the Spanish monarch. In a few 
years an enormous revenue was derived from this new dependency. 
Her possessions in America formed not only an intermediate station 
as a basis of operations, but furnished, also, the gold and silver 
with which to purchase the silks, porcelain and spices of the Orient. 
No other nation possessed such facilities for commerce in the Pacific, 
and no flag but that of Spain fluttered in the trade winds that sweep 
steadily across that mighty ocean. Not a ship of war cruised on 
its broad expanse to guard the commerce from hostile fleets. An- 
nually the galleons sailed from Mexico with gold and silver, and 
returned laden with the precious products of the East, which were 
transported across the isthmus to ships waiting to carry them to the 
mother country. The monarch of that powerful nation was the 
personification of arrogance. Over all lands even technically dis- 
covered by his subjects he claimed dominion and the exclusive right 
of trade, even if no settlement of any kind had been attempted. 
Foreigners of all nations were prohibited, under pain of death, from 
having any intercourse whatever with such territories, or from nav- 
igating the adjacent waters. 

Spain was frequently involved in hostilities with her European 
neighbors, the great revenue derived from her possessions in the 
New AYorld and her commerce with the Indies furnishing her the 
" sinews of war.'' Much as they desired it, her enemies were unable 
to attack her in this most vital part. Cargo after cargo crossed the 
Pacific and not a hostile sail was to be seen on the bosom of the 
ocean. On the Atlantic side, however, things wore a different aspect. 
Armed fleets were necessary to protect her merchantmen from the 
men of war sent out to cut them off in times of national disputes, 
and from the piratical crafts that infested the West Indies at all 
seasons. These "freebooters," or "buccanners," plied their pirati- 
cal calling even in times of peace, with the full knowledge and even 
encouragement of their sovereigns. They sought diligently for the 
Northwest Passage. If they could only find some route into the 
Pacific other than the dangerous one by way of the Straits of Ma- 



28. HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE. VALLEY. 

gellan, they could prey to their hearts' content upon the unprotected 
commerce of that ocean. They well knew the value of the cargoes 
carried in the unarmed galleons from the Philippines. At last, 
unable to find the Straits of Anian, they invaded the Pacific by the 
dreaded Straits of Magellan, and the security of Spanish shipping 
in the South Sea vanished forever. 

The pioneer of this plundering band was Francis Drake, an 
English seaman of much renown, a daring spirit and expert mari- 
ner. With three vessels he thus passed into the Pacific upon a mis- 
sion of plunder. One of these was wrecked soon after passing 
through the straits, another returned to England, while with his 
one remaining ship Drake sailed up the coast, scattering terror and 
devastation among the Spanish shipping, and levying contributions 
in the defenceless ports. The East India galleon, with its precious 
cargo, fell into his hands off the California coast, and then, with his 
vessel loaded with plunder, he sailed northward to search for the 
Straits of Anian, intending to pass through them into the Atlantic 
and thus reach England by a new route. By doing this he would 
avoid a combat with a Spanish fleet which he had every reason to 
expect would be lying in wait for him at the Straits of Magellan. 
He failed utterly to find any such passage, though how thoroughly 
he searched the coast is unknown ; and even the extent of his voyage 
to the north is a matter of much dispute. By some authorities it 
is given as latitude 43°, and by others at 48°. To this latter opin- 
ion all English writers hold, while American historians favor the 
former, and the reason for adopting their separate opinions is not 
such an one as should actuate the true historian. If Drake did not 
proceed beyond latitude 48°, then he made no further progress north 
than did the Spaniard Ferrelo, thirty-five years before, and was not 
entitled to the honor of discovering any new region on the Pacific 
coast. In that event England's claim to Oregon, by right of dis- 
covery, was without foundation, since prior to any subsequent 
English voyage along the coast, several Spanish expeditions coasted 
its whole length as far as Alaska. If he reached latitude 48°, on 
the contrary ,. England's title by right of discovery was undeniable. 
Such being the case, and the Spanish title to Oregon having been 
acquired by the United States by purchase and treaty, the reason 
for the historians of the two countries espousing different sides, 



THE FABULOUS STRAITS OF ANIAN. 29 

without much reference to the truth of the matter, can be readily 
perceived. 

Two accounts of the voyage were published, thus furnishing the 
foundation for the controversy, and neither of these narratives bears 
either internal or external evidence of complete reliability. There 
may well be a difference of opinion, but the fact that this difference 
is drawn on national lines is suggestive of bias and a lack of those 
qualities which mark the true historian. One of them was pub- 
lished by Richard Hakluyt, the celebrated geographer of those times, 
in a volume embodying the results of all previous voyages of ex- 
ploration, and is said to be the production of Francis Pretty, one 
of Drake's crew ; though English authors claim it to have been 
written by Hakluyt himself from accounts of the voyage related to 
him some time before, and thus subject to grievous errors. The 
other account is one which was published by a nephew of Drake, 
seventy years after the voyage was completed, and long after every 
soul who had participated in it had passed to his final account; thus 
there was no living witness who could dispute the wildest and most 
reckless statement the compiler might be led to make in his eager- 
ness to establish his relative's position as discoverer of New Albion, 
the name Drake had bestowed upon California. The notes used in 
preparing this volume were credited to Rev. Fletcher, the chaplain 
of the expedition, and it must be said that in some respects he was 
the most magnificent liar that ever undertook to deceive an audience 
absolutely ignorant of the subject with which he dealt. The regions 
visited were entirely unknown, since no information was gained by 
Ferrelo's voyage, and the world was prepared to believe anything 
of this region, of which new wonders were constantly being revealed. 
Rev. Fletcher seems to have realized this, and improved his oppor- 
tunity ; yet the fact that his notes contain what are known to be 
willful misstatements, is not proof that in this one instance he was 
not correct, or that his notes were altered by the compiler to read 
48° instead of 43°. This want of veracity is, of course, a presump- 
tion against his statement in this particular; but it will require 
something more authentic than the alleged narrative of Francis 
Pretty to establish their inaccuracy beyond dispute. When the 
whole matter is reviewed impartially, the mind naturally leans to- 
ward the theory of 43 degrees, without, however, feeling completely 



30 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

satisfied that it is the true one. In the nature of things this con- 
troversy can never be settled, and Drake and Ferrelo will ever bear 
the divided honor of the discovery of Oregon. 

Drake's presence on the coast of Oregon, near the forty- third 
parallel, is proven by Spanish records, which contain a piece of 
information not to be found in either of the narratives mentioned 
above. From this it appears that he had on board a Spanish pilot, 
named Morera, with whom he felt dissatisfied for some reason, and 
in the region indicated he ran into a " poor harbor "' and put the 
offending seaman ashore, leaving him among savages, thirty-five 
hundred miles from civilization. That he accomplished the journey 
across that unknown land and reached his countrymen in Mexico is 
evidenced by the fact that the incident is recorded at all, since other- 
wise it could never have been known. Having been forced back 
along the coast by adverse winds, he entered a small bay near lati- 
tude 38°, where he cast anchor for thirty-six days. It was, until 
recent times, supposed that this harbor was San Francisco Bay, the 
name helping to support the idea with the unthinking. Later on 
it will be seen that the bay was thus named in honor of an entirely 
different personage. Sir Francis Drake was the reverse of a saint 
in Spanish eyes, and even had they named it in his honor they 
would have been certain to associate with his name some title more 
in harmony with their estimation of his character. Drake was in 
search of the Straits of Anian, and that he lay thirty -six days in 
San Francisco Bay without even attempting to explore the connect- 
ing bays of San Pablo and Suisun, and the great navigable rivers 
discharging into them, is so manifestly improbable as to be beyond 
credence. There is no positive testimony to support the idea, and 
the contrary is proven as nearly as purely negative testimony can 
prove anything. It is generally conceded by historians that Drake's 
harbor of refuge was the one lying just north of the Golden Gate 
and known as " Drake's Bay." It is in speaking of this place that 
Chaplain Fletcher displays his abilities as a romancer. The time 
was the month of June, and yet he states that snow covered the 
hills and that the weather was so cold that meat froze upon being 
taken from the fire. One familiar with the fact that snow is a 
rarity there even in winter, and that at no time does it become cold 



THE FABULOUS STRAITS OF ANIA1*. 31 

enough to freeze meat that has never been near a fire, has his confi- 
dence in the veracity of the chronicler terribly shaken. 

While lying in the harbor Drake landed and took possession of 
the country in the name of his sovereign, christening it " New Al- 
bion," in honor of his native land. Fletcher's narrative states that 
the natives first mistook them for gods and offered sacrifices to them, 
and that they removed this impression by themselves publically 
offering up their devotions to the Creator. Of the incidents of their 
landing the narrative says: — 

Our necessarie business being ended, our General, with his companie, travailed 
up into the countrey to their villiages, where we found heardes of deere by 1,000 in 
a conipanie, being most large and fat of bodie. We found the whole countrey to be 
a warren of strange kinde of connies ; their bodies in bigness as be the Barbarie 
connies, their heads as the heads of ours, the feet of a Want [mole] and the taile of 
a rat. being of great length ; under her chinne on either side a bagge, into which 
she gathered her meate, when she hath filled her bellie abroad. The people do eat 
their bodies, and make accompt for their skinnes, for their King's coat was made 
out of them. Our General called this countrey Nova Albion, and that for two 
causes : the one in respect to the white bankes and clifTes which lie toward the sea ; 
and the other because it might have some arrinitie with our countrey in name 
which sometimes was so called. 

There is no part of earth here to be taken up, wherein there is not a reasonable 
quantitie of gold or silver. Before sailing away, our General set up a monument of 
our being there, as also of her majestie's right and title to the same, viz.: a plate 
nailed upon a faire great poste, whereupon was engraved her majestie's name, the 
day and yeare of our arrival there, with the free giving up of the province and peo- 
ple into her majestie's hands, together with her highness' picture and arms, in a 
piece of five pence of current English money under the plate, whereunder was also 
written the name of our General. 

What the worthy Chaplain considered a " reasonable quantitie 11 
of the precious metals it is impossible to conjecture, but the proba- 
bilities are that he manufactured this statement from whole cloth. 
The earliest authentic accounts of the Indians of California do not 
speak of them as possessing any gold or silver, and it was many 
years after the Spaniards took possession of the State before gold 
was discovered and mined. At that time the natives were com- 
pletely ignorant of the character and value of the substance, and 
had no traditions on the subject ; from which may reasonably be 
concluded that Chaplain Fletcher deliberately lied when he made 
that assertion — the more so, that even to the present time no gold 
has been discovered in the locality of which he speaks. It will be 
remembered that a few years before, when America was first dis- 
covered, it was the general belief that it was speckled with gold 



32 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

and silver, and glistened with gems. These extravagant ideas had 
become modified in Drake's time, though by no means abandoned. 
The Spaniards had been searching a few years before in this direc- 
tion for wealthy nations, whose existence was reported to them by 
the Indians of Mexico, but without success. They still entertained 
the belief that pearls and the precious metals could be found in 
abundance in this region, and Fletcher was simply supplying a 
" long felt want " when he wrote that a " reasonable qiiantitie of 
gold and silver " existed in every handful of dirt that might be 
taken up at random on the California coast. His other statements 
are probably correct, since ground squirrels exist in such abundance 
there and are so destructive to crops that the state granted a bounty 
for their extermination, and the early pioneers speak of immense 
bands of antelope and elk that roamed the valley and foot-hills. 

Having abandoned the hope of finding a passage into the At- 
1 antic, and fearing to attempt to return by the Straits of Magellan, 
Drake undertook the long voyage across the Pacific, and reached 
England by weathering the Cape of Good Hope. His return with 
his vessel loaded with plundered riches of the Spaniards was hailed 
with joy by his countrymen. The interests of Spain and England 
were hostile. The latter looked with jealousy and fear upon the 
power of the Castilian throne, sustained by the enormous revenue 
derived from America and the Indies, and Queen Elizabeth knighted 
the daring robber for his services to his country in striking such a 
severe blow at the resources of her rival. Ten years later, when 
the grand Philip sent that wonderful Spanish Armada, which was 
fitted out by revenues derived from this same commerce and was to 
crush England at a blow, one of the gallant fleets which met and 
defeated it was commanded by Sir Francis Drake. 

Other English freebooters, encouraged by the brilliant success 
of Drake, entered the Pacific in the same manner and preyed upon 
the Spanish shipping. The first and most successful of these was 
Thomas Cavendish, who voyaged the coasts of Chili, Peru and 
Mexico in .1587; sunk and burned nineteen vessels, and captured 
the galleon Santa Anna off the coast of California. The next year 
he returned to England by the Cape of Good Hope, having accom- 
plished the third circumnavigation of the globe, and it is said that 



THE FABULOUS STRAITS OF ANIAN. 33 

his crew were dressed in silks, his sails made of damask, and the 
topmast covered with cloth of gold. 

Great exertions were now made by the English and Dutch to 
find the Northwest Passage, and frequent rumors were spread that 
the Straits of Anian had actually been discovered, creating much 
joy in England and Holland, and causing great anxiety in Spain, 
Spanish America and the Philippines. Many claims were made to 
having made this discovery by parties who could not substantiate 
them. This was done for various reasons. Some enjoyed the noto- 
riety and fame, as a great navigator, such reports brought them; 
others endeavored to secure a reward for their alleged services to 
their country, and still others hoped to thus win employment in their 
business, or receive the command of an expedition to locate definitely 
the position of the passage. So frequent were these tales, and 
so much at variance with each other, that they all fell into disrepute, 
and it is doubtful had such a strait been actually found if geogra- 
phers could have been brought to believe it. The fiction of this 
character which attracted the most attention and which had the most 
influence in dictating the character of expeditions in after years, 
was one made by Captain Lorenzo Ferrer de Maldonado, a Portu- 
guese. In 1609 this gentleman presented a petition to the Spanish 
Council of the Indies — that august body which, sitting in Spain, 
ruled the Spanish possessions in India and America — asking for a 
suitable reward for his services, and the command of a Spanish expe- 
dition to take possession of the straits and fortify them against the 
passage of ships of any other nation. 

The voyage upon which Maldonado based his claim he asserted 
to have been made twenty-one years before, in 1588. By this time 
it was conceded that the distance from the Atlantic to the Pacific, 
in the northern regions, was greater than it was formerly supposed 
to be, and this led Maldonado to locate the Straits of Anian far to 
the westward of those thus christened by Cortereal. This latter 
passage he placed as far north as latitude 75°, instead of 60°, their 
true location as given by Cortereal himself. His narrative asserted 
that the vessel passed through a long and tortuous channel in the 
seventy-fifth parallel, into the " North Sea," an entirely unknown 
body of water at that time, but which corresponds in location to the 
Arctic Ocean, which, however, has no such passage leading into it, 



34 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

and which is utterly unnavigable by reason of its vast fields of ice. 
Across this North Sea he sailed in a southwesterly direction a dis- 
tance of 790 leagues (about 3,000 miles), when he came upon the 
Straits of Anian, leading directly south into the South Sea. This 
wonderful passage he thus describes: — 

Having cleared the Strait of Labrador, we began to descend from that latitude, 
steering west-southwest and southwest, three hundred and fifty leagues, to the 71st 
degree of latitude, when we perceived a high coast, without being able to tell 
whether it was part of the continent or an island ; but we remarked that, if it were 
the continent, it must be opposite the coast of New Spain. From this land we 
directed our course west-southwest, four hundred and forty leagues, until we came 
to the 60th degree, in which parallel we discovered the Strait of Anian. * * * * 

The strait which we discovered in 60°, at the distance of one thousand seven 
hundred and ten leagues from Spain, appears, according to ancient tradition, to be 
that named by geographers, in their maps, the Strait of Anian; and, if it be so, it 
must be a strait having Asia on the one side, and America on the other, which 
seems to be the case, according to the following narrative:— kt As soon as we had 
cleared the strait, we coasted along the shores of America for more than one hundred 
leagues south westward, to the 55th degree of latitude, on which coast there were no 
inhabitants, or any opening indicating the vicinity of another strait, through which 
the South Sea, flowing into the North, might insulate that part: and we concluded 
that all that coast belonged to America, and that continuing along it, we might soon 
reach the Quivira and Cape Mendocino. We then left this coast and, sailing to- 
wards the west four days, we discovered a very high land, and continued along the 
coast, from which we kept at a safe distance, always in the open sea— sailing, at one 
time, to the northeast, at others towards the north-northeast, and again to the 
north, whence it seemed to us that the coast ran northeast and southwest. 

" We were unable to mark any particular points, on account of our distance from 
land; and we can, therefore, only affirm that it is inhabited, nearly to the entrance 
of the strait, as we saw smoke rising up in many places. This country, according 
to the charts, must belong to Tartary, or Cathaia (China), and at a distance of a few 
leagues from the coast must be the famed city of Cambula, the metropolis of Tar- 
tary. Finally, having followed the direction of this coast, we found ourselves at 
the entrance of the same Strait of Anian, which, fifteen days before, we had passed 
through to the open sea ; this we knew to be the South Sea, where are situated 
Japan, China, the Mouluccas, India, New Guinea, and the land discovered by Cap- 
tain Quiros, with all the coast of New Spain and Peru. ***** 

" The Strait of Anian is fifteen leagues in length, and can easily be passed with a 
tide lasting six hours, for those tides are very rapid. There are, in this length, six 
turns, and two entrances, which lie north and south ; that is, bear from each other 
north and south. The entrance on the north side (through which we passed) is less 
than half a quarter of a league in width, and on each side are ridges of high rocks ; 
but the rock on the side of Asia is higher and steeper than on the other, and hangs 
over, so that nothing falling from the tops can reach its base. The entrance into 
the South Sea, near the harbor, is more than a quarter of a league in width, and 
thence the passage runs in an oblique direction, increasing the distance between 
the two coasts. In the middle of the strait, at the termination of the third turn, is 
a great rock, and an inlet, formed by a rugged rock, three estadias (about one thou- 
sand one hundred feet) in height, more or less ; its form is round, and its diameter 
may be two hundred paces ; its distance from the land of Asia is very little ; but the 



THE FABULOUS STRAITS OF ANIAN. 35 

sea on that side is full of shoals and reefs, and can be only navigated by boats. The 
distance between this inlet and the continent of America is less than a quarter of a 
league in width, and, although its channel is so deep that two or even three ships 
sail abreast through it, two bastions might be built on the banks with little trouble, 
which would contract the channel to within the reach of a musket shot. 

"In the harbor in which our ships anchored, at the entrance of the strait, on the 
south side, we lay from the beginning of April to the middle of June, when a large 
vessel of eight hundred tons burden came there from the South Sea, in order to pass 
the strait. Upon this we put ourselves on our guard ; but, having come to an under- 
standing with her, I found them willing to give us some of their merchandise, the 
greater part of which consisted of articles similar to those manufactured in China, 
such as brocades, silks, porcelain, feathers, precious stones, pearls, and gold. These 
people seemed to be Hanseatics, who inhabit the bay of St. Nicholas, or the port of 
St. Michael (Archangel, on the White Sea). In order to understand one another 
we were forced to speak Latin— those of our party who understood that language 
talking with those on board the ship who were also acquainted with it. They did. not 
seem to be Catholics, but Lutherans. They said they came from a large city more 
than one hundred leagues from the strait, and though I can not exactly remember 
its name, I think they called it Bohr, or some such name, which they said had a 
good harbor and a navigable river, and was subject to the great khan, as it belonged 
to Tartary ; and that in that port they left another ship belonging to their country. 
We could learn no more from them, as they acted with great caution and little con- 
fidence, being afraid of our company ; wherefore we parted from them near the 
strait, in the North Sea, and set sail towards Spain." 

It is barely. possible that a voyage may have been made about 
the time mentioned in the memorial, during which the vessel entered 
Hudson's Bay, and that Maldonado was a seaman or sub -officer on 
board, which would account for his ignorance on such technical 
points as the degrees of latitude and number of miles sailed, and that 
two decades later, when his superior officers were dead and he him- 
self had risen in rank, he desired the command of an expedition to 
search for these straits in whose existence he firmly believed, and 
which he claimed to have seen simply to lend weight to his petition. 
This, however, is improbable, and it is more than likely that the 
whole narrative was a fabrication. Diligent search among Spanish 
and Portuguese records of those times has failed to reveal any indi- 
cation of such a voyage, or any confirmatory evidence whatever, 
other than the memorial itself. At that time (1588) Spain and 
England were absorbed in the conflict over the Spanish Armada, 
yet it is doubtful if that is a sufficient reason for the omission to 
record in any manner such a voyage as the one thus described by 
Maldonado. 

The evidences against the genuineness of the narrative are almost 
convincing, even when considered without reference to the fact that 



36 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

it is now evident no such passage exists. In his narrative, which 
was unusually precise and careful in its details, Maldonado gave all 
the geographical ideas of the time in regard to the regions that 
would naturally be visited ; and this very fact is strongly presumptive 
evidence that the voyage was a fiction, as these theories, so carefully 
followed, have nearly all been found to be false. Even the minute- 
ness of detail is suspicious, since it is chiefly the inaccurate records, 
clumsy narratives, and u yarns" flowing from the fertile imagina- 
tion of the sea rovers, to which many of the erroneous, and even 
ludicrous, ideas of those times are directly chargeable. No such 
carefulness in statement characterized the narrative of any prior or 
contemporary voyage, and this was the first one claiming to have 
accomplished so much, which did not sadly mar the maps of theo- 
retical geographers. Its ready-made appearance was sufficient to 
cause its entire rejection by the Council of the Indies. 

In after years, however, two copies of this memorial, of the ex- 
istence of which the world was ignorant, were found among ancient 
records at different places, each one purporting to be the original 
document. They created great excitement, and, as will be seen 
later, had much to do with the shaping of explorations for a century 
thereafter. As late as 1 790, when the heated controversy over the 
Nootka affair seemed about to plunge England and Spain into war, 
the question of the authenticity of Maldonado's narrative was gravely 
discussed, and a last thorough search was made in Spain and Por- 
tugal for confirmative evidence, which was as fruitless as had been 
all previous efforts. With the end of that controversy Maldonado's 
mythical straits disappeared forever from the plane of active history 
and took its proper place in the domain of romance. 



CHAPTER III. 



THE STRAITS OF JUAN DE FUCA AND THE RIVER OF KINGS. 

* 

JVarrative of Michael Lock, the Elder — Story of Juan de Fuca, as told 
by Lock — Description of the Straits of Fuca, — Controversy among 
Historians over Fuca?§ alleged Voyage — Both Sides Carefully Con- 
sidered — Probably a Myth — Admiral Fonte's alleged Voyage — The 
River of Kings — Its Absurdity I^ointed Out. 

THERE is still another somewhat mythical voyage associated 
with this search for the Straits of Anian, which has played a 
most important part in the history of Oregon ; and though it comes 
entirely through English sources, is utterly repudiated by modern 
English historians, and even receives but little credence anions: 
American writers. This is the celebrated voyage of Juan de Fuca, 
who is claimed to have discovered the Straits of Fuca, that broad 
channel separating a portion of Washington Territory from Van- 
cover Island, in British Columbia. 

There was published in London, in 1625, a celebrated historical 
and geographical work, edited by Samuel Purchas, which bore the 
odd title of " The Pilgrims/ 1 Among other things, this volume con- 
tained " A note by Michael Lock, the elder, touching the Strait of 
Sea, commonly called Fretum Anian, in the South Sea, through the 
Northwest Passage of Meta Incognita, 11 The most important por- 
tion of this alleged document of Mr. Lock is as follows:— 

When I was in Venice, in April, 1596, haply arrived there an old man, about 
sixty years of age, called, commonly, Juan de Fuca, but named properly Apostolas 
Valerianus, of nation a Greek, born in Cephalonia, of profession a mariner, and an 
ancient pilot of ships. This man, being come lately out of Spain, arrived first at 
Leghorn, and went thence to Florence, where he found one John Douglas, an En- 
glishman, a famous mariner, ready coming from Venice, to be pilot of a Venetian 
9hip for England, in whose company they came both together to Venice. And 
John Douglas being acquainted with me before, he gave me knowledge of this 



38 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Greek pilot, and brought him to my speech ; and in long talks and conference be- 
tween us, in presence of John Douglas, this Greek pilot declared, in the Italian and 
Spanish languages, this much in effect as followeth : First, he said he had been in 
the West Indies of Spain forty years, and had sailed to and from many places 
thereof, in the service of the Spaniards. Also, he said that he was in the Spanish 
ship, which, in returning from the Islands Philippines, towards Nova Spania, was 
robbed and taken at the Cape California by Captain Candish, Englishnian, whereby 
he lost 60,000 ducats of his goods. Also, he said that he was pilot of three small 
ships which the Viceroy of Mexico sent from Mexico, armed with 100 men, under 
a captain, Spaniards, to discover the Straits of Anian, along the coast of the South 
Sea, and to fortify in that strait, to resist the passage and proceedings of the English 
nation, which were forced to pass through those straits into the South Sea; and 
that, by reason of a mutiny which happened among the soldiers for the misconduct 
of their captain, that voyage was overthrown, and the ship returned from Califor- 
nia to Nova Spania, without anything done in that voyage ; and that, after their 
return, the captain was at Mexico punished by justice. Also, he said that, shortly 
after the said voyage was so ill-ended, the said Viceroy of Mexico sent him out 
again, in 1592, with a small caravel and a pinnace, armed with mariners only, to 
follow the said voyage for the discovery of the Straits of Anian, and the passage 
thereof into the sea, which they call the North Sea, which is our northwest sea; 
and that he followed his course, in that voyage, west and northwest in the South 
Sea, all along the coast.of Nova Spania, and California, and the Indies, now called 
North America (all which voyage he signified to me in a great map, and a sea-card 
of my own, which I laid before him), until he came to the latitude of 47 degrees ; 
and that, there finding that the land trended north and northwest, with a broad 
inlet of sea, between 47 and 48 degrees of latitude, he entered thereinto, sailing 
therein more than twenty days, and found that land trending still sometimes north- 
west, and northeast, and north, and also east and southeastward, and very much 
broader sea than was at the said entrance, and that he passed by divers islands in 
that sailing ; and that, at the entrance of this said strait, there is, on the northwest 
coast thereof, a great headland or island, with an exceeding high pinnacle, or spired 
rock, like a pillar, thereupon. Also, he said that he went on land in divers places, 
and that he saw some people on land clad in beasts' skins ; and that the land is very 
fruitful, and rich of gold, silver, pearls, and other things, like Nova Spania. Also, 
he said that he being entered thus far into the said strait, and being come into the 
North Sea already, and finding the sea wide enough everywhere, and to be about 
thirty or forty leagues wide in the mouth of the straits where he entered, he thought 
he had now well discharged his office ; and that, not being armed to resist the force 
of the savage people that might happen, he therefore set sail and returned home- 
wards again towards Nova Spania, where he arrived at Acapulco, Anno 1592, hop- 
ing to be rewarded by the Viceroy for this service done in the said voyage. * * * 
[Here follows an account of his vain endeavors for three years to secure a proper 
recognition of his services by the Viceroy or the Spanish monarch, and his resolu- 
tion to return to his native land to die among his countrymen.] Also, he said he 
thought the cause of his ill reward had of the Spaniards, to be for that they did 
understand very well that the English nation had now given over all their voyages 
for discovery of the northwest passage ; wherefore, they need not fear them any 
more to come that way into the South Sea, and therefore they needed not his ser- 
vice therein any more. Also, he said that, understanding the noble mind of the 
Queen of England, and of her wars against the Spaniards, and hoping that her 
majesty would do him justice for his goods lost by Captain Candish, he would be 
content to go into England and serve her majesty in that voyage for the discovery 
perfectly of the northwest passage into the South Sea, if she would furnish him 



STRAITS OF JUAN DE FUCA AND RIVER OF KINGS. 39 

with only one ship of forty tons burden, and a pinnace, and that he would perform 
it in thirty days' time, from one end to the other of the strait, and he willed me so 
to write to England. And, from conference had twice with the said Greek pilot, I 
did write thereof, accordingly, to England, unto the right honorable the old Lord 
Treasurer Cecil, and to Sir Walter Raleigh, and to Master Richard Hakluyt, that 
famous cosmographer, certifying them hereof. And I praj^ed them to disburse 
£100, to bring the said Greek pilot into England, with myself, for that my own 
purse would not stretch so wide at that time. And I had answer that this action 
was well liked and greatly desired in England ; but the money was not ready, and 
therefore this action died at that time, though the said Greek pilot, perchance, 
liveth still in his own country, in Cephalonia, towards which place he went within 
a fortnight after this conference had at Venice. 

There is more of the document, detailing quite a correspondence 
between Lock and the Greek, from which it appears that the old 
pilot was alive in 1598, but that in 1602, when Lock had finished 
his business in Venice and was preparing to return to England, he 
addressed a letter to Fuca, to which he received no answer, and that 
a short time afterwards he learned that the Greek was dead. 

There has been much controversy among historians as to the 
authenticitv of this document. In the long negotiations between 
England and the United States in regard to the location of the 
international boundary line, it was vigorously supported by the 
Americans and as earnestly combated by the representatives of Great 
Britain. As in the discussion of Sir Francis Drake's voyage, writers 
were divided strictly upon national lines, and thus are subject to the 
charge of bias and prejudice. A fair examination will convince an 
impartial person that, although it is not impossible the voyage was 
made, the probabilities are that the letter of Mr. Lock was one com- 
posed for the purpose of creating a sensation, and no such personage 
as Juan de Fuca ever existed. The English writers seem to have 
espoused the better side of the argument, though there is no reason 
to suppose they would not have as readily advocated the opposite 
one had the interests of Great Britain required it. The question 
was long since settled and the boundary established at the forty- 
ninth parallel and the Straits of Fuca; and now, freed from national 
prejudice, American writers generally declare their belief that the 
voyage of the Greek pilot was a myth. Briefly presented, the argu- 
ments on either side are as follows: — 

It is maintained by the supporters of the document that the 
statements therein contained are, many of them, known to be true; 
that in its geographical descriptions it is more accurate than the 



40 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

report of any previous Spanish voyage ; that the fact of his locating 
the entrance to the passage between latitudes 47 and 48 degrees, 
instead of 48 and 49 degrees, is not as serious as their opponents 
assert, since much greater errors in locating well-known objects 
appear in the accounts of voyages of whose authenticity there is no 
dispute. The Spaniards were not scientific navigators, and their 
reports bristle with errors in latitude, while longitude seems to have 
been entirely beyond them. This lack of accuracy prevented them 
from making a correct map of the coast line of California, even 
after they had explored and sailed along it for two centuries. There 
is, also, a marked absence of those stereotyped descriptions of won- 
derful cities and strange peoples which seems to have formed such 
an important part of the accounts of many previous and subsequent 
voyages. A careful comparison by one who is familiar with the 
geography of that region will convince him that in the narrative the 
Straits of Fuca are very accurately described — with the exception 
of the great rocky pillar on the northwest — especially in the fact 
that the land north of the straits (Vancouver Island) trends to the 
northwest. He sailed in the passage twenty days, finding numerous 
islands and arms of the ocean running in all directions, and finally 
emerged into the North Sea. What could more accurately describe 
a voyage through the Straits of Fuca and Gulf of Georgia, between 
Vancouver Island and the mainland, until the open ocean was again 
reached on the northwest? It is not claimed that he entered the 
Atlantic, but the North Sea of Maldonado ; and it must be borne in 
mind that the Straits of Anian as then understood — that described 
by Maldonado — was a long passage, leading in a general north and 
south direction, connecting the South Sea with the supposed North 
Sea, and that to reach the Atlantic required a long voyage across this 
North Sea and through the Straits of Labrador. It must be admit- 
ted, then, that the descriptions given in Lock's account are wonder- 
fully accurate if they are wholly imaginary; and as to the error in 
latitude — a matter of only a few miles — aside from the reasons 
already given, may it not be accounted for by the fact that the nar- 
rative is written from memory by a second party who had received 
but an oral account of the voyage? 

The chief objection to the voyage is, that there is no confirmatory 
evidence whatever to support it. Neither the royal nor colonial 



STRAITS OF JUAN DE FUCA AND RIVER OF KINGS. 41 

records of Spain contain the faintest allusion to it, although other 
voyages, and especially some made but a few years later, are recorded 
at length. The narrative of Lock was not given to the public until 
a quarter of a century had elapsed, and every one who might have 
had any personal knowledge of it was probably dead. Richard 
Hakluyt, one of the three gentlemen to whom it is said Lock wrote 
in relation to the matter from Venice, was one of the greatest men 
of liis age. He was an enthusiastic geographer, who spent much 
time and money in collecting and publishing the accounts of all 
important voyages made by the representatives of England, or any 
other nation. It is impossible to believe that he could have been so 
indifferent to the subject of Lock's letter, since the Straits of Anian 
were the absorbing geographical enigma of the times, as to have let 
the matter of £100 prevent him from bringing the Greek pilot to 
England ; and it is equally strange that no hint of such a voyage is 
given in any of his works, though he is admitted to have been the 
most thorough and correct geographer of the sixteenth century. 

Another objection, and perhaps the strongest one, is the fact 
that at the very time Juan de Fuca is asserted to have been urging 
his claim for a reward upon the King of Spain, another Spanish 
expedition was dispatched in search of the Straits of Anian, and in 
the letter of instructions, which details at length the reasons for 
ordering the voyage, no allusion is made to Fuca or his straits. Had 

© Jo 1 

such a voyage as Fuca's actually been made, this second expedition 
would certainly have availed itself of the knowledge thus gained. 
Instead of doing so, the record of that voyage conclusively shows 
that the commander must have been utterly ignorant of Fuca and 
his alleged voyage ; and this proves, also, that he could have had no 
secret instructions on the subject. 

In viewing the matter critically, it must be admitted that the 
evidences against the authenticity of the voyage, though entirely of 
a negative character, greatly outweigh the one circumstantial evi- 
dence in its favor — the fact that a passage much similar to the one 
described actually exists a few miles to the north of the location 
fixed in the narrative. Juan de Fuca's voyage was probably a 
myth. 

The third and last mythical passage to receive popular credence 
and engage the attention of geographers and explorers for years, 



42 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

was the River of Kings, the Rio de los Reyes of Admiral Fonte. 
Like the narratives of Maldonado and Fuca, this did not reach the 
public until many years had elapsed from the time assigned to the 
voyage, and this fact alone is almost conclusive evidence of its man- 
ufactured character. Such a voyage as any of these would have 
been made public soon after its completion, so eager were the learned 
men of the time to gain all the information possible on these subjects. 
It was natural for a person inventing such, a tale to assign a date so 
far back that he need have no fear of a personal contradiction. 

A magazine entitled Monthly Miscellany \ or Memoires of the 
Curious, was published in London in 1708, containing a long ac- 
count of a voyage alleged to have been made in 1640, sixty- eight 
years previously, from the Pacific to the Atlantic and return, through 
a system of rivers crossing North America about the fifty-third par- 
allel. The man who is credited with making this wonderful voyage 
is Admiral Pedro Bartolome de Fonte, of the Spanish Marine. 
According to the account given in this magazine, Admiral Fonte 
was instructed by the Viceroy of Peru to explore the Pacific coast 
of North America for a passage leading into the Atlantic, and to 
intercept some Boston vessels which the Viceroy had learned had 
sailed upon the same errand on the Atlantic coast. He sailed from 
Callao in April, 1640, with four vessels. At Cape San Lucas he 
dispatched one of these to explore the Gulf of California, and with 
the remaining three continued up the coast. In latitude 53 degrees, 
after sailing a long distance among islands, which he christened the 
"Archipelago de Lazarus," he observed the mouth of a great river, 
which he decided to enter. One of his vessels was sent further up 
the coast, under the command of Captain Bernardo, while with the 
other two he ascended the stream, whose great proportions won from 
him the title of " Rio de los Reyes," or " River of Kings." This he 
followed in a northeasterly direction a long distance, finally reach- 
ing its source in an immense lake, which he named " Lake Belle." 
This was the country of a wealthy and civilized nation, whose chief 
town, on the south shore of the lake, was called Conasset, and who 
entertained the strangers who had so unexpectedly come among s 
them in a most hospitable manner. This lake was evidently on the 
summit of the divide between the waters of the two oceans, for 
flowing from it in an opposite direction from the river he had 



STRAITS OF JUAN DE FUCA AND RIVER OF KINGS. 48 

ascended was another large stream, which he called " Parmentier." 
Leaving his vessels at Conasset, he descended the Parmentier until 
he entered another lake, upon which he bestowed his own name, 
from which he passed through a narrow strait into the Atlantic 
ocean. This last passage he named "Strait of Ronquillo," in honor 
of the captain of one of his vessels. Thus, through a continuous 
waterway of rivers and lakes, he had passed through the entire con- 
tinent of North America. 

When that story was written the author little dreamed that in the 
latitude assigned to this wonderful passageway the continent was 
more than five thousand miles in width. Having entered the At- 
lantic the Admiral soon encountered the Boston vessel which it was 
feared had designs upon the Spanish possessions in the Pacific. The 
captain of the colonial craft was Nicholas Shapley, and on board 
was its owner, one Seymour Gibbons, whom Fonte described as 
" a fine gentleman, and major-general of the largest colony in New 
England, called Maltechusetts." Fonte decided to treat these 
strangers as peaceful traders, and the representatives of these two 
nations indulged in a series of mutual entertainments which appear 
to have given the Admiral great satisfaction. He then returned to 
the Pacific by the route he had come, finding his vessels waiting for 
him in good condition in Lake Belle, the inhabitants of Conasset 
having refrained from molesting them. At the mouth of the River 
of Kings he was joined by Bernardo, who had an equally wonder- 
ful tale to relate. He, too, had discovered a great river, in latitude 
61 degrees, and had ascended it to its source in a large lake. These 
he called " Rio de Haro," and " Lake Velasco." From the lake he 
ascended another stream in canoes as high as the seventy -ninth par- 
allel, but observing the land "still trending north, and the ice rested 
on the land, he became satisfied that there was no communication 
out of the Atlantic Sea by Davis' Straits; for the natives had con- 
ducted one of his seamen to the head of Davis' Strait, which termi- 
nated in a fresh lake, of about thirty miles in circumference, in the 
eightieth degree of north latitude, and there were prodigious moun- 
tains north of it." He, therefore, returned to the Pacific to rejoin 
his commander. Fonte was satisfied from the report that the Straits 
of Anian did not exist, and returned to Peru to report that fact, 



44 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

and the wonderful river route he had discovered through the con- 
tinent. 

This whole story is utterly absurd, in the light of our present 
knowledge of geography, but was far from being so at the time it 
was promulgated. Yet it contains enough inconsistencies and pal- 
pable errors to have even then condemned it in the eyes of a critical 
reader. The statement that in 1640, only ten years after Boston 
was founded, the people of that struggling colony were searching 
for the Straits of Anian is too improbable for belief. This English 
historian should have known, also, that Massachusetts was governed 
at the date mentioned by John Winthrop and not by Seymour Gib- 
bons, whose name does not appear at all in the list of New England 
governors or " major-generals.'" Not the slightest reference is made 
to it in the records of Spain or Peru, and it is now generally con- 
ceded that the story is a creation of James Petiver, an eminent nat- 
uralist, w^ho w^as a frequent contributor to the magazine in which it 
first appeared. 



CHAPTER IV. 



VOYAGES AND EVENTS OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 

Philip orders a Voyage along the Pacific Coast — Reasons Assigned by 
Torquemada and Venegas — Viscaino sent oat by the Viceroy in 
1596 — Viscaino' s second Voyage in 1602 — Ravages of the Scurvy — 
He Enters Monterey — Argument of the Claim that he Entered San 
Francisco Bay — Earliest Positive Knowledge of that Harbor — Vis- 
caino goes to Latitude J$° and returns ; but Aguilar reaches lf.3° — 
Cape Blanco and the River of Aguilar — California Supposed to be 
an Island — Viscaino dies after Obtaining a Royal Mandate to occupy 
Monterey- — Spain Ceases all Exploration of the Coast. 

AS the various romances which have been considered were all 
published many years after the date ascribed to the voyages of 
which they speak, it is now necessary to turn back to these times 
and see what was actually being accomplished. The first thing to 
be found affecting Oregon is the voyage of Sebastian Viscaino. It 
has been seen that at the very time when Juan de Fuca was impor- 
tuning the Spanish monarch for recognition of his services, accord- 
ing to Lock's letter, that royal personage ordered a survey of the 
Pacific Coast. The reasons that moved Philip II., in 1595, to issue 
his royal mandate to the Mexican Viceroy are thus set forth by 
Torquemada : — 

His majesty knew that the viceroys of Mexico had endeavored to discover a 
northern passage, and he had found, among his father's papers, a declaration of 
certain strangers, to the effect that they had been driven, by violent winds, from 
the codfish coast on the Atlantic, to the South Sea, through the Strait of Anian, 
which is beyond Cape Mendocino, and had, on their way, seen a rich and populous 
city, well fortified, and inhabited by a numerous and civilized nation, who had 
treated them well; as also many other things worthy to be seen and known. His 
majesty had also been informed that ships, sailing from China to Mexico, ran great 
risk;-, particularly near Cape Mendocino, where the storms are most violent, and 
that it would be advantageous to have that coast surveyed thence to Acapulco, so 



46 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

that the ships, mostly belonging to his majesty, should find places for relief and 
refreshment when needed. Whereupon his majesty ordered the Count de Monte- 
rey, Viceroy of Mexico, to have those coasts surveyed, at his own expense, with all 
care and diligence. 

Half a century later another Spanish historian, Venegas, gave 
the f ollowing reasons for Spain's anxiety to become better informed 
of the coast above Cape Mendocino: — 

That in the meantime the English should find out the so-much-desired passage 
to the South Sea, by the north of America and above California, which passage is 
not universally denied, and one day may be found; that they may fortify them- 
selves on both sides of this passage, and thus extend the English dominion from 
the north to the south of America, so as to border on our possessions. Should 
English colonies and garrisons be established along the coast of America on the 
South Sea beyond Cape Mendocino, or lower down on California itself, England 
would then, without control, reign mistress of the sea and its commerce, and be 
able to threaten by land and sea the territories of Spain ; invade them on occasion 
from the E., W., N. and S., hem them in and press them on all sides. 

In this is contained no hint of Juan de Fuca; and if the conduct 
of men can be considered as indicative of their motives, it must be 
admitted that the King, the Viceroy and the commanders of the vari- 
ous expeditions, were utterly ignorant of the Greek's, alleged voyage, 
notwithstanding Lock's letter states that the old pilot had in vain 
urged the Viceroy and the King to take possession of the Straits of 
Fuca. 

The Viceroy of Mexico did not feel an interest in the Straits of 
Anian, or the California Coast, deep enough to render him eager to 
explore them at his own expense, as commanded to do by the king; 
yet he dared not disobey the royal mandate. He made a showing 
of compliance, by dispatching Sebastian Viscaino from Acapulco, 
in the spring of 1596, with three vessels. These did not proceed 
beyond Lower California, where two feeble and unsuccessful efforts 
were made to plant colonies, leaving the great objects of the expe- 
dition untouched. The death of the king, in 1598, served as an 
excuse for ceasing even these feeble efforts, which made extensive 
drafts upon the Viceroy's revenue. The respite was only temporary, 
however, for Philip III. followed his father's ideas on the subject, 
and peremptorily ordered his representative in Mexico to make these 
explorations without delay. 

There was nothing now to do but to comply with the King's 
command, and an expedition was fitted out, composed of two vessels 
and a small fragata, and entrusted to the command of Viscaino. 



VOYAGES AND EVENTS OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 47 

The fleet sailed May 5, 1602, from Acapulco, well supplied with 
pilots, draughtsmen and priests — the first to navigate the ships, the 
second to make maps of the coast, and the third to keep an accurate 
account of the voyage, a literary feat few besides priests were able 
to accomplish in those days, when the sword was mightier than the 
pen. The priestly authorship of the records of the voyage is fully 
attested by the passage in Torquemada, which, in speaking of the 
head winds which baffled the vessels for a long time, says that they 
were produced " by the foe of the human race, in order to prevent 
the advance of the ships, and to delay the discovery of these coun- 
tries, and the conversion of their inhabitants to the Catholic faith.'' 1 
As the fleet advanced scurvy made its appearance among the 
seamen, and its terrible ravages added to the adverse winds to con- 
vince the priests that the Evil One was doing his utmost to oppose 
their progress. In the face of all this the vessels steadily advanced 
northward, entering successively the ports of San Quentin, San 
Diego and Monterey. Sixteen of the crew having died and many 
others being utterly incapacitated for duty by the horrible malady, 
it was decided at Monterey to send one of the vessels back with the 
invalids. This ship was commanded by Torebio Gomes de Corvan, 
and reached Acapulco, with but few of her crew alive, after a voy- 
age whose horrors have no parallel in the annals of the sea. On 
the third of January, 1603, the two remaining vessels sailed from 
Monterey, and were soon afterwards separated by a violent storm, 
and were not again united. Viscaino, in the larger one, instituted 
a search for the wreck of a Manila galleon, which had been cast 
away on this part of the coast eight years before. It was for a long 
time supposed that he entered San Francisco Harbor, since Torque - 
mada says: " He anchored behind a point of rocks called La Punta 
de los Reyes, in the port of San Francisco; " but that idea does not 
seem consistent with other facts, and is not endorsed by the best 
authorities. It does not seem possible that an explorer could have 
passed the Golden Gate and entered the wonderful harbor of San 
Francisco without making such a record and description of it as 
would leave no room for error. As in the case of Drake, Viscaino 
was engaged in the search for something, which, upon entering this 
beautiful bay, he would have congratulated himself upon discover- 
ing; and he certainly would have taken as much pains to describe it 



48 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

as he did other and comparatively insignificant places. Viscaino 
was searching for a harbor of refnge, and here, in the most desirable 
locality possible, was a magnificent harbor that conld hold the fleets 
of the world; yet upon his return to Mexico he strongly urged the 
Viceroy to establish stations at the greatly inferior harbors of San 
Diego and Monterey, and said nothing about San Francisco what- 
ever. In all probability the port he entered was the same one in 
which Drake had anchored twenty-five years before. 

Just when San Francisco Bay was discovered is uncertain. The 
first time Caucassians are known to have visited it was in 1769, 
when a party of Spaniards unexpectedly came upon it while search- 
ing for the Bay of Monterey, and gave it the name it bears. Yet it 
is almost a matter of certainty that some one must have visited it 
long before, for in 1742 an English commodore, named Anson, cap- 
tured an East Indian galleon, and upon a chart found on the vessel 
appeared, in the latitude of this bay, seven little dots, marked " Los 
Farallones," and opposite these was indicated a land-locked harbor 
somewhat resembling San Francisco Bay, but having no name at- 
tached. It seems probable that the existence of the bay was known 
to those engaged in the India trade, who kept it a profound secret, 
and could thus profit by all its advantages as a harbor of refuge, 
without permitting it to become a rendezvous for the pirates who 
preyed upon their commerce, or a station for the war ships of hos- 
tile nations. 

On the twentieth of January, Viscaino, having been unsuccessful 
in his search for the wrecked galleon, again sailed northward. He 
proceeded as far as latitude 42°, where he observed a large white 
bluff, upon which he bestowed the title of " San Sebastian." Dis- 
couraged by the unfavorable weather, the terrible sufferings of his 
crew from scurvy and the apparent loss of the consort, Viscaino 
turned the prow of the Capitana to the south, and made his way 
back to Mexico as rapidly as possible. When the storm parted the 
two vessels off San Francisco Bay, the little fragata, which was 
under the command of Martin de Aguilar, continued the northern 
journey, encountering another gale in the vicinity of Cape Mendo- 
cino, from whose fury it escaped by taking refuge in some sheltered 
place on that portion of the coast. What this place of refuge was 
does not appear, but Humboldt Bay and the Bay of Trinidad seem 



VOYAGES AND EVENTS OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 49 

to be the only ports in that region capable of sheltering a vessel from 
a severe storm, and one of these must have been entered by the 
fragata ; though, if such is the case, it seems strange that a more 
extended description of it is not given. The subsequent movements 
of the little craft are thus detailed by Torquemada:— 

When the wind had become less violent they continued their journey close along 
the shore, and on the nineteenth of January, the pilot, Antonio Flores, found that 
they were in the latitude of 43°, where the land formed a cape or point, which was 
named "Cape Blanco." From that point the coast begins to turn to the northwest, 
and near it was discovered a rapid and abundant river, with ash trees, willows, 
brambles, and other trees of Castile and its banks, which they endeavored to enter, 
but could not from the force of the current. Ensign Martin de Aguilar, the com- 
mander, and Antonio Flores, the pilot, seeing that they had already reached a 
higher latitude than was ordered by the Viceroy in his instructions, that the Capi- 
tana did not appear, and that the number of sick was great, agreed to return to 
Acapulco. 

They never performed their agreement, for when the fragata 
reached Acapulco both the commander and pilot, as well as the 
greater portion of the crew, had fallen victims to the scurvy and 
had been consigned to the bosom of the great unknown ocean. 

It is impossible to realize the dreadful ravages committed by that 
horrible disease among the explorers of those early times. Every 
prolonged voyage suffered the impress of its blighting linger. Death 
took passage in every vessel sent into unknown waters. English 
mariners seem to have suffered less than did the Spaniards, or, in 
later times, the Russians. Of the sufferings on board of Aguilar's 
fated craft Torquemada says: — 

Nor is the least ease to be expected from change of place, as the slightest motion 
is attended with such severe pains that they must be very fond of life who would 
not willingly lay it down on the first appearance of so terrible a distemper. This 
virulent humor makes such ravages in the body that it is entirely covered with 
ulcers, and the poor patients are unable to bear the least pressure ; even the very 
clothes laid on them deprive them of life. Thus they lie groaning and incapable of 
any relief. For the greatest assistance possible to be given them, if I may be allowed 
the expression, is not to touch them, nor even the bed clothes. These effects, how- 
ever melancholy, are not the only ones produced by this pestilential humor. In 
many, the gums, both of the upper and lower jaws, are pressed both within and 
without to such a degree, that the teeth can not touch one another, and withal so 
loose and bare that they shake with the least motion of the head, and some of the 
patients spit their teeth out with their saliva. Thus they were unable to receive 
any food but liquid, as gruel, broth, milk of almonds and the like. This gradually 
brought on so great a weakness that they died while talking to their friends. * * 
* Some, by way of ease, made loud complaints, others lamented their sins with 
the deepest contrition, some died talking, some sleeping, some eating, some whilst 
sitting up in their beds. 



50 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Such were the privations and afflictions endured by the early 
explorers of the coast of Oregon. 

A fourth geographical enigma was now added to the list of those 
which perplexed the seekers for a Northwest Passage; though, more 
properly speaking, this was the first, since knowledge of this voyage 
was spread abroad several years before Maldonado entertained the 
Council of the Indies with his clever romance about the Straits of 
Anian, or Lock's letter gave to the world the dubious tale of Juan 
de Fuca. According to Torquemada, it was " supposed that this 
river is one leading to a great city which was discovered by the Dutch 
when they were driven thither by storms, and that it is the Straits 
of Anian through which the ship passed in sailing from the North 
Sea to the South Sea, and that the city called Quivira (the one 
which led Coronado such a dance sixty years before) is in those 
parts; and that this higher latitude is the region referred to in the 
account which his majesty read, and which induced him to order 
this expedition.' ' There is here a serious discrepancy — an error of 
as great a magnitude as the one cited as evidence of the mythical 
character of the alleged voyage of Juan de Fuca, No great river 
exists in latitude 43°, but a short distance up the coast is the Ump- 
qua, which, though by no means as great a stream as this one was 
supposed to be, may be considered of sufficient proportions to do 
duty as the River of Aguilar. The same may be said of Rogue 
River, some miles below the point indicated. One can not help 
noticing here the foundation of the " River of Kings " story after- 
wards concocted by Petiver. The great river supposed to lead 
through the continent, and the large city some distance up the stream, 
both appear here in the original. The idea that this was the Straits 
of Anian, or anything of a similar nature, did not long obtain. A 
few years later it was conceived that this and the Colorado rivers 
were the two ends of a long inland channel, which united in such a 
manner as to make California an island. This theory found a place 
upon the maps for a short time, till it was discovered that the Col- 
orado led off to the northeastward instead of toward the northwest. 
It was then supposed that this was a vast river flowing from un- 
known regions in the heart of the continent, such a stream as the 
Columbia was in later years found to be, and maps thereafter bore 
upon them an indication of such a river, bearing the name " River 



VOYAGES AND EVENTS OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 51 

of Aguilar," and various other titles, which, with the reason for be- 
stowing them, will appear later on in speaking of the journey of 
the early explorers of the Rocky Mountains. 

Viscaino had kept in view the chief object of his voyage — the 
discovery of a suitable harbor of refuge for vessels in the Manila 
trade — and immediately upon his return urged upon the Viceroy 
the desirability of establishing supply stations at San Diego and 
Monterey, the only suitable harbors he had encountered. He reported 
that diligent inquiry among the nations had elicited the information 
that California was extremely fertile and rich in the precious metals. 
There was one serious objection to so doing, which had great weight 
with the Viceroy. He had been instructed in the royal decree to 
accomplish these things at his own expense, and he was much averse 
to devoting his private revenues, which were, no doubt, very con- 
siderable, to the accomplishment of public measures. In vain Vis- 
caino urged, the Viceroy was obdurate, and, at last, the explorer 
went to Spain to lay the matter before his sovereign. After several 
years of attendance at court he succeeded, in 1606, in procuring a 
royal mandate to the Viceroy, directing him to establish a supply 
station at Monterey. While preparations for doing so were advanc- 
ing Viscaino died, and the Viceroy seized the opportunity to defeat 
the projected colony. For a century and one-half thereafter Spain 
made no further attempt to explore the coast north of California. 
The East India vessels first sighted land on their home voyage in 
the vicinity of Cape Mendocino, and then followed the coast south 
to Mexico; but north of that the Pacific Coast of North America 
remained a terra incognita for ages. The secret of this apparent 
apathy was the unwillingness of the viceroys to explore new regions 
at their own expense. There is a tradition floating about in South- 
ern Oregon that one of these galleons was driven out of its course 
and put into the Umpqua Kiver to repair damages. Indian tradi- 
tions and the old stumps of trees are relied upon as corroborative 
evidence; thought what the original authority is, or in what year 
the event is said to have occurred, the writer has been unable to 
learn. The story is probably an outgrowth of the attempt of 
Aguilar to enter some river in that region. 



CHAPTER V. 

HUDSON'S BAY, CAPE HORN, AND BEHRING'S STRAITS. 

Discovery of Davis' Straits — Henry Hudson, William Baffin, and 
other Explorers in the N orth- Atlantic — Dutch Navigators Discover 
the Passage around Cape Horn — Buccaneers Swarm into the Pacific 
by the JVew Route — Otondo attempts to Colonize Lower California — 
The Hudson's Bay Company Chartered, in 1669, to Discover the 
Straits of Anian — Privileges Granted by the Charter — The Company 
Heads off all Efforts at Exploration — Russians cross Siberia and 
Explore the Pacific — Plans of Peter the Great — Discovery of Beh- 
ring's Straits and Alaska — Voyage of Tchirikof — Behring Discovers 
Mount St. Elias and Dies on Behring's Isle — The Early Fur 
Trade of the North Pacific — Benyowsky Takes a Cargo of Furs to 
Canton and thus Reveals the Magnitude of the Pacific Ocean — -Rus- 
sian Idea of Alaskan Geography. 



SEVERAL important voyages were made by English mariners on 
the Atlantic coast in searching for the Northwest Passage, all of 
which bear a close relation to the more direct steps taken on the 
Pacific side in the discovery of Oregon. In 1588, at the time set in 
Maldonado's romance for his voyage through the Straits of Anian, a 
celebrated English navigator was actually exploring the seas about 
the seventy-fifth parallel. This was John Davis. After searching 
in vain for a passage westward, he finally discovered Davis' Straits, 
but was compelled to return to England before making a thorough 
exploration of them, leaving in doubt the question of whether through 
them, or by some body of water connecting with them, the Pacific 
might not be reached. About the same time the great freebooter, 
Thomas Cavendish, returned with his vessel laden with the plunder 
of the South Sea, and Davis, dazzled by the glittering prospect of 
great wealth to be gained by plundering the Spanish commerce, 



urnsox's bay, cape horn, and behking's straits. 58 

abandoned his search for the Northwest Passage and sailed with 
Cavendish upon his second expedition to the Pacific, a voyage which 
ended in signal disaster. 

In 1608, Henry Hudson, bent upon the same errand as Davis, 
explored the North Atlantic coast. He entered Hudson's Bay and 
partially examined it; and though he bestowed his name upon the 
bay, as well as the straits leading to it, he was but following the 
course pursued a century before by Cortereal. William Baffin was 
the next noted mariner to navigate these seas. In 1616 he sailed 
north, between America and Greenland, into Baffin's Bay. Other 
explorers followed in the wake of these more noted ones, and exam- 
ined the coast carefully as high as the seventy -fifth parallel. It was 
of no use; the Straits of Anian could not be found. Geographers 
became satisfied that if discovered at all they would be found lead- 
ing westward from some arm of Hudson's Bay which had been but 
partially explored. England soon became convulsed by civil war 
between the people and the House of Stuart, and America was neg- 
lected for half a century. Meanwhile, an important discovery was 
made in an opposite direction, one most disastrous to the Pacific- 
commerce of Spain. 

While Baffin was pursuing his search among the icebergs and 
floes of the Arctic, two Dutch navigators, Van Schouten and Le- 
niaire, passed south of the Straits of Magellan and discovered the 
open sea connecting the Atlantic and Pacific. They rounded Cape 
Horn, which they thus christened — in memory of the place of their 
nativity, " Holland" — and entered the South Sea without encounter- 
ing the dangers attending a passage through the Straits of Magellan, 
or meeting the Spanish ships of war which guarded the entrance to 
that narrow passageway. Here, now, was a route open to all nations 
— one which Spain could neither monopolize nor defend. Spain, con- 
tinually involved in European wars, was now exposed to attack in 
her most vital part. From America and the Indies came the revenue 
with which she now made war upon England and France, oppressed 
the Netherlands and sustained the terrible Inquisition. Privateers 
of the three hostile nations swarmed into the South Sea and plun- 
dered her commerce. Buccaneers attacked the Spanish possessions 
in America from both the Atlantic and Pacific sides. Especially 
did the Dutch aid in this way the desperate struggle of the Nether- 



54 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

lands for Independence from Spanish rale. The Gnlf of California 
became their rallying place, their special rendezvous being the Bay 
of Pichilingue, which won for them the title of " Pichilingues," a 
name both feared and hated by the mariners of Spain. From this 
retreat they issued to commit their ravages, and often returned with 
the rich prize of a Manila galleon. The feeble efforts of Spain to 
dislodge these bold marauders, who were literally drawing the life 
blood of the nation, were of no avail. Several times she made 
great preparations to exterminate them, but even if driven out they 
returned again in greater numbers as soon as the way was open. 
Finally, in 1683, an effort was made to plant a colony in Lower 
California, which should serve as a basis for keeping the gulf free 
from pirates, and of rescuing from threatened attack the annual 
galleon. Admiral Don Isdro de Otondo was at the head of this 
expedition, which consisted of soldiers, settlers and Jesuit priests. 
For three years the effort was sustained in the face of drouth and 
sterile soil, and then the colony was abandoned; the last act being 
to rescue and convey safely to port the Manila galleon, whose safety 
was threatened by the dreaded privateers. 

When the long fratricidal war in England was over and the son 
of the murdered king was set upon the throne, attention was once 
more directed toward America. The belief that the Straits of 
Anian could be found only in Hudson's Bay was then a general 
one, and to aid in its discovery, in 1669, Charles the II. granted 
almost royal privileges in America to a company of his subjects. 
Such were the relative importance in those days of the rich com- 
merce of the Indies and the Arctic wilds of unexplored America. 
Reports of the valuable furs to be obtained from the natives along 
the coast which were made by the old explorers, and the hope that 
other and even more valuable articles could be obtained in trade 
with the Indians, led to the organization of a company to engage 
in that profitable business. They applied to the King for a royal 
charter, which was granted in consideration of their agreement to 
search for the much -desired Straits of Anian. The two -fold object 
— that of the King and that of the company — was expressed in the 
charter which created " The Company of Adventurers of England 
Trading into Hudson's Bay." This object, as expressed, was "for 
the discovery of a new passage into the South Sea, and for the find- 



Hudson's hay, cape horn, axd behring's straits. 55 

ing of some trade in furs, minerals and other considerable commo- 
dities/* The company was granted the exclusive right of the 
"trade and commerce of all those seas, straits and bays, rivers, 
lakes, creeks and sounds, in whatsoever latitude they shall be, that 
lie within the entrance of the straits commonly called Hudson's 
Straits. 1 ' Of this region, which embraced all that vast territory 
whose water shed is into Hudson's Bay, this company was given 
absolute control to the exclusion of all persons whomsoever. It 
was constituted "for all time hereafter, capable in law, to have, 
purchase, receive, possess, enjoy and retain lands, rents, privileges, 
liberties, jurisdiction, franchise and hereditaments of what kind, 
nature or quality soever they be, to them and their successors;" 
and all persons were forbidden to " visit, hunt, frequent, trade, 
traffic or adventure " therein without permission of the company. 
The annual rent of this great empire was "two elks and two black 
beavers," which the King, if he desired to have it paid, must go 
upon the land and collect for himself. The company has few rent 
receipts to exhibit. This is the organization known in history as 
the Hudson's Bay Company, a name vivid in the memory of Oregon 
pioneers. AVliat a splendid thing this charter was to the company, 
and what an obstacle it became in the pathway of England's pro- 
gress in America, will appear as this narrative unfolds. But for 
the selfish policy of the Hudson's Bay Company, Oregon would 
to-day be a province of Great Britain. 

The company soon learned that their true interests lay, not in 
finding the Northwest Passage, but in preventing the discovery of 
it altogether. They were able to accomplish this and to hold the 
government and every one else not connected with the organization 
in complete ignorance of the region in which they were doing a 
business which assumed gigantic proportions in a few years. Thus 
it happened that no more efforts of consequence were made by 
England to discover the Straits of Anian for a whole century after 
the granting of this magnificent charter, the company being able to 
prevent or bring to grief all expeditions of this character. Such 
was the soulless conduct of this corporate monopoly to the govern- 
ment to which it owed its very existence. 

From the time Aguilar's little vessel conveyed her afflicted crew- 
back to Mexico in 1603, more than a century passed before another 



56 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

voyage was attempted. Not a vessel cast its shadow upon the 
waters of the North Pacific, nor a Caucasian eye gazed upon the 
mountain peaks that stand like ancient sentinels along our coast. 
Suddenly interest in this region was revived, and initial steps were 
taken by a power previously supposed to have no interest whatever 
in the American question. The sudden rise of Russia from obliv- 
ion to a high rank among the powers of the world, a revolution 
wrought by the genius of the enlightened monarch, Peter the Great, 
is one of the marvels of history. Gradually he extended his power 
eastward across the snowy wastes of Siberia until his dominions 
were washed by the waters of the Pacific beating upon the Penin- 
sula of Kamtchatka. The fur trade of this vast solitude became 
a valuable one, and added to the great revenue of the Czar. Hav- 
ing reached the Pacific he became eager to extend his power still 
further eastward until it touched the western confines of the de- 
pendencies of England, France and Spain in America. How far 
that was, or what was the nature of the region coveted, neither he 
nor any one else had the faintest glimmering of knowledge. It 
might be a great ocean of valueless water, a sea filled with islands, 
a continent of ice, or a land of plenty, " flowing with milk and 
honey." No one knew; but this powerful autocrat proposed to 
find out. His first step was to discover a waterway into the Pacific 
from the Arctic Ocean which washed his dominions on the north- 
just such a passage as the English mariners had searched for in 
vain, though he expected to reach it by going east instead of to the 
west. He ordered vessels to be constructed at Archangel, on the 
White Sea, for the purpose of coasting in the Arctic eastward along 
the shores of Siberia until an opening was discovered into the Pa- 
cific. Other vessels were to be constructed on the coast of Kam- 
tchatka, which were to take an opposite course and endeavor to 
pass northward into the Arctic. Peter died before his plans were 
executed, and the project was held in abeyance for several years. 

The Empress Catherine was a worthy successor of her noble 
husband, and when firmly settled upon the throne she turned her 
attention to completing the work he had begun. In*l728, in ac- 
cordance with her instructions, vessels were built on the coast of 
Kamtchatka, which were dispatched in search of the desired pas- 
sage between the Arctic Ocean and the Pacific. In command of 



Hudson's bay, cape horn, and behringks straits. 57 

the expedition was Vitus Behring, a Danish navigator of skill and 
experience, in whose charge the former exploration was to have 
been placed by Peter. Russia was not a maritime nation, and her 
seamen were in no manner scientific navigators, hence the selection 
of this skillful Dane for the command of so important an expedi- 
tion. Behring sailed on the fourteenth of July, and followed the 
coast northerly in his little vessel until he found it trending steadily 
to the westward. From this fact he became convinced that he had 
already entered the Arctic and was sailing along the northern coast 
of Asia ; and being unprepared for a long voyage, or the possibility 
of being compelled to spend the winter in the ice, he returned at 
once to the port of embarkation. The highest point reached was 
67° 18/ but the longitude is not given. Neither going nor return- 
ing through the straits did he espy the coast line of America, foggy 
and cloudy weather obscuring it from view, and consequently he 
reported upon his return that a great open sea lay to the eastward 
of Asia, joining the Pacific Ocean with the Arctic. The next year 
he endeavored to cross this ocean and reach the shore of America 
by sailing directly eastward. In this attempt he was baffled by 
head winds and was driven by a gale into the Gulf of Okotsk. He 
abandoned the effort .and returned to St. Petersburg to report his 
discoveries. During the few succeeding years a number of smaller 
expeditions were made by Russian subjects; one of these being 
driven upon the Alaskan coast in 1732, when it was discovered that 
not an open sea but a strait connected the two great oceans. Upon 
this was bestowed the name of the Danish explorer — the pioneer 
navigator of the North Pacific. 

Catherine died, and after the consequent delay, her successor, 
the Empress Anne, fitted out an expedition for the purpose of 
exploring on a more extended scale than had previously been done. 
This consisted of two vessels, Behring being in command of one, 
and Alexei Tchirikof , a Russian, who had been his lieutenant on the 
first voyage, of the other. Anne died before the expedition was 
ready to sail, but Elizabeth, who succeeded to the throne, did not 
interfere with the plans which had been laid, and the two consorts 
sailed from the Bay of Avatscha on the fourth of June, 1741. They 
were soon separated in a gale and were not again united. Tchirikof \s 
vessel, the St. Pau/, returned on the eighth of October, in a sad 



58 HISTOBY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

plight. She had reached a group of islands in latitude 56°, where 
sixteen of the crew, who landed to make a reconnoisance, were 
slaughtered by the Indians. Besides these, twenty -one more suc- 
cumbed to the ravages of the scurvy before the vessel found her way 
back to port. 

Sad as were the misfortunes that befel the crew of the St. Paul, 
they were slight compared with the disasters which crowded upon 
their comrades on board the St. Peter. Behring steered a south- 
easterly course for many days, and at last reached latitude 46°, with- 
out having encountered land. This is the latitude of the Columbia 
River, but how near the coast of America he approached at that 
point is not recorded. The mysteries of longitude seem to have 
been beyond the penetration of the explorers of those days. Captain 
Cook, nearly fifty years later, is the first explorer who seems to have 
understood the necessity of locating an object by its longitude as 
well as its distance from the equator. Behring then turned his prow 
to the northeast and continued his voyage until he had ascended to 
the sixtieth degree, when he discovered land, the first thing to meet 
his gaze being a giant snow- crowned peak. This he named " Mount 
St. Elias," in honor of the saint whose name appeared in the Rus- 
sian calendar as patron of the eighteenth of July, the date of the 
discovery. The St. Peter sailed into a passage leading between the 
mainland and a large island, when Behring discovered that the water 
was discolored, as though it had been discharged from a large river, 
the volume indicating the stream to be the water drain of a land of 
continental proportions. That this was America no one on board 
doubted. The subordinate officers desired to explore the coast 
southward, in the direction of the Spanish colonies, but Behring, 
who was in ill health, refused to do so, and started upon the return 
voyage. They made but slow progress among the islands lying to 
the southwest of the Peninsula of Alaska, and finally, being driven 
by a severe storm far to the southward, the vessel wandered aimlessly 
about for two months, the sport of the winds and ocean currents. 
Horrible were the sufferings of the crew. Scurvy, in its most ghastly 
form, preyed upon them unchecked. Famine and disease went 
hand in hand. The surgeon's journal says: "The general distress 
and mortality increased so fast that not only the sick died, but those 
who pretended to be healthy, when relieved from their posts, fainted 






cape horn, Hudson's bay, and behring s straits. 59 

and fell down dead; of which the scantiness of water, the want of 
biscuits and brandy, cold, wet, nakedness, vermin, and terror, were 
not the least causes." At last these horrors came to an end. On 
the fifth of November they sighted a small island lying between the 
Aleutian Archipelago and Kamtchatka, and running the vessel close 
in they all landed, with the purpose of spending the winter. The 
island was a small, rocky speck on the bosom of the sea, consisting 
< >f a few barren granite peaks thrust up from the water, whose sides 
were continually lashed by a heavy surf and upon which the waves 
furiously dashed when storms swept across the surface of the ocean. 
Here they lived upon the flesh of fur- bearing animals which abounded 
in the water, and upon the fish they were able to catch. Their 
house was constructed of the timbers of their vessel, which was 
wrecked upon the rocky coast during a gale immediately after they 
disembarked, and whose broken pieces were washed up by the surf. 
Their sufferings did not end with their removal to this new abode. 
Disease had taken too firm a grasp upon that afflicted crew. Beh- 
ring died on the eighth of December, and before spring thirty of 
his followers also found a grave on those water- bound rocks. The 
skins of slaughtered animals served them for both clothes and bed- 
ding. Had this island been located at the same latitude in the 
Atlantic Ocean not one of these enfeebled men could have survived 
the rigors of winter. Here the great ocean river, known as the 
Japan Current, imparts its genial warmth to the islands of the 
Aleutian Archipelago and fringes the icy peaks and glaciers of 
Alaska with a coast-line of verdure. Owing to this great modify- 
ing element even floating ice from the frozen Arctic is not seen in 
Behring's Sea, though on the Atlantic side the ocean is rendered 
unsafe by floes and icebergs at a much lower latitude. Upon the 
return of spring the survivors constructed a small vessel from the 
wreck of the St. Peter, and when that long task was finished, em- 
barked and sailed directly westward, reaching the Bay of Avatscha 
in August. That bleak island which had been their winter home, 
and where were the graves of their commander and many of their 
comrades, they christened "Behring's Isle," and as such it is known 
to the present day. 

Twenty years elapsed before another official exploration was 
made, and half a century passed ere the full account of this fatal 



60 PtISTOKY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

one was published to the world. Accompanying Behring on the 
St. Peter was a German surgeon and scientist named Steller, and 
his journal, which was not published until 1795, long after the 
Alaskan coast had been thoroughly explored by Spanish, Eussian, 
English and American navigators, is the only record preserved of 
the adventures and terrible sufferings endured by the discoverers of 
Alaska. The general features of the voyage, however, were well 
known in Europe soon after its fatal termination. The skins which 
the survivors wore when they returned to Avatscha were found to 
be exceedingly valuable — probably seal and sea -otter — and several 
private expeditions were fitted out by Russian traders, to visit the 
islands lying to the eastward, in search of furs. In this way the 
fur trade of the Pacific began, and before the government was pre- 
pared for another expedition this trade had reached considerable 
proportions. Greenhow thus describes the infancy of this great 
industry: — 

The trade thus commenced was, for a time, carried on by individual adventurers, 
each of whom was alternately a seaman, a hunter, and a merchant; at length, 
however, some capitalists in Siberia employed their funds in the pursuit, and expe- 
ditions to the islands were, in consequence, made on a more extensive scale, and 
with greater regularity and efficiency. Trading stations were established at partic- 
ular points, where the furs were collected by persons left for that object ; and vessels 
were sent, at stated periods, from the ports of Asiatic Russia, to carry the articles 
required for the use of the agents and hunters, or for barter with the natives, and 
to bring away the skins collected. 

The vessels employed in this commerce were, in all respects, wretched and inse- 
cure, the planks being merely attached together, without iron, by leathern thongs ; 
and, as no instruments were used by the traders for determining latitudes and lon- 
gitudes at sea, their ideas of the relative positions of the places which they visited 
were vague and incorrect. Their navigation was, indeed, performed in the most 
simple and unscientific manner possible. A vessel sailing from the Bay of Avatscha, 
or from Cape Lopatka, the southern extremity of Kamtchatka, could not have gone 
far eastward, without falling in with one of the Aleutian islands, which would 
serve as a mark for her course to another ; and thus she might go on from point to 
point throughout the whole chain. In like manner she would return to Asia, and 
if her course and rate of sailing were observed with tolerable care, there could 
seldom be any uncertainty as to whether she were north or south of the line of the 
islands. Many vessels were, nevertheless, annually lost, in consequence of this 
want of knowledge of the coast, and want of means to ascertain positions at sea ; 
and a large number of those engaged in the trade, moreover, fell victims to cold, 
starvation and' scurvy, and to the enmity of the bold natives of the islands. Even 
as late as 1806, it was calculated that one-third of these vessels were lost in each 
year. The history of the Russian trade and establishments in the North Pacific, 
is a series of details of dreadful disasters and sufferings ; and, whatever opinion may 
be entertained as to the humanity of the adventurers, or the morality of their pro- 



cape horn, Hudson's bay, and behring\s straits. 61 

ceedings, the courage and perseverance displayed by them, in struggling against 
such appalling difficulties, must command universal admiration. 

The furs collected by these means, at Avatscha and Ochotsk, the principal fur- 
trading points, were carried to Irkutsk, the capital of Eastern Siberia, whence some 
of them were taken to Europe ; the greater portion were, however, sent to Kiakta, 
a small town just within the Russian frontier, close to the Chinese town of Maimat- 
chin, through which places all the commerce between these two empires passed, 
agreeably to a treaty concluded at Kiakta in 1728. In return for the furs, which 
brought higher prices in China than anywhere else, teas, tobacco, rice, porcelain, 
and silk and cotton goods, were brought to Irkutsk, where all the most valuable of 
these articles were sent to Europe. These transportations were effected by land, 
except in some places where the rivers were used as the channel of conveyance, no 
commercial exportation having been made from Eastern Russia by sea before 1770 ; 
and when the immense distances between some of the points above mentioned are 
considered (Irkutsk to Pekin, 1,300 miles : to Bay of Avatscha, 3,450 miles; to St. 
Petersburg, 3,760 miles), it becomes evident that none but objects of great value, in 
comparison with their bulk, at the place of their consumption, could have been 
thus transported with profit to those engaged in the trade, and that a large portion 
of the price paid by the consumer must have been absorbed by the expense of trans- 
portation. A skin was, in fact, worth at Kiakta three times as much as it cost at 
Ochotsk. 

For years the furs were conveyed to Pekin and St. Petersburg 
overland, as described above, China being then, as now, the general 
fur market of the world. Not until 1771 was a cargo taken directly 
by sea to Canton, and not until then was it known that the Bay of 
Avatscha and the Chinese Sea were connected by water. For the 
first time was realized the immense magnitude of the Pacific; that 
the same waters which beat upon Behring's Isle washed the shores 
of the thousand islands of the South Sea, gazed up at the frowning 
rocks of Cape Horn, and bore the Spanish galleons on their long 
voyage from Acapulco to the Indies. This innovation was not by 
an)' means the result of Russian enterprise. A few of the patriotic 
defenders of Poland, who had been exiled to Siberia bv the Russian 
Czar, made their escape in a small vessel from a port on the south- 
west coast of Kamtchatka, under the leadership of a Hungarian 
exile, Count Maurice de Benyowsky. After much aimless wander- 
ing among the Aleutian Islands, where they procured from the 
natives a large quantity of furs, they sailed southward and finally 
reached Canton, where their cargo found a good market. This was 
the first vessel from the Russian Possessions of the Pacific to enter 
the harbor of a foreign nation, and the spreading of the information 
that rich fur regions at the north were accessible to Canton by sea 
was «>ne of the greatest factors in the subsequent rapid growth of 
the fur trade. 



62 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

The increasing value of the fur business led the Russian Govern- 
ment to dispatch other exploring expeditions in 1766 and 1769. 
They found the coast, wherever they reached the mainland at all, 
fringed with islands and the sea through which they passed dotted 
with them. That the land on the east side of Behring's Straits was 
of considerable proportions was evident. This they called "Alaska," 
or "Aliaska," and supposed it to be a large island. In 1774 a map 
was prepared, representing their ideas of the geography of Russian 
America. Upon this the coast of America was represented as run- 
ning northwesterly from California to the seventieth degree of lati- 
tude, which was its extreme northern and western limit. Lying 
between America and Asia, in that latitude, was a vast sea of islands, 
of which the largest was Alaska, with only the channel of Behring's 
Straits separating it from the coast of Asia. With this map was 
published an account of the last two voyages, the book being enti- 
tled " Description of the Newly Discovered Islands in the Sea be- 
tween Asia and America." Such was the Russian idea of a region 
in which four official explorations had been made, and private enter- 
prise had engaged in the fur trade for thirty years. It remained 
for an Englishman, the celebrated Captain Cook, only a few years 
later, to reveal to them their error. He commanded the first English 
vessel to visit the North Pacific, and in one voyage straightened out 
the geographical tangle the Russians had made in Alaska, and 
reformed the ideas the Spaniards entertained about the coast they 
had several times explored further to the south. Such was the 
difference between scientific navigation and haphazard sailing. 



CHAPTER VI. 



FROM CAPTAIN CARVER TO CAPTAIN COOK. 

The Jesuits Colonize Lower California — The Franciscans Enter Califor- 
nia — Discovery of San Francisco Bay — Early French Explorers — 
The River of the West — Verendrye Explores the Rocky Mountains — 
— Fraihce Sells Louisiana to Spain and Looses Canada to England 
by Conquest — Journey of Captain Carver — He calls the River of 
the West "Oregon" — Argument upon the Origin of the Word "Ore- 
gon" — The Generally Accepted Spanish Theory does not Stand the 
Light of Investigation — The Hudson 's Bay Company's Policy of 
Keeping the World Ignorant of the Geography of the Country Occu- 
pied by Them — Samuel Hearne Discovers Great Slave Lake, Cop- 
permine River and the Arctic Ocean — Russia's Activity in Alaska 
Incites Spain to Renew her Explorations — Voyage of Perez and 
Martinez — Perez enters Port San Lorenzo, or Nootka Sound — Mar- 
tinez Claims t<> have Observed the Straits of Fuca — Voyage of Heceta 
and Bodega y Quadra — Bellin's Wonderful Chart — Discovery of 
Trinidad Bay — Isla de Dolores, or Destruction Island — Heceta At- 
tempts to Enter the Columbia — Spanish and English Methods of Ex- 
ploration Compared — Bodega and Maurelle Discover Mount San 
Jacinto, or Edgecumb — They Land and Take Possession for the King 
of Spain — They Reach Latitude 58° and Return — England, in Alarm 
at the Progress Made by Spain and Russia, Sends Captain Cook to 
the Pacific — His Particular Instructions — Cook Names the Sand- 
>mch Islands, Cape Flattery and Nootka Sound, and Searches for 
the Straits of Fttca, River of Kings and Straits of Anian — He 
Passes Through Beh ring's Straits and Around the Northwestern Ex- 
tremity of Alaska — Winters in the Sandwich Islands and is Killed 
by the Natives — The Expjedition Again Visits the Arctic, Takes a 
Cargo of Fwr% to Canton and Returns to England — The Record of 
the Voyage Pigeonholed Until the War is Over — Enterprise of John 



64 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Ledyard — Arteaga, .Bodega and Maurelle Follow CooWs Route Up 

the Coast. 



DURING all the long absence of Spain from the North Pacific 
she was not neglecting her interests still further to the south. 
With the abandonment of Otondo's colony in Lower California in 
1686, a council of chief authorities in Mexico decided that the re- 
duction of California by means of official colonies and expeditions 
was impracticable. A few years later the Society of Jesus, whose 
zealous missionaries had long since carried the cross into the remote 
frontiers of Mexico, solicited the privilege of planting a colony and 
founding missions in Lower California; and though this was just 
the object the government had sought so long to accomplish, it 
took ten years to obtain the royal warrant, so jealous was the 
throne of the growing power of the Jesuits. In 1697 the first mis- 
sion was founded at Loretto, and in 1767, when the Society of 
Jesus was deprived of all its property in the Spanish dominions 
and its members thrown into prison upon the order of Charles III., 
there existed in Lower California sixteen thriving missions and 
thirty -six villages. This rich inheritance was bestowed upon the 
Dominicans, while at the same time the Franciscans were granted 
full and exclusive authority to found missions in Alta California 
and take possession in the name of the Spanish crown. 

The first mission in Alta California was founded by Father 
Junipero Serra at San Diego, July 16, 1769, which was followed 
by that of San Carlos, at Monterey, August 3, 1770; San Antonio 
de Padua, July 14, 1771; San Gabriel, near Los Angeles, Septem- 
ber 8, 1771; San Luis Obispo, in September, 1772; Dolores, at 
San Francisco, October 10, 1776; and others at later dates, to the 
total number of twenty-two. The missions became so numerous 
and powerful that the Mexican government began in 1824 a series 
of hostile acts which ended in 1845 in their complete secularization, 
just one year before the country was conquered by the United 
States. 

It was in 1769, while Gaspar de Portala, at the head of a party 
from San Diego, was searching for the Harbor of Monterey, that 
the Bay of San Francisco was discovered and named. On the 
thirtieth of October they came upon a bay which "they at once 



FEOM CAPTALS" CARVEK TO CAPTAIN COOK. 65 

recognized," says Father Crespi, the historian who accompanied 
them. There exists now no record ' of any prior discovery of the 
great harbor at San Francisco, except the Manila chart previously 
referred to, and it certainly seems strange that they would spend 
nearly four months searching for such an inferior port as Monterey 
at which to found a mission and harbor of refuge, when such a 
glorious one existed only a few miles further north. They now re- 
membered that Father Junipero Serra had been grieved because 
the Visitadore General had neglected St. Francis, the patron saint 
of the order, in selecting names for their future missions, and that 
he had said, " If St. Francis wants a mission* let him show you a 
good port and we will put one there." They believed that their 
patron had purposely led them to this harbor, and they named it 
14 San Francisco," in his honor. It was first entered by a vessel in 
June, 1775, when the San Carlos sailed through the Golden Gate 
and cast anchor before the site upon which the pueblo (town ) of 
Yerba Buena (now San Francisco) was afterward built. 

Having seen the Spaniards take possession of California, it is 
necessary to consider the relative claims of the contending nations 
in North America, in order to fully understand the various acts of 
each, which led to the discovery and settlement of Oregon. To do 
this requires a return to the seventeenth century. 

The Treaty of Byswick was concluded in 1695, in which was a 
provision defining the boundaries of the colonial possessions of the 
various rival nations in America. This was definite and positive : 
but, owing to the crude ideas of American geography which pre- 
vailed at that time, was imperfect in many respects. Florida, as 
the Spanish possessions north of Mexico were called, was bordered 
on the north by the Carolinas, but further west the boundaries 
were quite indefinite, conflicting with the Louisiana of the French. 
France claimed as Louisiana all north of the mouth of the Missis- 
sippi and west of the Alleghanies, the western boundary being in- 
definite because no one knew how far toward the Occident the con- 
tinent extended. She also claimed the region of the St. Lawrence 
and the chain of great lakes under the general title of Canada, 
these two provinces joining and interlacing without any line of di- 
vision either expressed or understood. The Hudson's Bay country 
was also claimed by France, though not with much persistence, and 



66 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

it was at that time actually in the possession of England, in the 
person of the Hudson's Bay Company. The English colonies were 
east of the Alleghanies, from Main to Georgia. In 1713 France 
relinquished to England her claim upon the Hudson's Bay region, 
and turned her attention to strengthening her position in Canada 
and Louisiana. 

During the latter part of the seventeenth century and the first 
half of the eighteenth, French explorers and Jesuit missionaries 
traversed the Mississippi Valley, established a chain of stations be- 
tween Canada and Louisiana, among them the city of St. Louis, 
and even penetrated the unknown wilderness lying between the 
headwaters of the Mississippi and the u Shining Mountains," as 
they first called the Rocky Mountains, whose snowy sides and 
lofty spires of rock reflected the bright rays of the sun hundreds of 
miles to the westward. The most noted of these French pioneers 
were La Salle, Pere Marquette, Baron La Hontan, Chevalier La 
Verendrye and his sons, Father Hennepin, Dupratz and Charlevoix. 
Nearly all of these wrote accounts of their travels, gave descriptions 
of the country and the native tribes, and from their own observa- 
tions and the information gleaned from the Indians made maps of 
that region, embracing a little which they knew and a great deal 
which they guessed at. These maps, to say the least, are very 
queer. One of them, drawn in 1710 to show the results of a west- 
ern journey accomplished by La Hontan, is especially odd. It 
shows a great river (called the " Long River " ), up which he passed, 
as entering the Mississippi in the region of Dubuque, Iowa. This 
was, beyond doubt, the Missouri, though that stream is also repre- 
sented in its proper place where it unites with the "Father of 
Waters," and is made to extend almost due west to the mountains. 
Passing across from the headwaters of the Mississippi and coming 
upon the Missouri so far to the north, he naturally supposed it to 
be another stream. Up this he followed, apparently branching off 
to ascend the Platte. He describes the upper part of the stream as 
a series of lakes and swamps. Some of his descriptions and the 
features of his map are very peculiar, so much so that historians 
have been inclined to doubt the extent of his journey. There is 
one feature, however, which tells in his favor. The map shows, at 
some distance to the southwest of the point indicated as the west- 



FROM CAPTAIX CARVER TO CAPTAIN COOK. 67 

era limit of his wanderings, a large lake, which the Indians told 
him contained bitter water. This was undoubtedly Great Salt 
Lake, the one which years before the Indians of Mexico had en- 
deavored to describe to the Spanish explorers. The lakes indicated 
as existing along the river beyond the point where the journey 
ended were probably so marked because he misunderstood the In- 
dians when they spoke of the many large lakes existing in the 
region to the westward. 

One feature is very prominent in the reports of nearly all these 
early French explorers — the fact that beyond the " Shining Moun- 
tains " was a large river flowing westward to the " Great Water " 
in the latitude of the headwaters of the Mississippi. This they 
learned from the Indians with whom they came in contact. Though, 
with the exception of the Verendryes and their successors in com- 
mand along the Saskatchewan, probably none of them went further 
west than the Red River of the North; still the Indians of that 
region, in the years of peaceful intercourse or bloody hostilities with 
the tribes beyond the mountains, must have become sufficiently 
familiar with the geography of the country lying between the Rocky 
Mountains and the Pacific to know of the existence of such a large 
stream as the Columbia. When the trappers appeared among the 
Cheyennes, Crows, Blackfeet, Pawnees, Sioux, and other tribes, 
early in the present century, they found them to be possessed of 
quite an intimate knowledge of the topography of the country west 
of the mountains occupied by the Shoshones, Bannocks, Flatheads 
and Xez Perces, and there is no reason to suppose that a hundred 
years earlier their knowledge was not nearly as great. The asser- 
tion that a great river existed beyond the mountains was not like 
those tales of the " City of Quivira " and the "Land of Cibola," 
which led the Spaniards to take such long journeys into the deserts 
<»f Mexico and Arizona two centuries before. Coming from differ- 
ent tribes, through sources that were recognized as being totally 
distinct, it was accepted as a geographical fact that such a river 
existed, and a stream of that nature was indicated on the maps of 
the period, bearing the various titles of " River of the West," 
"River Thegayo, v u Rio de los Reyes" (the mythical stream of 
Admiral Fonte ), and " Rio de Aguilar " (the one whose mouth 
Aguilar claimed to have discovered in 1603). The most definite 



68 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

published account of this great stream was given by Lepage Dupratz, 
a French traveler of note, who received it from a Yazoo Indian. 
It was to the effect that this Indian ascended the Missouri north- 
westerly to its head, and going still further west came upon another 
large river flowing to the westward. He passed down the stream 
until he was compelled to halt because of a war existing between 
the natives living along its banks and a tribe further west. He 
participated in the hostilities, during which his friends captured a 
squaw of the western tribe, and from her he learned that the river 
flowed many miles until it emptied into a great water where ships 
had been seen, on which were men with beards and white faces. 
The geographical statements are so accurate that there is no room 
to doubt the knowledge of the Yazoo savage of the existence of the 
Columbia River; but his statement about ships and white men is 
historically impossible, since no vessel had ever visited the mouth 
of the Columbia, or even been so far north as that, unless it 
be admitted that Sir Francis Drake reached latitude 48° and was 
near enough to the coast to have the faces and beards of his 
men recognized; but that was a century and a half before, and if 
his visit was known to the Indians at all it would probably be in 
the form of a legend about a great white bird that swam in the 
water, or the canoe of the Great Spirit. That portion of the story 
was probably a creation of the Indian, or an amplification of the 
tale, made by Dupratz himself. 

De L'Isle, geographer of the Academy of Science, Paris, wrote 
March 15, 1716: "They tell me that among the Scioux of the 
Mississippi there are always Frenchmen trading; that the course of 
the Mississippi is from north to west, and from west to south [evi- 
dently the Mississippi is here confounded with the Missouri], from 
that it is known that towards the source there is in the highlands a 
river that leads to the western ocean.'" De LTsle warmly urged 
the government to explore the far West, in search of this river and 
the " Western Ocean r into which it flowed, and was seconded in 
his efforts by a learned priest named Bode. Temporary posts had 
been established many years before in various parts of Minnesota. 
Du Luth built one near the head of Lake Superior, in 1678; Per- 
rot founded another below Lake Pepin, in 1683 ; a stockade was 
erected above Lake Pepin on Prairie Island, in 1695, and Le Seur 



FROM CAPTAIN CARTER TO CAPTAIN COOK. 69 

had a post in 1700 on the Blue Earth, near the site of Mankato. 
The importunities of De LTsle and Pere Bode caused the govern- 
ment to begin an energetic policy of Western exploration and occu- 
pation in 1717, commencing with the re -establishment of the fort 
of Da Luth and another further west among the Sioux. Other 
posts followed in rapid succession. In 1728, Seur de la Verendrye, 
who was in command of these advanced posts, received such definite 
information of the " Shining Mountains " from the Indians, and of 
the great river beyond them which flowed towards the western sea, 
that he decided to make a systematic exploration of those unknown 
regions. His application for authority was favorably considered by 
Charles de Beauharnois, Governor- General of Canada, and orders 
were given for the fitting out of an expedition. 

In 1731 two sons of the Chevalier Verendrye left Montreal with 
a detachment of fifty men, their father not joining them until two 
years later. They reached Rainey Lake in the fall, and at the foot 
of the lake built Fort St. Pierre, named in honor of their father, 
whose baptismal name was Pierre. Next year they established 
Fort St. Charles, named in honor of the Governor- General, on the 
southwestern shore of the Lake of the Woods. Further on they 
built a post on the Assiniboine, five leagues from Lake Winnipeg, 
and Fort Maurepas, on Winnipeg River. In June, 1736, a party 
of twenty-six, among whom was the younger son of the Chevalier, 
were massacred by the Sioux Indians while encamped on a small 
island in the Lake of the Woods. In October, 1738, the Veren- 
dryes built Fort La Peine, further west on the Assiniboine, which 
became their base of operations. In 1742 the two sons of the 
Chevalier left Fort La Peine with a small party for the purpose of 
fully exploring the " Shining Mountains. " They followed up 
Mouse Piver in a southerly direction to the country of the Mandans 
(called by them " Montanes "), crossed the Missouri a little below 
the site of Fort Berthold, and ascended the stream to the canyon 
below Helena, making a portage around the Great Falls, which 
they described in their report, differing in no essential particular 
from the description given by Lewis and Clarke sixty-two years 
later. At this point, now known as the " Gateway of the Moun- 
tains," they ascended the summit of the range on the 12th day of 
January, 1743, not far from Bear Tooth Peak, of which they speak 



70 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

as a tusk -shaped mountain. They then passed up Deep Creek 
(Smith River), crossed the mountains to the headwaters of the 
Musselshell, and thence across to the Yellowstone at the mouth of 
Pry or River. They followed up this stream to the Stinking Water, 
and on over the mountains to Wind River. Here their progress 
was arrested by a fierce war raging between the Snakes and Sans 
Arc branch of the Sioux; but they were told by the friendly Snakes 
of the location of Tongue and Green Rivers. They then returned 
to the Upper Missouri, and raised a monument of stone near the 
mouth of the Jefferson — in what they called the " Petite Cerise ';' 
(Choke Cherry country) — as a witness that they took possession of 
the country in the name of the King of France. This they chris- 
tened " Beauharnois," and beneath it deposited a leaden plate bear- 
ing the French coat- of- arms. This ceremony of dedication was per- 
formed May 19, 1744. They then resumed the homeward journey. 
North of the Assiniboine they explored the Saskatchewan — called 
by them " Poskoiac " — as far as the forks, and built two forts, one 
near Lake Dauphin (Swan Lake) and the other on the " River des 
Biches." They reached the Lake of the Woods on the 2d of July, 
and reported the northern route by the Saskatchewan as preferable 
to the Missouri, because of the absence of danger of meeting Span- 
iards, whom they feared might be encountered further south. They 
would not have felt so much solicitude on the subject if they had 
been aware that the Jesuit missions in the extreme southern portion 
of the peninsula of Lower California were the farthest north of the 
Spanish colonies of the Pacific Coast. 

Before starting upon their two years' journey they had been in- 
formed by the Indians that the " Shining Mountains " were full of 
gold. When they reached the mountains they were disappointed to 
find that it was not gold, but barren rock and snow, which reflected 
the rays of the sun so brightly, and they changed their name to 
" Stony, or Rocky, Mountains." The furthest west the information 
gained by the Verendrye brothers extends is to the Flathead Indians, 
of whom they speak, living just west of the main chain of the 
Rockies and within the limits of Oregon, as that territory existed 
when it was in dispute between the United States and Great Britain, 
but now in the western extremity of Montana. They encountered 
a band of Flatheads, who told them of their country west of the 






FROM CAPTAIN CARVER TO CAPTAIN COOK. 71 

mountains, and of the srreat lake from which a river ran. This 
lake, they understood the Indians to say, was the source of a tribu- 
tary of the Missouri, but the cause of their error is evident, as Sun 
River flows from the mountains in that direction. They were also 
told of the great river running westward to the ocean, but were not 
able to cross the divide to explore it. The river to which the Indians 
referred was probably the stream first reached by Lewis and Clarke 
when they crossed the main divide, and which they named " Clarke's 
River." The stream is now known at various points along its 
course as "Deer Lodge," "Hellgate," "Bitter-Root," "Missoula," 
" Clarke's Fork," and " Pend d'Oreille," though a commendable 
fidelity to history, and a proper regard for the honor of one of our 
greatest explorers, demands that the use of every name but that of 
"Clarke's River" to be at once abandoned. 

The Chevalier Verendrye was relieved of his command of the 
frontier soon after this expedition, but was restored a few years later 
by Galissonere, the successor of Beauharnois. He died December 
6, 1749, while planning a tour up the Saskatchewan. His son was 
deposed by Jonquierre, the next Governor -General, who dispatched 
two expeditions in search of the Pacific. One of these was com- 
manded by St. Pierre, an'd was to ascend the Saskatchewan, while 
the other, headed by Marin, was to go up the Missouri. St. Pierre 
excited the hostility of the Kinsteneaux Indians, who attempted to 
kill him; and though they failed in this they succeeded in burning- 
Fort La Reine. He sent Lieutenant Bouchet de Neville to establish 
a post at the head of the Saskatchewan. This effort proved a failure 
because of sickness, but in 1753 some of the men established Fort 
Jonquierre in the Rocky Mountains. In 1754 St. Pierre was relieved 
by De la Crone, and the following year fell in the battle before 
Fort St. George. The proposed expedition of Marin up the Mis- 
souri was a complete failure. 

The explorations of these French travelers ended with the war 
between England and France, which was participated in by their 
respective colonies in America, and which is known on this side of 
the Atlantic as the " French and Indian War." As that struggle 
drew toward its close, and France realized that her possessions in 
America were about to fall into the grasp of her immemorial enemy, 
she secretly conveyed to Spain her province of Louisiana. When 



HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 



the gallant Wolfe died upon the Plains of Abraham in the very 
moment of triumph, one of the prizes to be gained by this crown- 
ing victory of the war had already passed into the keeping of an- 
other. Louisana belonged to Spain. The treaty of Paris, in 1763, 
conveyed Canada to Great Britain, and thus France was shorn of 
all her possessions in America. All these frontier posts were aban- 
doned, and the Rocky Mountains again became the undisputed 
home of the aborigine. 

We now approach the memorable journey of the none too vera- 
cious Captain Carver, the man who stands sponsor for the word 
" Oregon." This has led, by reason of the superficiality of many 
historical writers, to the bestowing upon him of all the credit of 
making known to the world the existence of the Columbia River, 
when the fact is that it was known long before his doubtful journey, 
and his account of it, so far from being written upon original infor- 
mation, was but the re-publication of facts made known by the 
French explorers above mentioned, many years before. Jonathan 
Carver was a native of Connecticut, and served with gallantry as a 
captain of the English colonial army in the war with France, wilich 
was terminated by the Treaty of Paris in 1763. He then conceived 
the idea of exploring the western portion of England's new posses- 
sions. In 1766 he left Boston, and going by the way of Detroit 
and Fort Michilimacinac, reached the headwaters of the Mississippi. 
Thus far historians admit that he traveled, probably to the Lake 
Park region of Minnesota, where rise streams flowing into the Mis- 
sissippi, the Missouri and the Red River of the North. Carver's 
claim to extensive traveling west of the headwaters of the Missis- 
sippi, covering a period of five months, is a very doubtful one; 
since his descriptions of the names, manners and customs of the Indian 
tribes of that region are but the translations into English of the 
works of the earlier French explorers. His object, as stated in 
the introduction to his book was, " after gaining a knowledge of 
the manners, customs, languages, soil and natural productions of the 
different nations that inhabit the back of the Mississippi, to ascer- 
tain the breadth of the vast continent which extends from the At- 
lantic to the Pacific Ocean, in its broadest part, between the forty- 
third and forty -sixth degrees of north latitude. Had I been able to 
accomplish this, I intended to have proposed to the government to 



FROM CAPTAIN CARVER TO CAPTAIN COOK. 73 

establish a post in some of those parts, about the Straits of Anian, 
which, having been discovered by Sir Francis Drake, of course be- 
longs to the English. 1 ' The captain exposes his want of fitness as a 
geographer or historian by asserting that Drake discovered the 
Straits of Anian. The circumstances of Drake's voyage were more 
w r idely known than those of any other navigator, and in neither of 
the two accounts published was there a statement that the great 
robber had discovered those mythical straits, or any other passage 
leading inland from the Pacific. Carver did not seem to consider his 
adventures or discoveries worthy of publication until twenty years 
later, at a time when unusual interest was felt in England in the 
discovery of the Northwest Passage, to find which the celebrated 
Captain Cook had just been dispatched on a voyage of exploration 
to the North Pacific. Carver was at that time living in London in 
much financial distress, and his friends advised him to take advan- 
tage of the public interest to publish a book. He consequently 
wrote one, evidently compiled in a large measure from the narratives 
before alluded to, large portions of them being translated literally 
into English. He died in 1780 in extreme penury. The only 
interest this work or its author can have to modern historians, is the 
appearance therein of the word " Oregon," the first use of that 
term which has anywhere been discovered. It appears in the fol- 
lowing connection : 

From these natives, together with my own observations, I have learned that the 
four most capital rivers on the continent of North America, viz.: — the St. Lawrence? 
the Mississippi, the River Bourbon (Red River of the North), and the Oregon, or 
River of the West— have their sources in the same neighborhood. The waters of 
the three former are within thirty miles of each other ; [this is practically correct, 
and this point, somewhere in Western Minnesota, is probably the limit of his west- 
ward journey,] the latter, however, is rather further west. This shows that these 
parts are the highest in North America ; and it is an instance not to be paralleled 
in the other three-quarters of the world, that four rivers of such magnitude should 
take their rise together, and each, after running separate courses, discharge their 
waters into different oceans, at the distance of two thousand miles from their 
sources, for in their passage from this spot to the Bay of St. Lawrence, east, to the 
Bay of Mexico, south, to Hudson's Bay, north, and to the Bay at the Straits of 
Anian, west, each of these traverse upwards of two thousand miles. 

In this statement Carver does not claim to have visited the head- 
waters of the River Oregon, or even to know their exact location. 
He expressly observes that he derived his information chiefly "from 



74 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

these natives," and it is possible that even from them it reached him 
through the medium of his French predecessors. 

Whence Carver derived his authority for calling the River of the 
West "Oregon" has been a matter of much discussion. Though 
it is now generally admitted that the word originated with Carver 
himself , or was supposed by him to be the name of the stream from 
some half-understood words uttered by the Indians in referring to 
it; yet there are many who are not content unless they can build up 
some theory founded upon a similarity of sound, and plausible only 
to those who are ignorant of the details of the early explorations in 
the Pacific. Of these the one most generally accepted 1 in Oregon is 
the following from the pen of Archbishop Blanchet, speaking of 
himself in the third person: — 

Jonathan Carver, an English captain in the wars by which Canada came into 
the possession of Great Britain, after the peace, left Boston, June 6, 1766, crossed the 
continent to the Pacific, and returned October, 1768. In relation to his travels, 
which were published in 1774, and republished in 1778, he is the first who makes 
use of the word " Oregon." The origin of that word has never been discovered in 
the country. The first Catholic missionaries — Father Demers, now Bishop of Van- 
couver Island, and Father Blanchet, now Bishop of Oregon City — arrived in Oregon 
in 1838. They traveled through it for many years, from south to north, from west 
to east, visiting and teaching the numerous tribes of Oregon, Washington Territory 
and British possessions. But in all their various excursions among the Indians 
they never succeeded in finding the origin of the word " Oregon." Now it appears 
that what could not be found in Oregon has been discovered by Archbishop Blan- 
chet in Bolivia, when he visited that country, Chile and Peru in 1855 and 1857. 
The word " Oregon," in his opinion, most undoubtedly has its root in the Spanish 
word oreja (ear), and came from the qualifying word orejon (big ear). For it is 
probable that the Spaniards, who .first discovered and visited the country, when 
they saw the Indians with big ears, enlarged by the load of ornaments, were natur- 
ally inclined to call them orejon (big ears). That nickname, first given to the In- 
dians, became also the name of the country. This explains how Captain Carver 
got it and first made use of it. But the travelers, perhaps Carver himself, not 
knowing the Spanish language, nor the peculiar pronunciation of the j in Spanish, 
for facility sake would have written it and pronounced it Oregon, instead of Orejon, 
in changing j to g. Such, in all probability, must be the origin of the word " Ore- 
gon." It comes from the Spanish word Orejon. 

This is certainly a scientific explanation, and were it only sus- 
tained by facts would be a satisfactory one; it will not, however, 
stand for a moment the light of investigation. At the time Carver 
made his journey no Spanish explorer had set foot in Oregon nor 
had the least communication with its native inhabitants ; they were 
not even familiar enough with the coast line to be aware of the 
existence of the Columbia River. The only expeditions had been 



FROM CAPTAIN CARVER TO CAPTAIN COOK. 75 

those of Ferrelo and Aguilar, and neither of these had even made 
an attempt to land. Consequently they had not and could not 
apply the title Orejon to its inhabitants — people whom they had 
never seen and of whom they knew nothing. No allusion is made 
to the natives of this unknown land in the record of any Spanish 
explorer previous to that date, and the Bishop's supposition that 
they " discovered and visited this country," shows how unfamiliar 
he was with the history of Spanish explorations on the Pacific Coast. 
His assertion that Carver crossed the continent to the Pacific is 
equally at variance with the facts. The word " Oregon " was un- 
known to the Indians until after the country was visited by trap- 
pers, and the Bishop himself bears testimony to the fact that in 
all their extensive travels among the natives he and his missionary 
associates were unable to find authority for its use. Thus we see 
that the Spaniards had not visited Oregon, and knowing nothing of 
its inhabitants could not have called them u big ears"; that Carver 
did not visit the Columbia; that the word "Oregon" was unknown 
by the Indians, and, therefore, could not have been conveyed by 
them from tribe to tribe until it reached Carver's ears; therefore, 
the Bishop's theory is untenable. 

Equally so is the idea that Oregon was the Indian name of the 
Columbia, since if such were the case the early settlers of this region 
would have learned the name from the natives, instead of having 
to teach it to them. The same objections are valid to the theory 
that the early Spanish explorers bestowed the name because of the 
wild ma j oram (origanurn) found along the coast, since we have seen 
that the Spaniards had never set foot on the coast of Oregon, and 
that the name nowhere appears in Spanish records. If euphony of 
sound is to be relied upon, combined with the popular but errone- 
ous idea that Oregon was explored in early times by the Spaniards, 
then the writer desires to announce that he, also, has a theory — that 
in sailing along the coast some romantic Spaniard conceived a 
resemblance between the graceful summits of the Coast Range and 
the blue hills of his native Aragon, and bestowed that name upon 
this new land. To support this he calls attention to the fact that 
the Spaniards named Mexico "New Spain"; the Dutch called their 
settlement on the Atlantic coast " New Amsterdam," it being sub- 
sequently christened "New York" by the English; the region set- 



76 history of Willamette valley. 

tied by the Puritans and the Massachusetts Colony was named "New 
England"; and the French at one time called Canada "New 
France." Instances of this kind might be easily multiplied, though, 
perhaps, the nearest and most convincing is the bestowal of the title 
" New Albion " upon California by Sir Francis Drake, because of 
the chalky bluffs he had observed along the coast. Profound and 
brilliant as the writer conceives this theory to be, he feels compelled 
to give place to the Irishman, who believed Oregon to be named in 
honor of his royal ancestors, the O'Regons. There we have not 
only euphony of sound, but correct orthography, combined with a 
proper degree of ignorance upon the subject. 

The traditionary policy of the Hudson's Bay Company to head 
off, or render nugatory, all attempts by the government to explore 
its chartered domains in search of the Straits of Anian, or some 
other passage into the Pacific Ocean from the North Atlantic, was 
strictly adhered to during the eighteenth century. They did not 
want the government itself nor the people to have any knowledge 
whatever of the regions lying contiguous to Hudson's Bay. To 
that end they kept to themselves all geographical knowledge gained 
year by year by their representatives in the course of business trans- 
actions, or when sent upon special journeys of exploration by the 
company.* In 1745 Parliament offered a reward of j£ 20,000 to any 
one discovering a passage into the Pacific from Hudson's Bay, but 
no one made a serious effort to earn the money. The company 
was powerful enough to prevent it. Nearly thirty years later, 
however, having become satisfied from information gathered by 
their employees that no such passage existed, they dispatched 
Samuel Hearne in search of a copper mine, of which much had 
been said by the Indians, and which was to be found on the bank 
of a stream called by the natives the " Far-off Metal River." That 
they might have the credit of exerting themselves in searching for 
the passage whose discovery had ostensibly been one of the leading 
objects in organizing the company, they instructed Hearne to keep 
his weather eye open for the Straits of Anian, and permitted it to 
be understood that this was the chief aim of his journey. The first 
object of note discovered by Hearne was Great Slave Lake, and he 
followed this and the connecting system of lakes and the Copper- 
mine River to the point of its discharge into the Arctic Ocean. 



FROM CAPTAIN CARVER TO CAPTAIN COOK. 7Y 

The Coppermine he believed to be the stream to which the Indians 
referred, but he found the proverbial enchantment of distance was 
alone responsible for the stories of its great richness in copper, and 
that, so far as minerals were concerned, his journey and sufferings 
— for he endured many hardships and privations — had been in vain. 
The Arctic he conceived to be an inland sea, similar to Hudson's 
Bay, and such he reported it upon his return to the company's 
headquarters ; also that no water passage connected the two great 
bodies of water. Though the journal kept by Hearne was not 
published for twenty years, the company immediately communi- 
cated to the admiralty the failure of Hearne to discover any North- 
west Passage. This seemed to end all hope of finding such a 
waterway leading out of Hudson's Bay; but the discovery of the 
new sea opened the door to new hopes. There might be a means of 
communication between it and Baffin's Bay, and from it might 
possibly be found the long -sought Straits of Anian, leading into the 
Pacific. It certainly resembled Maldonado's " North Sea." 

The rapidity with which Russia was extending her outposts in 
Alaska began to cause serious alarm in Spain. Inactivity and 
apparent apathy had marked the conduct of that nation for a 
century and a half, so far as the region lying north of California was 
concerned. This, however, was not caused by lack of interest, but 
by circumstances easily understood. All voyages of exploration 
had to be made at the expense of the Viceroy's treasury, and this 
the chief executive in the New World objected to. As long as 
Spain was not threatened with the loss of exclusive dominion on 
the Pacific Coast, there was nothing to arouse the government to 
action; nor was there anything in those unknown regions which 
was sufficiently tempting to induce the Viceroy to undergo the 
expense of a voyage of exploration unless stimulated by the positive 
orders of the crown. Now, however, affairs presented a different 
aspect. The extent of Russian exploration and occupation of the 
North Pacific were unknown; no definite information had been 
received ; the report of none of the Russian voyages had been pub- 
lished; yet that Russia was making quite extensive discoveries in 
that region was well known in Europe, and it caused much anxiety 
in Spain. She was aroused to the display of great activity, 
apparently combined with a purpose of discovering and taking 



78 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

possession of all the coast not already occupied by the Muscovites. 
The first movement made by Spain was the colonizing of Cali- 
fornia, previously spoken of. The next was a series of explorations 
by sea. January 25, 1774, the corvette Santiago sailed from San 
Bias, commanded by Juan Perez, and piloted by Estivan Martinez. 
Perez was instructed to proceed as far north as the sixtieth degree 
of latitude, and then to return slowly along the coast, landing at 
sundry accessible points to take possession in the name of the King. 
The Santiago touched at San Diego and Monterey. He sailed from 
the latter port on the sixteenth of June, and sighted land again 
thirty- two days later, in latitude 54°, off the coast of Queen 
Charlotte Islands. Warned by the appearance of the dreaded 
scurvy among his crew that the voyage could not be prolonged, 
Perez turned about and coasted along to the southward. For a 
hundred miles he thus followed the coast, enjoying a highly profit- 
able trade in furs with the natives, who came out to the vessel in 
great canoes and exchanged sea otter and other valuable skins for 
merest trifles. A storm then drove the Santiago seaward, and she 
did not again make the land until the ninth of August, when she 
anchored at the entrance of a deep water bay in latitude 49° 
and 30'. In the direction of nomenclature the Spaniards were 
never at a loss, provided not more than one name was required 
per day. Whenever an object was discovered of sufficient impor- 
tance to require christening, the devout Catholic turned to his Roman 
calendar, and whatever saint was found to have been declared by 
the Church to be worthy of special honor upon that day, the name 
of that canonized mortal was bestowed upon it. Following this 
rule Perez discovered that the proper name of this harbor was " San 
Lorenzo," and that name he entered upon his journal and chart. 
This harbor was afterward re -christened by the English, and is now 
known as "King George's Sound," or "Nootka Sound." It lies 
on the west coast of Vancouver Island, and was a few years later 
the scene of an interesting episode which nearly precipitated a 
bloody conflict between Great Britain and Spain. Perez stopped 
for a few days to trade with the natives, of whose intelligence and 
light complexion he makes special mention, and then continued 
southward. He observed Mount Olympus, in latitude 47° and 47', 
which he christened " Santa Rosalia." A few days later he sighted 



FROM CAPTAIX" CARVER TO CAPTAIN COOK. 79 

Cape Mendocino, whose exact latitude he ascertained, and in due 
time arrived at Monterey, having by his superficial method added 
but little to geographical knowledge. Manv years afterward, when 
the Straits of Fnca had been discovered by an English captain, and 
Spain was eager to prove a prior discovery, Martinez, the pilot of 
the Santiago, declared that he had observed a broad opening in 
the coast line between latitudes 48° and 49°, and that he had be- 
stowed his own name upon the point of land at its entrance on 
the south. Though there was nothing recorded in the journal of 
the voyage, Spanish geographers accepted this questionable state- 
ment as worthy of credence, and designated upon their maps as 
" Cape Martinez" the headland now known as "Cape Flattery." 

A second expedition was dispatched the following year, with in- 
structions to proceed as far north as the sixty -iifth parallel. This 
was composed of two vessels, the Santiago \ commanded by Bruno 
Heceta, and piloted by Perez, its former captain; and the Sonora, 
under Juan de Ayala, whose pilot was Antonio Maurelle. A French 
geographer named Bellin had prepared a chart of the Pacific, founded 
upon printed reports and rumored discoveries made by various 
nations, a chart which was " wonderfully and fearfully made. 1 '' It is 
difficult to conceive how such a map could have been produced ; 
certainly nothing but the phosphorescent intellect of a Frenchman 
could have evolved such a geographical monstrosity. With BelhVs 
chart, the latest issued, the explorers were supplied, and it is a fact 
far from creditable that Spaniards had made so long a voyage the 
year before without being able to correct any of its excentricities. 
The Santiago and Sonora, accompanied by the San Carlos, sailed 
from San Bias, March 15, 1775, and proceeded to Monterey. There 
Ayala was transferred to the San Carlos, Lieutenant Juan Fran- 
cisco de la Bodega y Quadra succeeding to the command of the 
Sonora. The latter vessel and the Santiago then sailed from Mon- 
terey on their voyage of discovery. On the ninth of June they 
anchored in an open roadstead some distance north of Cape Men- 
docino, calling it Port Trinidad for the all -satisfying reason that the 
day mentioned was dedicated in the calendar to the Holy Trinity. 
This is the same Bay of Trinidad which caused so much excitement 
among the gold hunters in 1850, and the following year became the 
landing place for the devotees of tw Gold Bluff. 1 ' Having spent nine 



80 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

days at Trinidad, the vessels again put to sea, and did not sight 
land again till in latitude 48° and 27', according to their somewhat 
faulty reckoning, being almost at the entrance of the Straits of Fuca. 
The Greek pilot had located his passageway between latitudes 47° 
and 48° ; and it being thus indicated on Bellin's chart, the ex- 
plorers turned to the southward to search for what was almost 
within the horizon line on the north. Of course they found nothing. 
The only adventure worthy of note in that region, was the killing 
of seven of the Sonords crew by the Indians. This occurred on the 
mainland near a small island in latitude 47°, which was named 
"Isla de Dolores" (Island of Sorrows), the title, as usual, being 
dictated by the calendar. It was afterward christened " Destruction 
Island " by an English captain who lost a boat's crew near that 
point in precisely the same manner. 

Here Heceta became alarmed at the ravages the dreaded scurvy 
was committing, and desired to return before his crews entirely 
succumbed to the scourge. He was persuaded to continue the 
voyage, but a few days later a storm separated the two consorts, 
and Heceta at once headed his vessel for Monterey. He observed 
land in latitude 50°, being the southwest portion of Vancouver 
Island, but overlooked the Port San Lorenzo of Perez, and the 
Straits of Fuca, beginning again the search for the latter in latitude 
48°. He made a great discovery on the fifteenth of August, 
1775, being no less than the entrance to the Columbia River. 
While sailing quietly along the coast he suddenly noticed an open- 
ing in the land from which flowed a stream of water with great 
force. He endeavored to enter, but the current was too strong, and 
for a whole day he was thus baffled in his efforts to explore what 
he was satisfied was the channel of a great river, perhaps the Rio 
de Aguilar, or, possibly, the Straits of Fuca, for which he had been 
so diligently searching. He at last abandoned the effort and sailed 
again toward Monterey, observing, for the first time, the coast of 
Oregon with sufficient carefulness to enter upon his journal quite 
accurate descriptions. This was the first time the coast of Oregon 
was actually explored by the Spaniards, or any other nation, being 
a year later than the' first publication of Carver's book containing 
the word " Oregon," and nineteen years after the journey of which 
the volume treated. It is plainly evident that the name was not 



FROM CAPTAIN CARVER TO CAPTAIN COOK. 81 

bestowed by the Spaniards. Upon bis chart Heceta entered the 
river he had discovered not »as a river, since he had not proved it to 
be such, but as an inlet, calling it " Ensenada de Asuncion." This 
name was bestowed for the all-sufficient reason, to a Spaniard, 
that the fifteenth of August was the day of the Assumption. The 
sixteenth was devoted by the calendar to the glorification of 
Saint Roc, and he therefore called the promontory on the north 
" Cabo de San Roque." The calendar having been exhausted he 
was compelled to bestow a more sensible title upon the low point 
of land on the south, which he christened " Cabo de Frondoso " 
(Leafy Cape). Maps made by the Spaniards thereafter had in- 
dicated upon them an indentation in the shore line at this point, 
variously marked " Ensenada de Heceta " and " Rio de San Roque," 
according as the map-maker believed it to be a river or simply an 
inlet. 

While Heceta was making these discoveries Bodega and Mau- 
relle were still sailing northward in the little Sonora, endeavoring 
to obey their instructions. It was, apparently, the policy of Span- 
ish explorers to give the land as wide a berth as possible. English 
navigators always kept as close in shore as circumstances would 
permit, carefully examining every bay and inlet, making frequent 
observations and copious entries upon their journals. When their 
voyage was completed they were prepared to make an approximately 
correct map of the coast, accompanied by long and careful descrip- 
tions. Not so with the Spaniards. They kept well out to sea, 
sighting land here and there, and when they returned were utterly 
unable to report anything save that they had sailed to a certain lat- 
itude and had seen land several times during the voyage. Whether 
the laud observed was an island or a portion of the continent, or 
whether the coast line was continuous, or was much indented with 
1 >ays and inlets, they could not tell. This is why the Spaniards, 
even after the voyages of Perez, Heceta and Bodega, were utterly 
unable to prepare a map of the coast which was the least approach 
to the original. It was now they began to appreciate the beauties 
of Bellin's Chart, which had been prepared partly from the worth- 
less reports of their predecessors, partly from the reports of equally 
superficial Russian explorers, and partly from imagination. On the 
sixteenth of August, when the chart assured them they were one 



82 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

hundred and thirty-five leagues distant from the American shore — 
and it is difficult to understand how they could natter themselves 
that they were exploring a coast line which was one hundred and 
thirty -five leagues distant — they suddenly discovered land both to 
the north and east of them. They were then above the fifty-sixth 
parallel, in the vicinity of a huge snow -mantled peak, rising abruptly 
from a headland on the coast, which they christened "Mount San 
Jacinto. r This is the one named " Mount Edgecumb " by Captain 
Cook, and stands on the chief island of King George III.'s Archi- 
pelago. Supposing it to be a portion of the main land, the Span- 
iards landed to take possession in the name of their, sovereign. 
They planted a cross, with appropriate ceremonies, and were busily 
engaged in procuring a supply of fish and fresh water, when they 
were suddenly interrupted by the native proprietors. The cross 
was uprooted in scorn and those who had erected it were given to 
understand that a hasty departure would be agreeable, though they 
were not permitted to make so much haste that payment for the 
fish and water was neglected. Thus ended the first effort of Spain 
to take possession of the coast north of California. They then 
continued their northward journey as far as latitude 58°, when 
Bodego decided to begin the homeward voyage and explore the 
coast line more thoroughly. They searched carefully for the Rio 
de los Reyes as far south as latitude 54°, but did not find it; nor 
would they have found it had it been in existence, since Admiral 
Fonte located his wonderful stream under the fifty -third parallel. 
They landed again on the twenty-fourth of August, in a little harbor 
on the west coast of Prince of Wales Island, where they took pos- 
session without interference from the Indians, and named the place 
" Port Bueareli," in honor of the Viceroy under whose directions 
they were acting, and whose proud privilege it was to pay the ex- 
penses of the voyage. Occasionally observing the coast south of 
this point, they began again, in latitude 45°, to scrutinize the 
Oregon shore in search of Aguilar's River, and though they ob- 
served several streams of water entering the sea, they were not of 
sufficient magnitude to indicate a large stream, such as Aguilar re- 
ported having seen near the forty -third parallel in 1603. They 
did, however, observe a prominent headland answering Aguilar's 
description of Cape Blanco. Their next stopping place was in a bay 



FEOM CAPTAIN CARVER TO CAPTAIN COOK. 83 

which the Sonora entered on the third of October, and which Bo- 
dega supposed was the Bay of San Francisco. He learned later 
that it was a much smaller one lying a little further north, and this 
has ever since been known as Bodega Bay. 

These three voyages justly entitled Spain to a claim to the entire 
coast from Cape Mendocino to Mount San Jacinto by title of explo- 
ration. If that title was of any value, it belonged to Spain ; but in 
these modern times, possession is a far stronger title than simple 
discovery, and the United States found the claim acquired from 
Spain hard to defend against England's actual possession of the soil. 
In fact, had she depended upon it at all Oregon would now be a 
province of Great Britain. Accounts of these important voyages 
did not reach the public through the medium of the press; yet the 
fact that the Spaniards had made several important voyages in the 
Pacific, and were evidently seeking to take possession of the entire 
coast, soon became known in England, and created great uneasi- 
ness. She could not stand supinely by and see her ancient enemy 
secure a territory which she had coveted for years, ever since the 
marauding expedition of Sir Francis Drake two centuries before, 
but which, as yet, she had made no direct effort to reach from the 
Pacific side. This year, 1776, saw England involved in war with 
her colonies on the Atlantic Coast, yet she was none the less eager 
to plant new ones at the other extremity of the continent. Her 
passion for acquiring broad territorial dependencies could not be 
checked by her unpleasant experiences with the confederate colonies 
who had just declared themselves free and independent. It is 
this policy of colonial aggrandizement, systematically maintained 
through long series of years, which has made her the center of an 
empire upon which the sun never sets, and in which her "morning 
drum beat follows the course of the sun in one continuous roll 
around the world." Parliament at once renewed her offer made in 
1745, of a reward of £20,000 for the discovery of the Northwest 
Pa -sage, though not limiting it to exploration in Hudson's Bay. 
The reward was offered to any vessel, sailing in any direction, 
through any straits connecting the Atlantic with the distant Pacific, 
north of latitude 52°. 

This was inimical to the business interests of the Hudson's Bay 
( "lnpany, and consequently was productive of no greater results 



84 HISTOKY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

than the former one. The Admiralty had by this time become 
satisfied that it was useless to seek for the passage on the Atlantic 
side, since all their efforts were in some manner rendered abortive; 
and they decided to dispatch an expedition to the Pacific to search 
for the passage on that side, and to learn, if possible, the extent of 
Spanish and Russian occupation. For this important task the most 
renowned navigator of his time was selected, Captain James Cook, 
whose recent extensive explorations in the South Sea and Indian 
Ocean, extending into the Antarctic regions, had been so thoroughly 
and intelligently conducted that little was left for his successors to 
accomplish in the same field. It was vitally necessary that this 
means of entering the Pacific be discovered if England woilld plant 
colonies in this region, for communication with them by way of the 
Horn or Cape of Good Hope would be too long and uncertain. 
The public gaze was centered upon Captain Cook, and during the 
four years that passed between the departure and return of his 
vessels, the gallant navigator and his mission were not forgotten, 
even amid the exciting incidents of the conflict in America and the 
graver political complications in Europe. The expedition was com- 
posed of two vessels — the Resolution, a craft which had just taken 
Cook around the world, and a consort named the Discovery, com- 
manded by Captain Charles Clerke. In every particular the vessels 
were fitted for the work expected of them. Charts were pre- 
pared, embracing all the geographical knowledge of the time, 
except that recently gained by the Spaniards, the details of which 
had not yet been received in England. This left a comparative 
blank in the Pacific between latitudes 43°, the northern limit 
of Aguilar's voyage, and 56°, the most southerly point on the 
coast reached by the Russian explorers. In this were indicated 
three important objects — the great river supposed to exist some- 
where within those limits, the Straits of Fuca and the River of 
Kings. Cook's instructions were very minute and particular. 
England was involved in war with her American colonies, while 
her old enemies, France and Spain, seemed about to add material 
aid to the -open encouragement they gave the struggling rebels. It 
was incumbent upon her to do nothing whatever to incur the open 
hostility of these warlike nations, or to even give them a plausible 
excuse for declaring a war which they seemed more than willing to 






FROM CAPTAIN CARVER TO CAPTAIN COOK. 85 

embark in. To thus send an expedition into waters which Spain 
had for centuries looked upon as her own special inheritance, and 
to explore a coast line which she had just visited and formally 
taken possession of, was a delicate matter, and Captain Cook was 
relied upon to do nothing to offend the Spaniards or antagonize the 
Russians, whom he was expected to encounter on the coast of 
Alaska. He was instructed to first reach the coast of New Albion, 
for such the English still called California, in latitude 45°, and 
was " strictly enjoined on his way thither, not to touch upon any 
part of the Spanish dominions on the western continent of America, 
unless driven to it by some unavoidable accident; in which case 
he should stay no longer than should be absolutely necessary, and 
to be very careful not to give any umbrage or offense to any of 
the inhabitants or subjects of his Catholic majesty. And if, in his 
further progress northward, he should meet any subjects of any 
European prince or state (referring to the Russians), upon any 
part of the coast which he might think proper to visit, he was not to 
disturb them or give them just cause of offense, but, on the con- 
trary, to treat them with civility and friendship. 1 "' He was also 
instructed to examine the coast thoroughly, and " with the consent 
of the natives, to take possession in the name of the King of Great 
Britain, of convenient stations in such countries as he might dis- 
cover that had not been already discovered or visited by any other 
Ettropean power, and to distribute among the inhabitants such 
things as would remain as traces of his having been there; but if 
he should find the countries so discovered to be uninhabited, he was 
to take possession of them for his sovereign, by setting up proper 
marks and descriptions, as first discoverers and possessor-." 

A literal adherence to these instructions would have barred Cook 
from the whole coast, since Spanish explorers had visited and taken 
formal possession at various points but the year before. It was 
generally supposed that the ocean ilearne had discovered at the 
mouth of the Coppermine River was identical with the Pacific, and 
that as progression was made northward the coast would be found 
trending sharply to the east, the region occupied by the Russians 
being a sea of islands lying much to the westward of the main land 
of America. Beginning when he first espied land, he was to search 
for Aguilar's River, or the Great River of the West, then in latitude 



86 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

48°, to look for the Straits of Fuca, and near the fifty -third 
parallel to hunt for Fonte's Rio de los Reyes. Upon reaching the 
sixty -fifth parallel he was expected to find the coast trending rapidly 
northeastward towards the mouth of the Coppermine ; and from that 
point he was to explore carefully "such rivers or inlets as might 
appear to be of considerable extent and pointing toward Hudson's 
or Baffin's bays." Through all such he was to endeavor to pass, 
either in his large vessels or in smaller ones to be constructed for 
that purpose from materials taken with him for that emergency. 
If, however, he discovered that the Pacific and North Sea were not 
identical, and that the coast line turned westward or held a north- 
ward course, he was to continue on to the Russian settlements at 
Kamtchatka, and from that point sailed northward " in further 
search for a northeast or northwest passage from the Pacific Ocean 
into the Atlantic or North Sea." Cook certainly had a gigantic 
task before him. 

On the twelfth of July, 1776, eight days after the bell of In- 
dependence Hall had rung out to the world the glad tidings that a 
free people had pledged " their lives, their fortunes and their sacred 
honor" in the cause of liberty, Cook sailed from Plymouth on his 
mission. He rounded the Cape of Good Hope and spent nearly 
a year in exploring the coast of Van Dieman's Land, New Zea- 
land, and the Friendly and Society groups of islands. It was not 
until the eighteenth of January, 1778, that he encountered the 
Hawaiian group of islands, making thus one of the most important 
discoveries in the Pacific. Upon these he bestowed the name of 
" Sandwich Islands," in courtesy to the First Lord of the Admiralty. 
After a brief stay at this mid -ocean refuge, he resumed his course 
eastward, and on the seventh of March espied the coast of New 
Albion, near the forty -fourth parallel. This was the coast of 
Oregon in the vicinity of the Umpqua River. After being forced by 
headwinds as far south as Rogue River, he sailed a northerly course 
well out to sea, and did not again see land until he reached latitude 
48°. To the prominent headland he then saw he gave the name 
u Cape Flattery," because of the encouraging condition of affairs. 

Immediately north of Cape Flattery lay the Straits of Fuca, but 
on his chart the passage supposed to have been discovered by the 
old Greek pilot was indicated as lying south of the forty -eighth par- 



FROM CAPTAIN CARVER TO CAPTAIN COOK. 87 

allel ; and so he coasted southward to find it, little imagining that what 
he sought was within a few miles of him, and that he was deliber- 
ately turning his back upon it. Naturally he was unsuccessful in 
his search, and concluded that no such passage existed. He then 
sailed north, passing directly by the entrance to the straits without 
observing them, and cast anchor in Nootka Sound, unaware that it 
was the one which Perez had entered a few years before and named 
" Port San Lorenzo 11 ; in fact, he was unacquainted with any of the 
particulars of the recent Spanish voyages. This port he at first 
called " St. George's Sound, 11 but soon changed the name to "Noot- 
ka." the proper Indian title. The natives were very intelligent, 
possessed copper, iron and brass, and were familiar with the methods 
of working them. They were extremely friendly and bartered val- 
uable furs for trinkets of any kind, preferring metal to anything 
else. The vessels were constantly surrounded by a fleet of canoes, 
whose occupants had come for many mile? along the coast for the 
purpose of seeing the white strangers and trading with them. Here 
he lay nearly a month, repairing his vessels and permitting the sea- 
men to recover from the effects of their long voyage. About the 
first of April he resumed his northward course. In the vicinity of 
the fifty-third parallel he intended to search for Admiral Fonte's 
River of Kings, but was driven to sea by a gale and did not again 
see land until considerably north of that point. This did not appear 
to him in the light of a disaster, for his journal says: "For my 
own part I gave m> credit to such vague and improbable stories, that 
convey their own confutation along with them ; nevertheless. I was 
very desirous of keeping the American coast aboard, in order to clear 
up this point beyond dispute." From the fifty-fifth parallel, where 
he again saw land, he continued north, in full view of the coast, 
observing the peak called u San Jacinto 1 ' by Bodega, but which 
he named "Edgecumb"; discovering and naming Mount Fair- 
weather, and on the fourth of May reaching an immense snow peak, 
standing near the water's edge, which he at once recognized as the 
Mount St. Elias discovered by Behring. 

The sharp westward trend of the coast from this point led Cook 
to begin there a careful search for the Straits of Anian, which he 
hoped to find leading northward into the North Sea, the existence 
of which Hearne had verified, or eastward into Hudson's or Baffin's 



88 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Bay. The Russian charts showed this to be the end of the Ameri- 
can continent, all to the westward being a vast sea of islands; con- 
sequently he had good reasons for expecting to find a passage into 
the North Sea. He began a diligent search, exploring carefully all 
bays and inlets along the coast. Prince William's Sound and 
Cook's Inlet received special attention, and on his map are very 
accurately laid down. The latter he at first supposed to be a 
river, and called it " Cook's River," but the error was soon discov- 
ered. Unsuccessful in finding the desired passage in either of these 
favorable localities, he continued westward, and soon found the 
coast trending toward the southwest. His careful explorations con- 
vinced him that this region was by no means a sea of islands, but 
that the American continent " extended much further to the west 
than, from the modern most reputable charts, he had reason to 
expect," and that the Russians had been extremely superficial in 
their explorations. He determined to abandon his present effort 
and to follow the coast line to its termination, and then to enter 
Behring's Straits. On the nineteeenth of June he fell in with the 
Schumagim Islands, where he saw the first tokens of Russian pres- 
ence in that region. One of the many natives who swarmed about 
the vessel possessed a piece of paper, upon which was writing 
which he conceived to be in the Russian language. When he had 
passed the Aleutian Islands, he sailed around them to the north, 
and then returned eastward, soon reaching the large island of 
Ounalaska, where he remained five days without encountering any 
Russians, though he knew this to be an important station in the fur 
trade. On the second of July he resumed his search for an east- 
ward passage, sailing northerly along the west coast of the Alaskan 
Peninsula. He reached a point on the ninth of August which he 
properly concluded was the extreme northwestern corner of America, 
since the coast beyond trended steadily to the eastward. This he 
named "Cape Prince of Wales." He then crossed Behring's 
Strait and followed the Asiatic Coast on the Arctic side as far as 
Cape North, in latitude 68° and 56 / '. Returning to the American 
side, he proceeded beyond Cape Prince of Wales until his progress 
was arrested by the ice in latitude 70° and 29'. This point he 
named " Icy Cape," and then returned to Ounalaska, where he found 
a few Russian fur traders who were greatly surprised to learn how 



FROM CAPTAIN CARVER TO CAPTAIN COOK. 89 

erroneous had been the opinions they entertained of the geography 
of the North Pacific. From Ounalaska he sailed directly to the 
Sandwich Islands, where he spent the winter. 

On the sixteenth of February, 1779, while preparing to renew 
his voyage, he was slain in an unfortunate encounter with the 
natives of Hawaii, and notwithstanding the fact that every museum 
in England and America has on exhibition "the club that killed 
Captain Cook," it is a well authenticated fact that he was slain with 
a spear. The command now devolved upon Captain Clerke, whose 
ill health seriously affected the future movements of the expedition. 
The loss cf Cook was a calamity. Clerke sailed in March, with the 
design of pushing still further eastward in the North Sea, and, if 
possible, passing by that route into the Atlantic. On his way he 
entered the Bay of Avatscha, and cast anchor in the Harbor of 
Petropaulovski, the chief settlement of Kamtchatka. The Russian 
officials received the visitors with great courtesy, being glad of an 
opportunity to learn of the geographical discoveries the English- 
men had made. The voyage was then resumed, but ignorance of 
the climatic peculiarities of the Arctic region had led him to under- 
take the passage too early in the Spring. The consequence was 
that he was prevented by ice from progressing even as far as the 
season before, and returned to Petropaulovski with the conviction 
that no northern passage existed between the Atlantic and Pa- 
cific oceans. Being in ill health, Clerke lay at anchor in the 
Russian harbor until the twenty-second of August, when he died. 
The command of the expedition then devolved upon Lieutenant 
John Gore, who sailed at once for England by the way of Canton 
and the Cape of Good Hope, deeming his vessels unfit to encounter 
another season in the Arctic. 

The object of going to Canton was to dispose of a large collec- 
tion of furs both the men and officers had made, chiefly by trading 
for them with the natives of Nootka Sound. They had not been 
purchased for market, nor had they been selected according to their 
commercial value, and many had been rendered unsalable by being 
used for clothing and beds. It was only when the Russians offered 
a large price for them that they realized the value of what they 
possessed; but as the traders had inadvertently told them what 
great profits they made by shipping furs to Canton, they declined 



90 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

to sell, preferring to take them to the better market. For this 
miscellaneous collection of furs the Chinese paid them $10,000. 
The men became excited at the prospect. The thought of return- 
ing to England without engaging for a time in the fur trade made 
them rebellious, notwithstanding they had been afloat over three 
years. As the narrative of the voyage says, they became " possessed 
with a rage to return to the northern coast, and, by another cargo 
of skins, to make their fortunes, which was, at one time, not far 
from mutiny.' ' The rebellious crew was reduced to subordination, 
and the homeward voyage was resumed. 

It was early in October, 1780, that the Resolution and Discovery 
reached England, after an absence of four years and three months, 
during which time the country had been engaged in war with her 
American colonies and her two immemorial enemies across the chan- 
nel. Cook and his expedition had almost become forgotten in the 
excitement of current events, and the return of the vessels with in- 
telligence of the death of the two senior commanders and of the 
geographical discoveries which had been made, was an unexpected 
surprise. Until the complications of war were removed, England 
had neither time nor inclination to attempt further discoveries or 
plant new colonies, and so the Lords of Admiralty pigeon-holed the 
official record of the voyage, to be published after the conclusion of 
peace. They could not seal the li£s of the seamen, who scattered 
about the story of their adventures, and the wonderful profits to be 
gained in buying furs for nothing from the Indians on the American 
side of the Pacific, and selling them for a great deal to the Chinese 
on the Asiatic side. One of these seamen, John Ledyard, an Amer- 
ican, endeavored to influence American and French capitalists in a 
fur enterprise, but unsuccessfully. He then conceived the idea of 
traveling around the world by way of Russia, Siberia, the Pacific 
and America. Having secured a passport from the Empress of 
Russia, he traveled as far as Irkutsk, when he was arrested, con- 
ducted to the Polish frontier and released upon the condition that 
he never again enter the empire. This arbitrary act is ascribed to 
the influence of the Russian fur monopoly, which did not relish the 
idea of foreigners prying into their business. 

While Cook's vessels were lying at Hawaii, and only nine days 
before the famous commander was killed, another Spanish expedi- 






FROM CAPTAIN CARVER TO CAPTAIN COOK. 91 

tion sailed on a voyage of discovery in the North Pacific. This 
was not caused by Cook's movements, for the Spanish authorities 
were unaware of his presence in the Pacific, but was the result of 
the government's desire to examine the northern regions more criti- 
cally than Bodega and Heceta had done. After three years of 
preparation the Princess and Favor it a sailed — the former com- 
manded by Ignacio Arteaga and the latter by Bodega and Maurelle. 
The route of the vessels was much the same as that traversed by 
Bodega and Cook, and nothing of importance was noticed which 
had not been seen by those explorers. When they observed the 
coast -line beyond Mount St. Elias to trend westward, they began 
searching for the Straits of Anian, as had Cook the year before, but 
were by no means as thorough as the English navigator had been. 
Arteaga lacked the quality of perseverance under disappointment 
and hardships which is so necessary to the successful explorer, and 
discouraged by his want of success, and frightened by the appear- 
ance of scurvy symptoms among his crew, ordered the vessels back 
to San Bias. Instead of being reprimanded for the superficial nature 
of his explorations, his faulty observations and useless charts, he and 
his associates were rewarded by promotion. Spain was now well 
satisfied of the extent and value of the coast to the north, but being 
involved in war was compelled to postpone any effort at coloniza- 
tion until her foreign complications were at an end. 



CHAPTER VII. 



SPAIN'S SUPREMACY IN THE PACIFIC OVERTHROWN. 

The Russian- American Trading Company — France sends La Perouse 
to the Pacific — James Hanna makes the First Voyage in the Pur 
Trade from England — England 's Short-sighted Policy of Granting 
Monopoly Charters — The East India Company and South Sea Com- 
pany — Their Conflicting Interests Leads to the Organization of the 
King George's Sound Company — Belief that North America above 
latitude Jf.9 was an Archipelago of Huge Islands — First Voyage of 
Captain Meares — His Terrible Winter on the Alaskan Coast — Cap- 
tain Barclay Discovers the Straits of Fuca — Meares Engages in the 
Fur Trade under the Portuguese Flag — He Builds the Schooner 
"Northwest America" at Nootka Sound — Explores the Straits of 
Fuca — His Unsuccessful Search for the Rio de San Rogue — Decep- 
tion Bay and Cape Disappointment — The United States Enters the 
Contest for Control of the Pacific Coast — The "Columbia Rediviva" 
and "Lady Washington " — The Latter Attacked by Indians, and the 
Former Supplies Spain with an Opportunity to Promulgate her Doc- 
trine of Exclusive Rights in the Pacific- Martinez sent to Explore 
the Coast and Investigate the Russians — His Report of Russian 
Operations Causes Spain to Send a Remonstrance to the Empress — 
Martinez Fortifies Nootka and Takes Possession in the Name of the 
King of Spain — He Seizes the "Iphigenia " and "Northwest Ameri- 
ca " — Colnett and Hudson arrive in the "Argonaut " and "Princess 
Royal" — Are made Prisoners by Martinez and sent to Mexico — 
The Prisoners Released and Vessels Restored — Controversy between 
England and Spain Terminated by the Nootka Convention — Stipu- 
lations of the Treaty Displease both Parties. 

THE first to avail themselves of the discoveries made by Cook 
were the Russians They were not embroiled in war with any 
nation contending for supremacy in America, nor with any other 



spain's supremacy in the pacific overthrown. 93 

power which could attack their Pacific possessions. Cook's voyage 
opened their eyes to the nature and value of the fur regions, and 
they resolved to enter deeply into that which they had been simply 
skimming for forty years. The Russian- American Trading Com- 
pany was organized in 1781. Two years later three vessels were 
sent from Petropaulovski, to establish stations on the islands and 
main land as far east as Prince William's Sound. Three years 
were consumed in this work. The hold Russia then took upon 
Alaska was not relaxed until that region was purchased by the 
United States nearly a century later (in 1867) for $7,200,000. 

The first official voyage made by the contending nations, after 
the Treaty of Ghent was signed, was sent out by France, In the 
winter of 1784-5 Cook's journal was published, and though the 
" yarns " of his sailors had been freely circulated, this was a reve- 
lation to the people, and caused much eagerness to be displayed to 
take advantage of the golden opportunity therein pointed out. The 
French government immediately dispatched a skillful and scientific 
navigator, named La Perouse, with instructions to " explore the parts 
of the northwestern coast of America which had not been examined 
by Cook, and of which the Russian accounts gave no idea, in order 
to obtain information respecting the fur trade, and also to learn 
whether, in those unknown parts, some river or internal sea might 
not be found communicating with Hudson's Bay, or Baffin's Bay." 
La Perouse sailed in 1785, and on the twenty -third of June, 1786, 
reached the American Coast in the vicinity of Mount Fairweather. 
After remaining several weeks at anchor, he proceeded slowly south- 
ward, minutely examining the coast, and discovering that the places 
where the English and Spanish explorers had formerly landed were 
not on the main land, but on a long range of islands which fringe 
the coast. For this important discovery he received no credit, as 
his vessels were wrecked in the New Hebrides on the return voyage, 
and his journal was not published for ten years, long after other 
explorers had discovered the same facts and made them known to 
the world. 

The first successful venture in the fur trade was made by James 
Hanna, an Englishman, who sailed from the Portuguese East India 
port of Macao, in 1785, secured a load of furs at Nootka Sound, 
and disposed of them in China for $20,000. The next year he 



94 HI8T0KY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

repeated tlie voyage, but found that other traders had arrived, 
whose competition prevented the securing of a good cargo; also, 
that the Chinese market was glutted with this avalanche of furs. 
There was no profit in the business that year. England adopted 
an extremely short-sighted policy in her treatment of the Pacific 
question, and surrendered her claims into the hands of private 
monopolies. A century before, eager to discover the long- sought 
Northwest Passage, she chartered the Hudson's Bay Company, 
granting it almost royal power, and conferring upon it absolute 
dominion in that vast region whose waters fall into Hudson's Bay. 
Two centuries have gone by and it is still a wilderness. In her 
anxiety to command the commerce of the Pacific, and plant her 
foot on the western shore of America, she again committed the 
fatal error of delegating her powers to private and selfish 
monopolies. At that time the East India Company was already 
firmly established in India, and had laid well the foundation of 
that power which has since added the title of "Empress of the 
Indies*' to the crown of England. To this gigantic corporation 
was granted the monopoly of all trade with the ports of Asia and 
adjacent islands — all other subjects of Great Britain being prohib- 
ited from trading under severe penalties. A new association, 
called the " South Sea Company," was chartered, upon which was 
conferred the exclusive privilege of trade on the American Coast. 
Thus was the whole commerce of the Pacific, so far as England 
was concerned, given into the hands of two corporations, and all 
other subjects of Great Britain, no matter how eager they might be 
to embark in the fur trade and explore the unknown mysteries of 
the great South Sea, were debarred from so doing. No English 
ships could pass around Cape Horn save those of the South Sea 
Company, while the ensign of the powerful East India Company 
must fly at the mast-head of every British vessel that doubled the 
Cape of Good Hope. It was of course the supposition that these 
two corporations, being rich and powerful, would at once embark 
in the fur trade on an extensive scale, and, as the representatives 
of the British crown, would lay as broad and deep a foundation for 
English power on the American Coast and the Islands of the 
Pacific, as one of them had already done in the land of the Brah- 
mins. Such was not the case, owing primarily to the conflicting 



Spain's supremacy in the pacific overthrown. 95 

interests of the two companies. The great fur market was China, 
but from the ports of that company the ships of the South Sea 
Company were debarred by the exclusive trade privileges of the 
rival association. Nor was the East India Company more happily 
situated; with complete control of England's commerce in Asiatic 
ports, it was excluded from the fur-producing coast of America. 
One controlled the source of supply and the other the market, and 
neither could accomplish anything. The chasm between the rival 
companies was bridged by the organization of a third one — the 
King George's Sound Company. This association was formed in 
1 785, and was granted special permits from both monopolies, 
enabling it to embark in the Pacific fur trade under favorable 
auspices. Two vessels were dispatched by this company, the King 
George and Queen Charlotte, commanded by Captains Portlock 
and Dixon. They traded two years without paying expenses, the 
Chinese market having been flooded by this sudden shower of 
fur. Two other vessels sent the next year by the same company, 
and which reached Xootka in 1787, prior to the return of Portlock 
and Dixon to England, were equally unsuccessful, and the South 
Sea Company suddenly collapsed. Shares in the company, which 
it had formally taken fortunes to purchase, were thrown into the 
street, and the projectors of the enterprise barely escaped the rude 
clutches of a mob. The South Sea Bubble was completely bursted. 
These traders, in passing up and down the coast, learned what 
La Perouse had discovered two years before — that all points north 
of Xootka yet visited by traders and explorers, were but islands and 
not portions of the main land. The former Russian idea of the 
region occupied by them was revived, and extended to embrace the 
whole northern portion of America. It was conceived that not a 
continent, but an immense archipelago of islands occupied that re- 
gion, and that through the channels separating them it was possible 
to reach the Atlantic. This idea was also supported two years 
later by Caj:>tain Meares, who assigned as one of his reasons for hold- 
ing the belief, that "the channels of this archipelago were found to 
be wide and capacious, with near two hundred fathoms deep of 
water, and huge promontories stretching out into the sea, where 
whales and sea-< >tter> were seen in incredible abundance. In some 
of these channels there are islands of ice, which we ma} 7 venture to 



96 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

say could never have formed on the western side of America, which 
possesses a mild and moderate climate; so that their existence can 
not be reconciled to any other idea, than that they received their 
formation in the eastern seas, and have been drifted by the tides 
and currents through the passage for whose existence we are con- 
tending.'' 1 He was not aware that the Alaska glaciers were con- 
stantly dropping frozen offerings into the sea. A few years later 
Captain Vancouver demonstrated the fallacy of this theory, and 
gave us the first correct idea of the American continent with its 
coast fringe of islands. 

In 1786 the great East India Company, either having made some 
commercial arrangement with the South Sea Company, or purposely 
infringing upon the chartered rights of the rival organization, dis- 
patched two small vessels to the American Coast for<£urs. They 
met with sufficient success to encourage the company to engage in 
the business on a larger scale; consequently, two vessels were fitted 
out, the Nootka and Sea-Otter, in 1787, and dispatched to Nootka 
Sound, which was then the objective point of all fur traders. The 
former was under the command of Captain John Meares, a former 
lieutenant of the royal navy, and the latter by Lieutenant Walter 
Tipping. 

The Sea-Otter followed the Japan Current until she reached the 
Aleutian Islands, and then coasting along eastward arrived at Prince 
William's Sound. Thus far was she traced by her consort, but be- 
yond that point her movements never were known, nor was she 
ever heard from again. She was probably swamped in mid ocean, 
for had she been wrecked on the coast some traces of her would 
have been discovered by the natives and reported to the traders. 
The Nootka followed the same general course, and came to anchor 
in Prince William's Sound about the first of October, Captain Meares 
designing to spend the winter in that port and resume the voyage 
along the coast in the spring. Unacquainted with the climatic con- 
ditions, he had selected a place sufficiently removed from the path 
of the Japan Current and its branches to be practically beyond its 
influences; and thus a place where all the rigors of an Arctic winter 
prevailed. During October, November and even December, the 
climate was generally pleasant and always endurable, but there sud- 
denly came a change. All the chilling winds of the Borean cave 



Spain's supremacy in the pacific overthrown. 97 

were unchained, and howled about the vessel, which was soon bound 
in icy fetters and buried beneath the -drifting snow. The migratory 
Indians disappeared in search of a more agreeable abode, and were 
quickly followed by all animal and aquatic life. The sun hid its 
face, save for a few moments at midday, when it seemed to raise its 
head above the horizon to cast a derisive glance upon the suffer ers, 
and then quickly disappeared. Meares' journal says : " Tremendous 
mountains forbade almost a sight of the sky, and cast their noctur- 
nal shadows over the ship in the midst of day." Deprived of proper 
food and exercise, the imprisoned crew were quickly attacked with 
scurvy, whose horrible ravages it was impossible to check. Twenty- 
three died during the four months of their imprisonment, while the 
others were rendered so feeble as to be unfit to perform duty. At 
last, in May, the ice released the vessel from its confining grasp; 
animals and birds returned, the natives again appeared, and won to 
health and strength by fresh food and the invigorating rays of the 
sun, the afflicted crew were soon ready to resume the voyage. Dis- 
heartened by his terrible experience, and rendered short-handed by 
the death of so many of his seamen, Mears sailed in June for the 
Sandwich Islands, and from there proceeded to China. Discouraged 
by these two disastrous voyages, the East India Company abandoned 
the Pacific fur trade and confined its attention to the enormous com- 
merce of India. 

Another vessel was engaged in the fur trade in 1787, the Impe- 
rial Eagle, belonging to the Austrian East India Company, and 
commanded by Captain Barclay, or Berkeley, an Englishman whose 
name is perpetuated in Barclay Sound, on the west coast of Van- 
couver Island. Nothing is remarkable in connection with this voy- 
age but the discovery of what was then believed to be the much 
sought and generally uncredited Straits of Fuca, only a few miles 
north of the location assigned by the old Greek pilot to the passage 
he claimed to have entered. This Barclay observed while passing 
southward across the entrance; but he made no effort to explore it, 
simply entering its location upon his chart. He continued his 
course, and at the mouth of a small river just above the Isla de 
Dolores, where Bodega had lost a portion of his crew a few years 
before at the hands of the natives, sent a boat's crew ashore, who 
met a similar fate to that which had befallen their Spanish prede- 



98 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

cessors. In commemoration of the sad event he christened the ill- 
fated place " Destruction River, 71 a title which was later, by one of 
those errors incident to map making, transferred to the adjacent 
island. 

When Captain Meares returned to China from his unfortunate 
winter in Prince William's Sound, he did not, like the East India 
Company, abandon the fur trade; on the contrary, he entered into 
it on his own responsibility. In order to avoid the restriction placed 
upon British subjects by the charters Parliament had granted the 
two great monopolies, he entered into a commercial arrangement 
with Juan Cavallo, a Portuguese merchant of Macao, a port near 
Canton belonging to the crown of Portugal. Two vessels were 
fitted out and commissioned by the Portuguese Governor of Macao, 
nominally belonging to Senor Cavallo, and having Portuguese cap- 
tains named in their shipping papers. Nominally, Meares went in 
the ship Felice Adventurer as supercargo, though actually in com- 
mand; and William Douglas occupied the same position in the 
Iphigenia Nubiana. A double purpose was served by thus cloth- 
ing the enterprise with Portuguese apparel, as special privileges were 
enjoyed by the subjects of that nation in the ports of China. Just 
what interest Cavallo and the two nominal captains had in the 
enterprise is uncertain; for Meares, as long as his interests lay in that 
direction, asserted that the undertaking was purely a Portuguese 
one, but when circumstances placed the balance of interest on the 
other side, as strenuously asserted that he alone was the owner and 
manager of the enterprise. The Iphigenia sailed for Cook's Inlet, 
where she was to begin operations, and trade southward along the 
coast until she reached Nootka Sound and united with her consort. 
"The Felice headed for Nootka direct, where she arrived early in the 
spring of 1788. Immediately upon reaching that general rendez- 
vous of the fur trade, Meares began the construction of a small 
schooner for the purpose of coasting along the shore to trade with 
the Indians. He secured from Maquinna, the chief, permission to 
erect a small house to shelter his men while at work upon the craft, 
the consideration for this privilege being a brace of pistols and the 
house and contents when he should finally depart from that region. 
Leaving his builders at work, the house having been erected and 
encompassed by a rampart of earth, from which frowned the rusted 



Spain's supremacy in the pacific overthrown. 99 

mouth of a diminutive cannon, Meares sailed down the coast in 
search of the passage reported by Barclay as having been seen by 
him the year before. June 29, 1788, he observed a broad inlet in 
latitude 48° 39'. Though in the introduction to his narrative he 
states that the observations of Captain Barclay were known to him, 
in the journal itself he takes the full credit of the discovery, saying: 
— " The coast along which we were now sailing had not been seen 
by Captain Cook, and we know of no other navigator said to have 
been this way except Maurelle." He continues: "From the mast- 
head it was observed to stretch to the east by the north, and a clear 
and unbounded horizon was seen in this direction as far as the eye 
could reach. The strongest curiosity impelled us to enter this strait, 
which we shall call by the name of its original discoverer, John de 
Fuca." The mate of the Felice, John Duffin, was dispatched with 
a boat's crew of thirteen men and a month's provisions, to explore 
the strait. In a week they returned, all of them having been 
wounded in a conflict with the natives. Ten miles up the passage 
(according to Duffin's statement, but thirty as given by Meares), 
they were fiercely attacked by Indians, who fought with great des- 
peration and seemed not to be intimidated by either the noise or 
deadly effect of the guns. Their weapons were clubs, arrows, stone 
bludgeons, spears and slings, all of which they handled with great 
skill. So fierce was then onslaught and so effectively did they use 
their weapons that only to the protection afforded the seamen by 
the boat's awning was due their escape with their lives. 

Having found Fuca's Strait, or one which he believed to be the 
passage spoken of by Lock, he sailed southward in search of the Eio 
de San Roque of the Spaniard Heceta. On the sixth of July he 
discovered a promontory which he believed to be the one Heceta 
had named " Cabo de San Roque." He describes his subsequent 
movements as follows: 

After we had rounded the promontory a large bay, as we had imagined, opened 
to our view, that bore a very promising appearance, and into it we steered with 
every encouraging expectation. The high land that formed the boundaries of the 
bay was at a great distance, and a flat, level country occupied the intervening space ; 
the bay itself took rather a westerly direction. As we steered in, the water shoaled 
to nine, eight and seven fathoms, when breakers were seen from the deck right 
ahead, and, from the mast-head, they were observed to extend across the bay ; we 
therefore hauled out, and directed our course to the opposite shore, to see if there was 
any channel, or if we could discover any point. The name of " Cape Disappoint- 



100 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

nient " was given to the promontory (Cape Hancock), and the bay obtained the title 
of "Deception Bay." * * * We can now with safety assert that there is no such 
river as that of St. Roc exists, as laid down in the Spanish charts. To those of 
Maurelle ( Bodega's pilot) we made continual reference, but without deriving any 
information or assistance from them. We now reached the opposite side of the bay, 
where disappointment continued to accompany us, and, being almost certain that 
there we should obtain no place of shelter for the ship, we bore for a distant head- 
land, keeping our course within two miles of the shore. 

The distant headland lie named " Cape Lookout," it being the 
one called " Cape Falcon " by the Spaniards, and now known as 
u Tillamook Head." 

Meares then returned to Nootka, having, as he expressed it, 
u traced every part of the coast which unfavorable weather had pre- 
vented Captain Cook from approaching." The Iphigenia soon 
arrived from the north with a large cargo of furs. The little 
schooner being now completed, she was launched and christened the 
Northwest America. She was the first vessel constructed on the 
Pacific Coast north of Mexico. About this time appeared two 
American vessels, the Columbia Rediviva, commanded by Captain 
John Kendrick, and the Lady Washington, by Captain Robert Gray. 
The new-born republic of the United States, as soon as a treaty of 
peace was signed, began at once to resume those maritime commer- 
cial ventures which the war with England had suspended. Ameri- 
can vessels visited the ports of every country, and the whale fishing 
around Cape Horn, which had been abruptly terminated, was 
resumed. 

In 1784 an American vessel entered the harbor of Canton, and 
in 1787 five vessels were engaged in the China trade. Untram- 
meled with the commercial restrictions which Parliament had 
imposed upon British subjects, they could engage in the fur trade 
with every prospect of success. It was for this purpose the Colum- 
bia Rediviva and Lady Washington, two names now so intimately 
associated with this region, had started from Boston with a load 
of Indian goods, and had come to anchor in Nootka Sound. Their 
voyage thither had not been unattended with adventure. In Jan- 
uary, soon after passing Cape Horn, a severe storm separated the 
two consorts. The Washington continued the voyage and reached 
the Oregon Coast in August, where, near the forty-sixth parallel, 
Captain Gray ran his vessel aground in attempting to enter an 
opening in the land, which he had explored in a boat and believed / 



s 



SPAIN^S SUPREMACY IN THE PACIFIC OVERTHROWN. 101 

to be the entrance to the great River of the West. While in this 
position the ship was attacked by Indians, and in repelling them and 
getting the craft into deep water again, one man was killed and the 
mate wounded. This place he called " Murderer's Harbor," and is 
considered by Greenhow to have been the mouth of the Columbia, 
and by Bancroft as Tillamook Bay. Captain Gray then proceeded 
to Nootka Sound, where lay the three vessels belonging to Meares, 
his appearance being a great surprise to the Englishmen. The 
Columbia was damaged by the storm which had driven the two 
vessels apart near Cape Horn, and entered the Spanish port on the 
Island of Juan Fernandez to repair damages. The commandant, 
Don Bias Gonzales, treated Captain Kendrick with great courtesy 
and hospitality, for which he was promptly cashiered by the Cap- 
tain-General of Chile, and this action was approved by the Viceroy 
of Peru. From the position taken by Spain in the sixteenth cen- 
tury, she had never in the least degree receded. She still claimed 
complete dominion of the west coast of America, and the sole right 
of trade with all regions approachable by the way of Cape Horn. 
In 1692, nearly a century before, a royal ordinance had been pro- 
mulgated, decreeing that foreign vessels of every nation, irrespective 
of the relations existing between those nations and Spain, should be 
seized wherever found in Pacific waters, unless they possessed a trad- 
ing license from the government of Spain. The commandant at 
Juan Fernandez was informed that he should have enforced this 
ordinance and seized the Columbia, and the authorities of all the 
Spanish Pacific ports were then specially instructed to carry out the 
decree to the letter. Not only w^as this done, but the Viceroy dis- 
patched a cruiser from Callao to overtake and capture the Columbia. 
In this it was unsuccessful, and Captain Kendrick reached Nootka 
unmolested. Soon after the arrival of the two American vessels, 
Captain Meares loaded all his furs upon the Felice and sailed for 
China; the Iphigenia and Northwest America soon after departing 
for the Sandwich Islands to spend the winter. The Columbia and 
Washington remained at anchor in Nootka Sound until spring. 
The sight of these English and American vessels venturing into 
the Pacific — and those spoken of above were by no means the only 
ones, since several exploring expeditions traversed the South Pacific 
whose work had no particular bearing upon the history of this 



102 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

region — admonished Spain that if she wonld maintain her supremacy 
she must be up and doing. While she, in her sluggish nature, had 
been content with an occasional superficial exploration, productive 
of little information of value to her or the rest of the world, these 
foreigners were boldly infringing her prerogative and skimming 
the rich cream of the fur trade. The northern limit of actual Span- 
ish occupation was then at the Bay of San Francisco, and the 
authorities determined to extend it still further without delay. 
This resulted in the dispatching of an expedition for the purpose 
of selecting suitable locations for several Spanish colonies, as well 
as to ascertain the extent and character of the Russian settlements 
in the extreme north. The fleet consisted of the Princesa, com- 
manded by Estivan Martinez, former pilot of Juan Perez, and the 
San Carlos, under the command of Lieutenant Gronzalo Haro. 

On the eighth of March, 1788, the fleet sailed from San Bias and 
cast anchor in Prince William's Sound on the twenty-fifth of May. 
There they lay inactive for nearly a month. The Spanish idea of 
exploration was very peculiar. While the English officers examined 
carefully every bay and inlet, took frequent observations and sound- 
ings, and prepared careful charts of their course and discoveries, the 
representatives of Spain seem to have been satisfied with an occa- 
sional sight of the coast, and their map making consisted of the 
drawing of a straight line on a piece of paper, with an occasional 
cape or bay marked upon it. Their maps of this region were cer- 
tainly very peculiar. In June the San Carlos sailed towards the 
southwest, and encountering a Russian trading post upon the Island 
of Kodiak, Haro interrogated the man in charge as to the number 
and condition of the Russian settlements in America. With the 
information thus obtained he sailed again to Prince William's Sound 
to join his superior. Meanwhile Martinez had made a few super- 
ficial explorations of the Sound, to drive away the ennui. The two 
vessels then proceeded to Ounalaska and their officers were hospit- 
ably entertained by the Russian traders for an extended period. 
With the -knowledge thus acquired of the Russian settlements, Mar- 
tinez returned with his fleet to San Bias. He reported that there 
were eight settlements in Alaska, all of them west of Prince Wil- 
liam's Sound, while another was about to be established in the 
vicinity of the Sound itself. These were chiefly occupied by natives 



Spain's sfpremacy in the pacific overthrown. 103 

of Siberia and Kamtchatka, all subjects of the Russian Crown. He 
also reported that he had been informed of two Russian, vessels 
which had 1 >een sent to effect a settlement at Nootka, and of two 
others under construction at Ochotsk to be used for a similar pur- 
pose. 

. The information thus gained by Martinez was forwarded to 
Madrid, and the Spanish Court was much agitated by the disclosure 
of Russian encroachment upon what were considered the dominions 
of Spain. Her settlements were already sufficiently extensive to 
give her undisputed title to Alaska, and she was now threatening 
to extend her colonies far to the southward. The infringement of 
English and American fur traders upon the commercial rights of 
Spain was annoying enough, but here was a positive and imminent 
danger of being supplanted entirely. The government determined 
to take a firm stand, to meet the crisis and ward off the impending 
blow. A remonstrance was sent to the Empress of Russia, calling 
attention to the encroachments of her subjects upon the dominions 
of Spain in the Pacific, to which the Empress responded that her 
subjects were acting in accordance with her express instructions not 
to invade the territory of other powers. As neither communication 
stated what the corresponding powers considered the limit of their 
claims in America, the diplomatic interchange settled neither the 
question nor the intent of the two sovereign powers. 

Meanwhile active operations were undertaken by the Mexican 
Viceroy. Early in 1789 Martinez and Haro were ordered to sail 
for No'otka in the Princesa and San Carlos, and to take possession 
of that port in the name of Spain. Their instructions were to treat 
foreigners courteously, but at all hazards to maintain the right and 
authority of Spain in this region. On the sixth of May the Prin- 
cesa reached her destination, finding two vessels lying there at 
anchor, the Columbia and Iphigenia. Only a few days before, the 
Iphigenia, Captain Douglas, and the little Northwest America, Cap- 
tain Robert Funter, had arrived from their winter's sojourn at the 
Sandwich Islands, still carrying the Portuguese flag at their mast- 
heads. They reached port in a condition of exhaustion, so far as 
supplies were concerned. From the natives and the American ves- 
sels enough supplies and articles of barter were procured to enable 
the little schooner to leave port upon a cruise along the coast in 



104 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLET. 

search of furs, and she accordingly took her departure. Captain 
Gray also started out upon a similar errand in the Lady Washing- 
ton, meeting the Princesa just without the harbor. Immediately 
upon entering the port, Martinez informed Captains Douglas and 
Kendrick that he had come to take possession in the name of his 
sovereign, examined their papers, and then landed and began ti^e 
erection of fortifications on Hog Island, a commanding position in 
the bay, calling the port " Santa Cruz de Nootka." No objections 
were made either by the Americans or the English officers of the 
quasi Portuguese vessel, and everything appeared satisfactory and 
harmonious. Apparently it was the intention of the Spanish com- 
mandant to seize the Iphigenia, as subsequent events indicate, but 
his action was delayed for prudential reasons. On the thirteenth, 
Haro arrived in the San Carlos, and the next day, deeming his force 
now sufficiently strong, he summoned Douglas and Viana, the actual 
and nominal captains of the Iphigenia, on board the Princesa, to 
have their papers again inspected. This time the documents were 
not as satisfactory as he had previously found them. He took ex- 
ceptions to the clause in their instructions requiring the officers to 
capture any Spanish vessels which might interfere with them, and 
carry their crews to Macao, to be tried for piracy. He considered 
a vessel sailing under such instructions a lawful prize as soon as she 
entered a Spanish port. In vain it was urged that the instructions 
were only to apply to such vessels as might unjustifiably attack 
them, and were purely defensive in their nature ; the Spanish officer 
refused to view the matter in that light, and put them under* arrest, 
sending a force, to take possession of the brig and raise the Spanish 
flag. Twelve days later, having had plenty of time to reflect and 
becoming convinced that the objectionable clause was not of as 
hostile a nature as he had at first assumed to believe it, and fearing 
that he had overstepped the bounds of prudence, he released the 
brig and restored his prisoners to their liberty. He also furnished 
all the supplies needed for a voyage to the Sandwich Islands, taking 
in exchange drafts upon Juan Cavallo, the nominal Portuguese 
owner of the vessel. He also secured the signatures of Douglas and 
Viana to a certificate that he had found the vessel in distress, had 
furnished her with necessary supplies, and had not interfered with 
her voyage. This certificate Douglas afterwards claimed to be un- 



Spain's supremacy in the pacific overthrown. 105 

true; that he had signed it uuder duress, at the urgent solicitation 
of his men, in order to secure the release of his vessel, and that the 
brig had been plundered by her captors. That this was not the 
case was attested by a letter signed by Captain Gray and Joseph 
Ingrahani, mate of the Columbia, and, further, by the fact that, 
although ostensibly bound for the Sandwich Islands, Douglas turned 
northward as soon as he was out of sight, and engaged in a season 
of highly profitable traffic along the coast. 

The certificate was not the only paper Douglas signed to procure 
his release and supplies. He entered into a written agreement to 
restore the Iphigenia or pay her value, in case the Viceroy of 
Mexico should decide the capture to have been lawful. Martinez 
desired to possess the little schooner, and having her value appraised 
by the Americans, requested Douglas to sell her at that price. He 
was told that no one there had the authority to dispose of the 
vessel, but he insisted. Douglas therefore gave him a letter to 
Captain Funter, which Martinez supposed to be an order for her 
delivery, but which was simply a note informing the commander of 
the little craft of the Spanish officer's wishes, and intimating that 
he might follow his own inclinations. He then set sail at once, 
fearful his duplicity would be discovered, and made the voyage 
previously alluded to. When the Northwest America arrived on 
the ninth of June, Martinez seized her, claiming to do so by right 
of his agreement with Captain Douglas. 

Meanwhile, two other vessels were on their way to Nootka. 
Meares, when he reached China the fall before, succeeded in mak- 
ing a pooling arrangement with the representative of the King 
George's Sound Company; and as that company possessed trading 
licenses from both the East India Company and South Sea Com- 
pany, there was no necessity for longer maintaining the Portuguese 
subterfuge. The two vessels of the company were combined with 
the three belonging to Meares. The Prince of Wales had been 
sent to England, leaving the Princess Royal still in China. This 
vessel was placed under the command of Captain Thomas Hudson, 
and the Felice having been sold and the Argonaut purchased, Cap- 
tain Colnett assumed command of the latter. The last named 
gentleman was given charge of the expedition, since Meares remained 
in China, and was instructed to establish a permanent station on 



106 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

the American Coast, to be called "Fort Pitt." A small vessel, to 
be launched upon arrival and used for the coasting trade, formed 
part of the cargo, and seventy Chinamen were taken along to be 
employed at the new settlement. According to Spanish authority, 
the Chinese passengers claimed they had embarked for Bengal, and 
not America. What became of them after the subsequent troubles 
there is no evidence to indicate. 

The two vessels sailed from China, one in April and the other 
in May — the Princess Royal being the first. She cast anchor in 
Nootka Sound just live days after the seizure of the Northwest 
America. As she brought intelligence of the bankruptcy of 
Cavallo, the reputed owner of the little schooner, Martinez decided 
to retain personal possession of the craft to indemnify himself for the 
unpaid bills drawn upon the insolvent Portuguese by Captain 
Douglas. He accordingly changed her name to Gertrudis, and 
placing her in charge of David Coolidge, mate of the Lady Wash- 
ington, sent her out on a trading cruise on the joint account of him- 
self and the Americans, with whom he had been on the most friendly 
terms. The furs which had been collected were turned over to 
Captain Hudson, with whom he did not interfere. By this time the 
Americans had decided to send one of their vessels to China with 
the furs which had been collected, and from there .to Boston to report 
the condition of affairs. Accordingly, Captains Gray and Kendrick 
exchanged vessels, the former sailing for China in the Columbia. 
Martinez availed himself of this opportunity, and placed the crew 
of the captured schooner on board and sent them to China. 

On the second of July the Princess Royal sailed on a trading 
voyage; the next day passing the Argonaut just outside the harbor 
without communicating with her. Captain Colnett was informed 
of what had happened by parties who had gone out to meet him 
in a boat, and decided to anchor outside. Martinez came out and in 
the most friendly manner invited him to enter the harbor, assuring 
him of perfect security, and as Colnett afterward stated in a narra- 
tive of his voyages, urgently solicited him to do so for the purpose 
of supplying provisions and other necessaries to the Spaniards, who 
were in great distress. Won by the cordial appearance of the invi- 
tation, Colnett assented, and the Argonaut was towed into port by 
Spaniards. There is no reason to suppose that it was not the in ten- 



spaik's supremacy in the pacific overthrown. 107 

tion of Martinez to treat the Argonaut with the same courtesy he 
had shown to the Princess Royal, when he invited Colnett to enter 
port, but his conduct underwent a rapid transformation when he 
learned from that officer that he was instructed to. found a fortified 
English colony. He at once informed the English Captain that he 
had already taken possession of the country in the name of the 
King of Spain, and could not permit any such proceeding. The 
next day Colnett went on board the Princesa and requested permis- 
sion to sail immediately, which was refused, since the Spanish 
commandant feared it was the Englishman's purpose to seek some 
other port in which to establish himself, and his duty to his govern- 
ment required that he prevent such a consummation at all hazards. 
He asked Colnett to exhibit his papers, and the Englishman 
returned to his vessel, arrayed himself in full uniform, sword 
included, and then again presented himself in the cabin of the 
Princesa, with the papers in his hand. The papers were examined, 
and Colnett was informed that he would not be permitted to sail 
just yet, whereat he fell into a passion and a quarrel ensued, re- 
sulting in the arrest of the captain and the seizure of his vessel. 

Ten days later the Princess Royal returned, her commander being 
ignorant of what had happened during his brief absence, and was 
at once seized by the Spaniards. A portion of the furs cap tured 
were given to Captain Gray to pay the passage to China of the 
crew of the Northwest America. The officers and men of the 
Argonaut and Princess Royal were placed on board the former 
and sent to San Bias. In September, Martinez and Haro, in 
obedience to instructions from Mexico, dismantled the fortifications 
and departed from Nootka; and as the Lady Washington was away 
upon a coasting voyage, that bone of contention was left without a 
claimant. 

So prostrated was Captain Colnett with the severity and sud- 
denness of his misfortunes that he became temporarily insane, recov- 
ering, however, before he reached San Bias. The commandant at 
that port was the well known explorer Bodega y Quadra, and he 
received the two captains with the greatest of courtesy, sending 
them to Mexico to lay their case before the Viceroy, Re villa- Gigedo. 
After considerable delay it was officially decided that Martinez, 
though only following his special instructions and the royal 



108 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

decrees, had overstepped the bounds of prudence. The prisoners 
were accordingly released, and were paid the regular wages of the 
Spanish navy for the whole time of their captivity. The Argonaut, 
which, with the other two prizes, had been maintained in active 
service, was restored to Colnett, rather the worse for wear. He 
sailed in her for Nootka in the spring of 1790, and not finding his 
other vessel there, set out in search of her, not obtaining possession 
till a year later at the Sandwich Islands. During all these occur- 
rences the Americans were on the most friendly terms with the 
Spaniards, so much so that they were accused of co-operating with 
them against the English. The facts are that they were inactive, 
though not entirely disinterested spectators, since it naturally 
pleased them to see their rivals so summarily disposed of; and it is 
not impossible that they occasionally dropped a hint into the com- 
mandant's ear. Captain Kendrick remained on the coast till fall, 
collecting a large cargo of furs, and then sailed for Boston by the 
way of China. It is claimed by some historians that before leaving 
he sailed clear around Vancouver Island, and Meares' chart bears 
an indication of the route pursued. This chart is of itself evidence 
that the maker of it was ignorant of- the nature of the inland chan- 
nel, and the probabilities are that Meares misunderstood Kendrick's 
account of the movements of the Lady Washington while under 
the command of Captain Gray, and confusing them with Kendrick's 
assertion that there was a channel back of Nootka, a piece of infor- 
mation gleaned from the Indians, supposed that such a voyage had 
been made. Although it is possible that he did circumnavigate the 
island, yet it seems improbable, and Kendrick never laid claim to 
such distinction in after years. If he did, then an American vessel 
w.as the first to enter the Straits of Fuca and explore that wonder- 
ful inland sea, the Gulf of Georgia; if not, then the honor belongs 
to Spain, as will be shown later on. 

So much for the events at Nootka; but there was a greater field 
of action on which these differences were decided — Europe. The 
Viceroy of New Spain made haste to notify the home government 
of the important events which had happened in the far-off Pacific. 
It took a long time for news to travel in those days, when there 
were no telegraphs and no regular routes of intelligence between 
these distant shores and Europe; consequently Spain, which was 



Spain's supremacy in the pacific overthrow x. 109 

in the most intimate connection with the Pacific Coast, received the 
news lone before it reached England. The first intelligence received 
by the British Cabinet was an arrogant and very undiplomatic note 
from Spain, on the tenth of February, 1790, notifying the King 
that certain of his subjects had been trespassing upon the Pacific 
possessions of Spain, and that in consequence of this the ship Ar- 
gonaut had been seized as a prize and her crew made prisoners. 
The note closed with an assertion of that exclusive right of Pacific 
traffic which Spain had proclaimed for a century, and the enforce- 
ment of which had led to the present complications ; in pursuance 
of that idea the punishment of the offenders was demanded, and an 
earnest protest made against the King permitting any of his subjects 
to make settlements, or engage in fishing, or trade with the natives 
on the American Coast of the Pacific. To such haughty language 
the King of England was entirely unaccustomed. Great Britain 
never had even constructively admitted any of the exclusive privi- 
leges claimed by Spain, and she was not now likely to tamely sub- 
mit to them when they were so arrogantly promulgated in justifica- 
tion of an outrage committed upon her subjects. The response was 
prompt and characteristic of that nation, whose vigilant guardian- 
ship of her citizens extends to the remotest corners of the earth. 
The Court of Madrid was notified that since it was evident from 
the Spanish protest that English subjects had been imprisoned and 
their property confiscated, full reparation must be made and satis- 
faction for the insult given, before the merits of the controversy 
would be considered at all. Spain, England and France were just 
beginning to recuperate from the effect of the struggles in which 
they had been engaged, and each of them was anxious to avoid 
further hostilities ; yet the dignity of England required her to take 
a bold stand in defense of her subjects. The belligerent tone of 
her response set Spain at once to preparing for war, to avoid which 
she modified her demands considerably, notifying His Majesty that 
the restoration had already been made and the matter would be 
allowed to drop, if he would promise in future to keep his subjects 
away from the Spanish possessions. 

This was the status of affairs in April, when Meares arrived from 
China. When the Columbia reached Canton, in the fall of 1789, 
with intelligence of the Nootka proceedings, Meares armed himself 



110 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

with, documents and depositions and embarked for London, to lay 
his grievances before the King. On the thirtieth of May he addressed 
a memorial to his sovereign, detailing the affair from his standpoint, 
and though it was full of misrepresentations, as has since been con- 
clusively shown, it was adopted as the correct version by the gov- 
ernment. From this report it seemed that three vessels had been 
seized, instead of one, and that Englishmen had taken possession of 
Nootka before the Spaniards, since Meares declared that the North- 
west America was an English vessel, and that when he built her 
he had established a permanent settlement on land purchased from 
the Nootk'a Chief, Maquinna. He did not inform the King that the 
little schooner had never flaunted any flag but that of Portugal, and 
that when the vessel was finished the building in which the work- 
men had lived was turned over to Maquinna in payment for the 
privilege of temporary occupation of the land, as had been agreed 
upon in the beginning. England, on the fifth of May, sent a reply 
to the second note from Spain, asserting that she w^as not prepared 
to admit the exclusive privileges claimed by Spain, but that she was 
prepared to protect her subjects, and would not consider the ques- 
tion at all until proper satisfaction had been given. On the six- 
teenth of May, England made a formal demand upon Spain for 
restitution of the captured vessels, indemnity for losses sustained 
(estimated by Meares at $653,433), and full acknowledgement of 
the right of English subjects to trade in the Pacific, and to establish 
settlements at any points not already occupied by Spain. On the 
twenty-fifth the whole correspondence was laid by the King before 
Parliament, which had before been ignorant of it, and he was warmly 
applauded for his conduct and assured of support. 

Spain's position was an exceedingly humiliating one. Even in 
her decline she had maintained the haughty spirit and arrogant 
assumption of superiority and exclusive rights which had first been 
asserted by those potent monarchs, Charles and Philip, but which 
now, with her fast waning power, she was not able to support by 
force of arms. England's vigorous preparations for war seriously 
alarmed her. She had too many unprotected colonies, dependencies 
from which she derived great revenues, to risk a war with a power- 
ful maritime nation, whose operations, of course, would be chiefly 
directed against those vulnerable points. In the long negotiations 






Spain's supremacy in the pacific overthrown. Ill 

which followed she again modified her position, stating that she had 
no desire to claim any territory not justly hers, that the vessels had 
already been restored, and that she was willing to pay any damages 
which might be assessed against her by arbitrators to whom the 
case should be submitted. England was proud and overbearing, 
and putting aside equity, acted throughout as her interests seemed 
to indicate, conscious of her superior power. She assembled the 
greatest armament the nation had ever prepared, and was ready at 
a day's notice to make a descent upon the Spanish settlements in 
America. She even formed an alliance with Sweden and the 
[Netherlands, in anticipation of the co-operation of France and Spain 
against her. It was a well-known fact that there existed a compact 
of mutual defense between the monarchs of France and Spain, both 
members of the Bourbon family, and it was natural for England to 
expect it to be fulfilled. The King of Spain formally called upon 
Louis XVI., of France, for the promised aid, and was assured 
that it would be given; but when the matter came before the Na- 
tional Assembly that body refused to sanction any increase of the 
military forces, and the King was powerless, for the spirit of that 
bloody revolution which broke out three years later had already 
banished absoluteism from the kingdom. The Assembly examined 
the treaty between England and Spain, investigated the question of 
Pacific discoveries, especially the alleged voyage of Juan de Fuca, 
of which no evidence could be found, and finally decided that the 
nation would stand on the defensive with Spain, but could not be 
relied upon for offensive operations. The national armament was 
therefore largely increased. It was now England's turn to come 
down from her high horse. She saw that France would be drawn 
into the war, and finding her new allies unreliable and that she 
could not well afford the enormous expense of a war, the prepara- 
tions for which had already depleted her treasury, she adopted a 
more conciliatory tone, and her plenipotentiary submitted a propo- 
sition which was accepted by the representative of Spain. This 
was signed on the twenty-eighth of October, 1790, and is known as 
the "Nootka Convention." 

By this treaty it was stipulated that all buildings and tracts of 
land on the northwest coast of America of which Spanish officers 
had dispos-e<s^l any British subjects, should be restored; that just 



112 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

reparation should be made by both parties to the agreement for any 
acts of violence committed by the subjects of either of them upon 
the subjects of the other; that any property seized should be re- 
stored or compensated for; that subjects of Great Britain should 
not approach within ten leagues of any part of the coast already 
occupied by Spain ; that north of that point both parties should 
have equal rights, as well as south of the limits of Spanish settle- 
ments in South America. The treaty met with violent opposition 
both in Spain and England, but was finally ratified and went into 
effect. The Spaniards looked upon it as a voluntary surrender of 
their hereditary rights acquired by the explorations and conquests 
of their ancestors ; that formerly Spain possessed exclusive rights 
in the Pacific, which were now being surrendered to England with- 
out any compensation whatever. On the other hand, the opposition 
in England claimed that, whereas, formerly British subjects enjoyed 
the right of trade in every quarter of the globe, the Government 
had agreed by this treaty to surrender these rights in certain re- 
gions to Spain, and that England had agreed to restrict her settle- 
ments within certain limits where she had before asserted her priv- 
ilege of settling colonies at any place not previously occupied. It 
seemed to both parties that valuable and immemorial rights had 
been surrendered without any compensation. Captain George Van- 
couver was appointed commissioner on the part of Great Britain to 
proceed to Nootka and execute that portion of the treaty which 
referred to the restoration of property, and the celebrated Bodega 
y Quadra was intrusted with the same duty on the part of Spain. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

PUGET SOUND AND COLUMBIA RIVER DISCOVERED. 

Explorations of Lieutenant Quimper in the Straits of Fuca — He takes 
Formal Possession for Spain — Elisa Explores the Straits of Fuca 
and Gulf of Georgia — Malaspina and Bustamante Search for the 
Straits of Anian — Kendrick Again Visits the Coast and Buys Land 
from the Lndians — Gray Arrives in the Columbia and Winters at 
Clayoquot — Events of 1792 — Spain makes a Last Effort to Explore 
the Disputed Region — Arrival of Vancouver's Expedition — He Ex- 
amines the Oregon Coast — Searches in Vain for the Rio de San 
Rogue — He Records his Unqualified Disbelief in such a River — - 
Gray Builds the u Adventure " at Clayoquot — He Discovers the Co- 
lumbia River — Vancouver Explores Puget Sound and Falls in with 
the Spaniards — He Examines the Coast Carefully — Meets Quadra at 
Nootka — Finds Him Prepared with Proofs to Sustain the Cause of 
Spain — They Fail to Agree on Terms — They Bestow their Names 
upon the Lsland of Vancouver and Quadra — Broughton Explores 
the Columbia — Vancouver Finishes His Explorations and Returns 
to England — The Nootka Question Settled and the Port Abandoned. 

WHILE England and Spain were engaged in their belligerent 
controversy, the Viceroy of Mexico was busily employed in 
exploring the region under dispute. His object was two -fold — to 
learn if it was worth an effort to hold it, and if so, and Nootka had 
to be abandoned to the English, to find a desirable point south of 
that port for the foundation of a settlement. This he was doing with- 
out being aware of the status of affairs in Europe. To this end he 
dispatched a fleet in the spring of 1790, with instructions to again 
take possession of Nootka Sound, fortify and defend it — artillery 
and a company of soldiers were taken along for that purpose — and 
use it as a base of explorations. The fleet was under the command 



114 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

of Lieutenant Francisco Elisa, and consisted of the Conception, San 
Carlos (Filipino) and the Princesa Real. A series of voyages was 
at once undertaken, some of them directed northward to gain infor- 
mation of the movements of the Russians. The most important was 
that of Lieutenant Alferez Manuel Quimper, in the Princesa Real 
(Princess Royal), which had not yet been restored to Captain Col- 
nett. In the summer of 1790 he left Nootka and entered the 
Straits of Fuca, carefully examining both shores of the passage for 
the distance of one hundred miles. This was probably the first 
vessel to actually enter and explore the Straits of Fuca. He was 
also the discoverer of Puget Sound, into which he penetrated a 
short distance, and mistook it for an inlet, calling it " Encenada de 
Caamafio." He was prevented from extending his explorations 
further in that direction by lack of time. He bestowed names upon 
many objects in that region, all of which now bear the titles after- 
ward given them by Vancouver and others, except the main chan- 
nel leading north, which he christened " Canal de Lopez de Haro." 
On the first of August he took formal possession of that region in 
the name of his sovereign, at Port Nunez Gaona, now known" as 
Neah Bay. He was prevented by head winds from returning to 
Nootka, and falling in with the San Carlos, which had been on a 
voyage to Alaska, the two vessels sailed for Monterey and San Bias: 
There was no other vessel in those waters in 1790, so far as is 
known, except the Argonatit, in which Captain Colnett was search- 
ing for the Princess Royal, as before stated. 

In May, 1791, Elisa himself embarked in the San Carlos, which 
had returned to Nootka, and started out to make a complete recon- 
noisance of the coast from Mount St. Elias to Trinidad, accompa- 
nied by the Santa S alumina (or Horcasitas), under Jose Maria 
Narvaez. They entered the Straits of Fuca, ascertained that Caa- 
maiio Inlet was an inland passage, which they did not enter, and 
explored the Gulf of Georgia as far north as latitude 50°, calling it 
"Gran Canal de Nuestra Senora del Rosario la Marinera." They 
bestowed many names, some of which are still retained as originally 
applied, such as "San Juan Archipelago," " Gu ernes," "Tejada" 
("Texada") "Islands," and "Port Los Angeles." Other names 
which appear in his chart are still in use, but have in some man- 
ner been shifted to other objects than those to which they were 









PUGET SOUND AND COLUMBIA EIVER DISCOVERED. 1 15 

originally given, such as "Caamano," "Fidalgo," "Kosario," 
" Cordoba," etc. Many passages leading inland were observed but 
not explored for lack of time ; and this led him in his report to 
the Viceroy to say: "It appears that the oceanic passage so zeal- 
ously sought for by foreigners, if there is one, can not be elsewhere 
than by this great channel." 

The revival of interest in the almost forgotten romance of Mal- 
clonado, caused by the controversy between England and Spain, led 
the latter to make another effort to find those fabulous straits for 
which so many had searched in vain. The corvettes Descubierta 
and Atrevida, under the command of Alejandro Malaspina and 
Jose de Bustamante y Guerra, had sailed upon a voyage of circum- 
navigation, and upon their arrival at Acapulco in the spring of 
1791, were met by orders directing them to search for Maldonado's 
Straits of Anian. They sailed, and first sighted land on the twenty- 
third of June, near Mount Edgecumb. The coast line in the vicinity 
of the sixtieth parallel was carefully examined, and being satisfied 
that the passage he sought did not exist, Malaspina sailed south- 
ward and anchored in INootka Sound on the thirtieth of August, 
about the time Elisa returned from the Gulf of Georgia. He soon 
sailed southward to California. 

During 1791, while the Spaniards were making these explora- 
tions, the most complete and satisfactory ever accomplished by them, 
one French, nine English and seven American vessels were also in 
Pacific waters. As their objects were purely commercial, little of 
importance was accomplished by any of them in the line of new 
discoveries, though each added something to the increasing knowl- 
edge of the coast. No trouble occurred between them and the 
Spanish forces at Nootka. The Viceroy Re villa -Gigedo stated 
(Informe, /Ji): "Although various craft of England and the 
American Colonies frequented the adjacent coasts and ports, some 
of them entering Nootka, nothing occurred to cause unpleasantness 
or damage; and our new establishment was always respected by 
them, and provided with all that was needed by the other San Bias 
vessels, which brought at the same time the supplies for the presid- 
ios and missions of Alta California." Among these trading vessels 
was the Lady Washington, which had been transformed into a brig 
in China, in doing which Captain Kendrifck, who was an easy-going, 



116 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

procrastinating individual, had lost a season's trade. This year he 
was fairly successful in obtaining furs, and also in securing the pur- 
chase of a large tract of land from Chiefs Maquinna and Wicana- 
nish, for which he received written deeds, duly signed by the grant- 
ors with a cross. Copies of these deeds, which included practically 
the whole of Vancouver Island except that already claimed by the 
Spaniards, were forwarded to Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State, 
and filed in the public archives. The other American vessel of note 
was the Columbia Rediviva, which was again sent to the Pacific in 
the fall of 1790, arriving at the harbor of Clayoquot, on Vancouver 
Island, just north of the Straits of Fuca, in June, 1791. She was 
still under the command of Captain Robert Gray, her first officer 
being Robert Has well, whose diary of the voyage, as well as of the 
previous one, at which time he was second mate of the Lady Wash- 
ington, is one of the best and most reliable sources of information 
in regard to the events of those voyages and the complications at 
Nootka. Gray soon sailed for the Queen Charlotte Islands and 
engaged in trade with the natives for several months, exploring 
many inlets and channels. In latitude 54° 33', he entered a passage 
and sailed northeastward a distance of one hundred miles without 
finding an end. He then returned to the sea, supposing he had 
discovered the Rio de los Reyes of Admiral Fonte. He named one 
portion of it " Massacre Cove," because of the murder of second 
mate Caswell and two seamen by the natives. This supposed pas- 
sage was Portland Inlet, through which runs the boundary separat- 
ing British Columbia from Alaska. Not having collected a suffi- 
cient quantity of furs, owing to the number of vessels trading on 
the coast, Gray decided to spend the winter at Clayoquot. He 
accordingly anchored the Columbia in that harbor, built a house, 
mounted cannon upon it, and then began the construction of a small 
schooner, the frame of which he had brought from Boston. This 
place he called " Fort Defiance." Kendrick had, a few weeks be- 
fore, been engaged in repairing the Lady Washington, at a point 
in the same -harbor which he had christened a Fort Washington," 
but had departed for China soon after Gray's arrival. 

The year 1792 was an important one in the history of the North- 
west Coast. More discoveries were ma'cle and more important 
explorations carried on than in any year before or since. Spain, 



PUGET SOUND AND COLUMBIA RIVER DISCOVERED. 117 

England and the United States by sea, and a representative of the 
great Northwest Company by land, threw a flood of light upon the 
dark geography of the Coast. At least twenty -eight vessels visited 
this region, the majority of them to engage in the fur trade, repre- 
senting France, Spain, Portugal, England and the United States. 
Passing by the majority of these without further mention, let us 
turn our attention to those which made valuable discoveries. These 
were the Columbia, under Captain Gray, two vessels under Captain 
Vancouver, and a small Spanish fleet. 

Early in the spring of 1792, the Mexican Viceroy, not satisfied 
with the great discoveries made by Quiniper, Elisa, Malaspina and 
Bustamante, made a last effort to determine the existence of the 
Northwest Passage and the desirability of contending further for 
the possession of Nootka. If there existed a navigable passage 
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, then a station in that region would 
be invaluable to the interests of Spain ; but if the continent was 
continuous, so that vessels must always enter the Pacific from the 
south, then an establishment in such a high latitude would not be 
sufficiently valuable to render a contest for its possession advisable. 
He, therefore, dispatched a vessel to search for the Rio de los Reyes 
in latitude 53°; two others to explore more fully the Straits of Fuca, 
and ascertain the exact nature of those many inland channels of the 
existence of which simply the previous explorers had reported ; and 
a fourth to seek a desirable location along the coast of the main land 
south of the Straits of Fuca, where a station might be established 
in case the settlement at Nootka had to be abandoned and it was 
deemed necessary to have one in this region. At the same time 
Bodega y Quadra, who had been appointed commissioner to carry 
out the stipulations of the Treaty of Nootka, proceeded to that port 
to await the arrival of the representative of Great Britain. The 
first of these was the Aranzazu, commanded by Lieutenant Jacinto 
Caainano, who minutely examined the Queen Charlotte Islands, 
sailed through the passage between them and the main land (enter- 
ing by Dixon Channel, which he called " Entrada de Perez," in 
honor of the original discoverer), and made a comparatively accu- 
rate map of that region. The expedition to the Straits of Fuca 
consisted of the schooners Sufi/ and Mexicana, commanded by offi- 
cers detailed from Malaspina's expedition, and supplied by him with 



118 HISTOKY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

scientific instruments. They were commanded by Dionisio Galiano 
and Cayetano Valdez, and arrived at Nootka on the twelfth of May, 
leaving that port for their field of action on the fourth of June. 
The fourth vessel was the Princesa. In this ship Lieutenant Sal- 
vador Fidalgo sailed from San Bias on the twenty-third of March, 
and arrived at Port Nunez Gaona (Neah Bay) just within the en- 
trance to the Straits of Fuca, where he erected buildings and forti- 
fications. In September, having received orders from Quadra to 
abandon this post, he removed everything to Nootka. Other Span- 
ish vessels passed up and down between Nootka and Monterey, or 
San Bias, but their movements were immaterial. 

The commissioner appointed on the part of England to carry 
into effect certain provisions of the Nootka Treaty, referring to the 
restoration of property at that port, was Captain George Vancouver, 
of the Royal Navy. The Admiralty took occasion to make his 
voyage one of extended discovery, directing his attention especially 
to the clearing up of geographical conundrums on the coast, par- 
ticularly that of a river or any other inter-oceanic passage. Special 
attention was to be directed to the " supposed Strait of Juan de 
Fuca, said to be situated between the forty-eighth and forty-ninth 
degrees of north latitude, and to lead to an opening through which 
the sloop Washington is reported to have passed in 1789, and to 
have come out again at the northward of Noo.tka." This voyage 
of the Washington, as has been already stated, was never made; 
Meares, who had carried the report to England, having confused 
Captain Kendrick's account of the movements of that vessel with 
geographical statements of the Indians. Vancouver commanded 
the sloop of war Discovery, and accompanied by the armed tender 
Chatham, under Lieutenant W. R. Broughton, sailed in March, 
1791. It is needless to follow his movements for the first year, as 
they do not concern the purposes of this volume; it is sufficient to 
say that after a year of exploration in other regions, he arrived off 
the coast of California in April, 1792, in the vicinity of Cape 
Mendocino. 

Here he began a most careful examination of the coast, strict 
watch being kept for signs of harbors and navigable rivers, espec- 
ially at first of the river reported above the forty-third parallel by 
Martin de Aguilar in 1603. A point in latitude 42° 52' was at 



Pt!GET SOtJNl) AND COLUMBIA RIVER DISCOVERED. Ll9 

first conceived to be the Cape Blanco of the Spaniards, but since it 
was composed of dark, craggy rocks, instead of being white, Van- 
couver entered it on his chart as " Cape Orford." A little further on, 
in latitude 43° 23', he observed a cape with white cliffs, which he 
believed to be the true Blanco, but as he also considered it the one 
Captain Cook had called ki Cape Gregory, 11 he entered the latter 
name on his chart. For some distance he ranged along the shore 
within a league, looking carefully for Aguilar's River, but observed 
no stream having any such volume of water as was ascribed to the 
one reported by the Spaniard, and, indeed, saw none that offered 
the least indication of being navigable for ships. The next point 
of special interest to be examined was that in the vicinity of lati- 
tude 46°, where was locatad the place called u Ensenada de Heceta," 
or " Rio de San Roque,' 1 on his Spanish charts, and "Deception 
Bay 1 ' on the English ones. On the twenty-seventh of April he 
recorded in his journal: 

Xoon brought us up with a conspicuous point of land composed of a cluster of 
hummocks, moderately high and projecting into the sea. On the south side of this 
promontory was the appearance of an inlet, or small river, the land not indicating 
it to be of any great extent, nor did it seem to be accessible to vessels of our burthen, 
as the breakers extended from tbe above point two or three miles into the ocean, 
until they joined those on the beach nearly four leagues further south. On refer- 
ence to Mr. Meares'' description of the coast south of this promontory, I was at first 
induced to believe it was Cape Shoalwater, but on ascertaining its latitude, I pre- 
sumed it to be what he calls Cape Disappointment; and the opening to the south of 
it Deception Bay. This cape was found to be in latitude 46° 19', and longitude 236° 
6'. [He reckoned east from Greenwich. ] The sea now changed from its natural to 
river-coloured water ; the probable consequence of some streams falling into the 
bay, or into the ocean to the north of it, through the low land. Not considering 
this opening worthy of more attention, I continued our pursuit to the N. W., being 
desirous to embrace the advantages of the prevailing breeze and pleasant weather, 
so favourable to our examination of the coast. 

Vancouver rounded Cape Disappointment and continued up the 
shore. He says: u The country before us presented a most luxuri- 
ant landscape, and was probably not a little heightened in value by 
the weather that prevailed. The more interior parts were some- 
what elevated, and agreeably diversified with hills, from which it 
gradually descended to the shore, and terminated in a sandy beach. 
The whole had the appearance of a continued forest extending 
north as far as the eye could reach, which made me very solicitous 
to find a port in the vicinity of a country presenting so delightful a 
prospect of fertility; our attention was therefore earnestly directed 



120 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

to this object.' 1 At one time lie was of the opinion that Shoalwater 
Bay presented a suitable harbor, but renounced the belief upon 
attempting to enter the bay and failing because of the presence of 
an unbroken line of breakers. They passed Gray's Harbor in the 
night, and after noting the position of Destruction Island and 
observing Mount Olympus, "the most remarkable mountain we 
had seen on the coast of New Albion," fell in w T ith the Columbia a 
few miles south of the Straits of Fuca. 

Vancouver sent an officer to the American vessel to glean infor- 
mation from its commander, who hesitated not to tell him all he 
knew of the coast, including a denial of the report that he had 
sailed around Vancouver Island in the Lady Washington. Among 
other things the English captain notes in his journal: "He likewise 
informed them of his having been off the mouth of a river in lati- 
tude 46° 1CK, wmere the outset, or reflux, was so strong as to pre- 
vent his entering for nine days. This was probably the opening 
passed by us on the forenoon of the twenty -seventh; and was, 
apparently, inaccessible, not from the current, but from the breakers 
that extended across it." That Gray must have made this effort to 
enter the Columbia sometime the previous year is evident from 
the fact that Vancouver states that he "was now commencing 
his summer's trade along the coast to the southward." The above 
remarks show plainly that Vancouver had no faith in the existence 
of such a stream as Aguilar's River, Rio de San Roque, Oregon, or 
River of the West, and this is rendered more certain by an entry 
in his journal made upon reaching Cape Flattery, that there — 

Was not the least appearance of a safe or secure harbour, either in that latitude, or 
from it southward to Cape Mendocino ; notwithstanding that, in that space, geogra- 
phers had thought it expedient to furnish many. * * * So minutely had 
this extensive coast been inspected, that the surf had been constantly seen to break 
upon its shores from the mast-head ; and it was but in a few small intervals only, 
where our distance precluded its being visible from the deck. Whenever the weather 
prevented our making free with the shore, or on our hauling off for the night, the 
return of fine weather and of daylight uniformly brought us, if not to the identical 
spot we had departed from, at least within a few miles of it, and never beyond the 
northern limits of the coast which we had previously seen. An examination so 
directed, and circumstances happily concurring to permit its being so executed, 
afforded the most complete opportunity of determining its various turnings and 
windings. * * * It must be considered as a very singular circumstance 
that, in so great an extent of sea coast, we should not until now [He had entered 
the Straits of Fuca] have seen the appearance of any opening in its shores which 
presented aDy certain prospect of affording shelter; the whole coast forming one 



PUGET SOUND AND COLUMBIA RIVER DISCOVERED. 121 

compact, solid and nearly straight barrier against the sea. The river Mr. Gray 
mentioned should, from the latitude he assigned it, have existence in the bay, south 
of Cape Disappointment. This we passed on the forenoon of the twenty-seventh ; 
and, as I then observed, if any inlet or river should be found, it must be a very in- 
tricate one, and inaccessible to vessels of our burthen, owing to the reefs and broken 
water which then appeared in its neighborhood. Mr. Gray stated that he had been 
several days attempting to enter it, which at length he had been unable to effect, in 
consequence of a very strong outset. This is a phenomenon difficult to account for 
[Gray accounted for it easily enough by the theory that the outset was the discharg- 
ing of an unusually large river, a conclusion Vancouver would not admit because he 
had been there and had not seen it J, as, in most cases where there are outsets of such 
strength on a sea coast, there are corresponding tides setting in. Be that, however, 
as it may, I was thoroughly convinced, as were also most persons of observation on 
board, that we could not possibly have passed any safe navigable opening, harbour, 
or place of security for shipping on this coast, from Cape Mendocino to the Prom- 
ontory of Classett i Cape Flattery) ; nor had we any reason to alter our opinions. 

The coast has since been found ranch less barren of harbors 
than this distinguished navigator supposed, though, with the single 
exception of the Columbia, there are none affording entrance to 
large vessels without first undergoing improvement. Leaving Cap- 
tain Vancouver in the Straits of Fuca, let us follow the movements 
of the American vessel. 

The Columbia, as has been stated, wintered at Fort Defiance 
in the harbor of Clayoquot, her crew being busily employed in con- 
structing a small sloop, which was launched in February and chris- 
tened the Advenhire. This was the second vessel constructed on 
the Pacific Coast north of the Spanish possessions, Meares ? NortJi- 
west America being the first. Haswell, the first mate, was placed 
in command and sent northward on a trading voyage along the 
coast on the second of April, while Gray sailed south in the Co- 
lumbia. Xothing is known of his movements until the second of 
May, except what Vancouver records as having learned from him 
as stated above. This was on the twenty-ninth of April, when 
they met just below the entrance to Fuca Straits. From that it 
appears he had been off Deception Bay, either that spring or the 
year before, which he believed to be the entrance to a large river, 
and which he had in vain endeavored to enter for nine days. The 
vessels parted ; Vancouver scouting the idea that a river could pos- 
sibly exist at that point, since he had been there and had not ob- 
served it, sailed into the Straits of Fuca in search of an inter- oceanic 
passage; Gray, convinced of the correctness of his own observa- 
tions, sailed southward to discover and enter the greatest river on 



122 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

the Pacific Coast and the second in size on the continent of North 
America. 

On the seventh of May Gray entered a port in latitude 46° 58', 
which he named " Bulfinch Harbor," in honor of one of the owners 
of his vessel. He sailed out again on the tenth, having, while 
there, repulsed an attack "by the natives, killing some of the assail- 
ants, and on the eleventh safely crossed the bar which had before 
baffled him, and sailing ten miles up the stream cast anchor in the 
mighty Columbia, for so he named it in honor of his vessel. He also 
bestowed the name " Cape Hancock" upon the high promontory 
on the north, which had before been known as " Cabo de San 
Poque" and "Point Disappointment;" and upon the low point on 
the south, formerly called " Cape Frondoso," he bestowed the name 
"Point Adams." Three days later he ascended the stream fifteen 
miles further, and having gotten into shoal water by reason of miss- 
ing the channel, he dropped down again, and anchored nearer the 
mouth. The inhabitants of the Chinook village on the north bank 
were very friendly, and from them Gray obtained a large quantity 
of furs. It was not until the twentieth that the bar was smooth 
enough to permit the Columbia to cross out, but on that day she 
sailed northward, and later, at two points on the upper coast, had 
bloody conflicts with Indians who attacked her. Here was met the 
Adventure, which had been twice around Queen Charlotte Islands 
and had enjoyed only a moderate trade with the Indians. They 
then made another trading voyage to the north, during which the 
Columbia struck upon a rock in the inland passage just above lati- 
tude 52°, and was considerably damaged. She succeeded in reach- 
ing Nootka, where, with the assistance of the Spaniards, she was 
soon made tight and seaworthy again. She again sailed north, met 
the Adventure at Port Montgomery, on Queen Charlotte Island, 
and both vessels returned to Nootka, where Gray found Captain 
Vancouver and gave him a memorandum of his discovery of the 
Columbia River. He then sailed for home by way of Sandwich 
Islands and China, having first sold the Adventure to Quadra for 
seventy -five select sea- otter skins. 

After speaking the Columbia, Vancouver's two vessels entered 
the Straits of Fuca on the thirtieth of April, and proceeded slowly 
inland, making a careful examination as he progressed. The ves- 



PUGET SOUND AND COLUMBIA RIVER DISCOVERED. 123 

sels anchored at Port Discovery ("the Porto Bodega y Quadra of 
Lieutenant Quiinper), and from that place, as a rendezvous, Captain 
Vancouver and Lieutenants Menzies, Puget and Johnstone explored 
the channels and bays to the southward for about four weeks. 
Vancouver bestowed the following well-known names in that region: 
" Puget Sound," in honor of Lieutenant Puget; "Hood's Canal," 
for Lord Hood; "Admiralty Inlet;" "Mount Rainier," after Rear 
Admiral Rainier of the English Navy; " Vashon Island," after Cap- 
tain Vashon; "Port Orchard," the name of the officer who discov- 
ered it; ct Possession Sound," where he landed on the fourth of June 
and took possession in the name of King George of England; 
" Port Townsend," in compliment to the "noble Marquis of that 
name;" "Whidby Island," after one of his lieutenants; "Mount 
Baker," discovered by Lieutenant Baker; " Bellingham Bay;" 
"Deception Passage;" " New Dunginess " (the Point Santa Cruz 
of Quimper's chart), because of a fancied resemblance to Dun- 
giness in the British Channel. When he took possession on the 
fourth of June he applied the title "New Georgia" to all the coast 
above latitude 39° 20', which was certainly cutting California off 
very short above San Francisco Bay. This ceremony amounted to 
nothing more than a celebration of the King's birthday, since, un- 
der the Nootka Convention, neither party could acquire territorial 
rights by any such proceeding, a farce which Perez, Heceta, Bo- 
dega and Captain Cook had enacted years before at various places. 
As he emerged from Puget Sound and sailed northward into the 
Canal del Rosario, which he re-christened " Gulf of Georgia," he 
fell in with the two Spanish vessels, Sutil and Mexicana, whose 
presence there has already been mentioned. Galiano and Valdez 
had entered the Straits of Fuca on the fourth of June, and had sur- 
veyed as far north as Tejada (Texada) Island. When the Spanish 
and English fleets encountered each other there followed an inter- 
change of courtesies, leading to an agreement to unite their labors. 
For about three weeks they explored in company, but then the pride 
of the Spaniards would not permit them to longer endure the air of 
superiority assumed by the English commander, who, when they 
had explored an inlet, would not accept their report as final, but 
made a second exploration himself. That his distrust of the Span- 
ish surveys was unfounded is amply proven by the charts of each 



124 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

after they resumed independent action. The Spanish maps were as 
accurate in detail as those of Vancouver, and even more so, since 
they noted the entrance to Eraser River, called " Rio Blancho," the 
existence of which the Englishman denied. Galiano and Valdez 
continued their explorations northward, entered the Pacific on the 
twenty -third of August, by a passage at the north end of Vancouver 
Island, and returned to Nootka, having made the first complete cir- 
cumnavigation of the Island. 

When the vessels parted company, Vancouver continued north- 
ward, in advance of the Spaniards, and entered the ocean through 
Queen Charlotte's Sound, where the Chatham grounded on the 
rocks, but was safely put afloat again. The long channel above the 
Gulf of Georgia he called "Johnstone's Strait," after one of his 
lieutenants, and the names now borne by the most important objects 
in that region were also bestowed by him, such as " Burrard Canal," 
u Bute Canal," "Broughton Archipelago," "Knight's Canal," 
" Smith's Inlet," " Rivers Canal," etc. The fact that Vancouver's 
report was published several years before that of Galiano and 
Valdez's, and that this region was subsequently settled by English 
speaking people, accounts for the survival of the English nomen- 
clature. He continued his explorations as far north as latitude 52° 
18', when he turned about and sailed for Nootka Sound, reaching 
that port on the twenty- eighth of August. Here he found the store 
ship Dcedalus, which had been sent out from England with supplies 
and fresh instructions for his guidance in arranging affairs at JNootka. 
There he remained for more than a month, engaged in the fulfill- 
ment of the diplomatic purposes of his visit. 

While awaiting Vancouver's arrival, Quadra had not been idle, 
but had been gathering evidence from the Indians and traders, and 
was especially fortunate in securing a statement of the events of 
1788-9 at Nootka, signed by Gray, Viana (then commanding a Por- 
tuguese vessel), and Ingraham, the latter being now the commander 
of the trading vessel Hope. All three of these were officers of ves- 
sels which were present at Nootka during the occurrence of the dis- 
puted events. They testified that the Englishmen had not been 
dispossessed of any lands and buildings whatever; that the only 
pretense to a settlement by them was the temporary occupation of 
a small piece of ground by Meares in 1788, while he was building 






PUGET SOUND AND COLUMBIA RIVER DISCOVERED. 125 

the Northwest America, which, with the hut the workmen had 
occupied, was abandoned when that work was completed; also, that 
all this was done under the Portuguese flag, the schooner being 
launched and sent out upon a cruise under the same ensign. Accord- 
ing to the treaty, it will be remembered, all buildings and tracts of 
land of which the subjects of His Britannic Majesty had been dis- 
possessed by a Spanish officer, were to be restored. For that pur- 
pose Vancouver had come, expecting, of course, to have Nootka 
surrendered; but he was met by Quadra with proofs showing that, 
according to the terms of the treaty, there was nothing to be sur- 
rendered. Vancouver would listen to nothing but a transfer of the 
port, though he was unable to show any precise stipulation to that 
effect in the treaty. Quadra offered to give up INootka if Vancou- 
ver would recognize all the coast south of Fuca Straits as exclusively 
Spanish; or he offered to surrender absolutely the small parcel of 
land on which Meares' cabin had stood and to station himself at the 
new port in the Straits of Fuca until a decision on the question 
could be had from Europe. Vancouver would agree to no propo- 
sitions whatever. He came, he said, to receive an unconditional 
surrender of the port, and if Quadra would not consent to make it 
he would depart. It was finally decided that the present status 
should be maintained and the two commissioners should submit the 
facts to their respective governments. Consequently, Vancouver 
dispatched two messengers to England, one via China, on a Portu- 
guese trading vessel, and one on a Spanish vessel to Mexico and 
thence to Europe. Quadra returned to Monterey, stopping on the 
way at Nunez Graona, to order Fidalgo to abandon the new settle- 
ment there and proceed to Nootka and assume command of that 
port. It was fortunate for Quadra that he was as cautious as has 
been shown, for a few weeks later royal orders were received to 
surrender Nootka upon no consideration whatever. The personal 
relations of the commissioners were most cordial, and before they 
left they agreed to name the large island after themselves, and it 
was accordingly entered upon both the Spanish and English charts 
as the " Island of Vancouver and Quadra.' 1 In after years, owing 
to plainly apparent causes, the latter's name was dropped from the 
title The indemnity to be paid by Spain to Meares and his asso- 
ciates was finally fixed at $210,000, less than one-third of tlie 



126 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

amount claimed, but much niore than the actual damage suffered. 

When he had concluded his negotiations, Vancouver, armed 
with a rough chart of the Columbia's mouth, which Gray had left 
at Nootka, sailed southward with his fleet, now increased to three 
vessels. On the eighteenth of October the Dcedahts, commanded 
by Lieutenant Whidby, entered Bulfinck's, or Gray's Harbor, to 
make a thorough examination, while her two consorts continued to 
the mouth of the Columbia. On the morning of the nineteenth the 
Chatham and Discovery attempted the passage of the bar, the 
former crossing safely, but the latter hauling off for fear there was 
not a sufficient depth of water. This circumstance led Vancouver 
to record in his journal that his "former opinion of this port being 
inaccessible to vessels of our burthen was now fully confirmed, with 
this exception, that in very fine weather, with moderate winds, and 
a smooth sea, vessels not exceeding four hundred tons might, so far 
as we were able to judge, gain admittance." It was while lying at 
anchor off the bar that he gained a view of a "high, round snow 
mountain " far up the stream, which he named " Mount St. Helens," 
in honor of his Britannic Majesty's ambassador at the court of 
Madrid. 

The first sound that saluted the commander of the Chatham 
upon crossing the bar was the report of a cannon, which was an- 
swered in a similar manner by Lieutenant Broughton. It came 
from a Bristol brig called the Jenny, lying in a sheltered bay within 
the mouth of the stream, which has ever since been known as 
" Baker's Bay," in honor of the captain of that little craft. This 
made the second vessel to enter the river before these official repre- 
sentatives of Great Britain undertook to explore it. The Chatham 
lay in the river several days, during which time Broughton ascended 
the stream in a boat some one hundred and twenty miles, as far as 
a point which he named in honor of the commander of the expedi- 
tion, being the same upon which Fort Vancouver was afterward 
built by the Hudson's Bay Company. The high snow-crowned 
peak rising above the Cascades to the east he called " Mount Hood." 
During his stay he formally " took possession of the river and the 
country in its vicinity in his Britannic Majesty's name, having every 
reason to believe that the subjects of no other civilized nation or 
state had ever entered this river before." The closing portion of 






PUGET SOUXD AND COLUMBIA RIVER DISCOVERED. 127 

this sentence sounds strangely from one who had in his possession 
at the time he penned it the rough chart made by Gray, which had 
been the cause of his being there at all. It is explained by saying 
that he affected to consider the broad estuary near the mouth of the 
stream as no portion of the river, and that in consequence Gray, 
though he had ascended the stream twenty-five miles, had not 
entered the river proper. This strained construction England 
maintained in the after controversv with the United States about 
the rights of discovery. 

Vancouver wintered at the Hawaiian Islands, returning to 
Nootka in May, 1793, and finding that no news had been received 
from Europe, sailed north to continue his examination of the coast 
from the point he had reached the year before. He spent the sum- 
mer in this work, making, with the aid of Caamano\s previous 
chart, quite an accurate map of the coast. From latitude 53° 30" 
to 57° he called the country "New Cornwall ;" south of that to near 
Georgia he named it "New Hanover," taking formal and ceremo- 
nious possession of it all in the name of King George. Upon his 
return to Nootka in October, he found that no instructions had ar- 
rived from home, and he sailed for California, The Spaniards still 
remained in quiet possession of the disputed port. Quite a number 
of trading vessels were on the coast that season, but the peculiar 
commercial character of their voyages prevented them from accom- 
plishing anything of geographical or historical value. 

In April, 1793, the Mexican Viceroy, Be villa -Gigedo, sent a full 
report of the events and status of affairs at Nootka to the home 
government, accompanied by recommendations for the future course 
of Spain. These were to the effect that recent explorations had prac- 
tically demonstrated that no Northwest Passage existed, unless, in- 
deed, it was found by way of the Columbia River, or Entrada de 
Heceta, and consequently that the trouble and expense of maintain- 
ing a station as far north as Nootka was unnecessary for the pro- 
tection of Spanish interests. He advised that the Columbia be ex- 
plored and occupied, if found to connect with the Atlantic or with 
New Mexico; otherwise he advised the strengthening of the north- 
ernmost stations in California, the occupation of Bodega Bay, and 
any other desirable harbor which might be found north of that 
point. He prepared to dispatch two vessels to survey the Colum- 



128 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

bia in the spring of 1794, but for some reason the project was 
abandoned. Early that year word was received from Spain that 
the points in dispute had been settled. Quadra died in March, and 
Gen. Jose Manual d Alava was appointed his successor, and sent to 
Nootka with the understanding that his instructions would follow 
him. 

Captain Vancouver again visited the northern coast in the spring 
of 1794, and extended his explorations as far as the head of Cook's 
Inlet, becoming convinced that no passage whatever connected the 
Pacific with the Atlantic or any of the bays or seas leading off from 
it. He then went to Nootka, arriving on the second of September, 
where he found Alava, the Spanish commissioner. Neither was 
aware of the terms of settlement, so they enjoyed each other's hos- 
pitalities and awaited instructions* No orders having been received 
by the sixteenth the commissioners sailed for Monterey, where Al- 
ava soon afterwards received his instructions. These were to the 
effect that an amicable settlement had been arrived at, and that 
England had appointed a new commissioner. Upon receipt of this 
intelligence Vancouver at once set sail for England, where he ar- 
rived in October, 1795. His narrative of his four years' voyage 
and explorations, the most complete and important ever issued up 
to that time, was published in 1798, previous to which the great 
explorer died. 

The settlement spoken of was the one signed at Madrid by the 
representatives of Spain and England, on the eleventh of January, 
1794. The tide of European politics had so turned that it was then 
the best policy of both England and Spain to form an alliance, 
hence the mutual concessions in this agreement. The treaty pro- 
vided that commissioners of both nations should meet at ISFootka, 
and that formal possession of the tract claimed by Meares be given 
to the representative of England by the Spanish commissioner. It 
continued in the following explicit language: — 

Then the British officer shall unfurl the British flag over the land thus restored 
as a sign of possession, and after these formalities the officers of the two crowns 
shaU retire respectively their people from the said port of Nootka. And their said 
majesties have furthermore agreed that the subjects of both nations shall be free to 
frequent the said port as may be convenient, and to erect there temporary buildings 
for their accommodation during their residence on such occasions. But neither of 
the two parties shall make in said port any permanent establishment, or claim there 
any right of sovereignty or territorial dominion to the exclusion of the other. And 



PUGET SOUND AND COLUMBIA RIVEK DISCOVERED. 129 

their said majesties will aid each other to maintain their subjects in free access to 
the said port of Nootka against whatever other nation may attempt to establish 
there any sovereignty or dominion. 

This solemn farce was actually enacted there on the twenty -third 
of March, 1795, by General Alava on the part of Spain, and Lieu- 
tenant Thomas Pierce as representative of Great Britain. Every- 
thing portable was then embarked on the Spanish vessels, which 
sailed away and left Nootka again in the sole possession of the 
natives. From that day to this no white settlement has been at- 
tempted at that historical port. English historians, and many others 
writing, like them, from incomplete data, have asserted that the port 
of Nootka was surrendered to England by the Spaniards ; but such 
the above quotation from the treaty shows not to have been the 
case. Only the small patch of ground claimed by Meares to have 
been purchased from Maquinna was formally transferred ; and Eng- 
land was as firmly bound as Spain not to make any future settle- 
ment at that point, while both were at liberty to occupy any other 
points they might see fit. Their interests in Europe, however, were 
so closely linked for the next few years that neither felt it necessary 
to attempt any settlements on the upper Pacific Coast as a safeguard 
against the other. No other nation attempted to plant a colony 
here, and thus the matter stood for nearly a score of years, when 
the question of ownership was raised by a new claimant — the United 
States. Traders continued to carry on the fur business as before, 
but their operations were of little historical importance. 



CHAPTER IX. 



OVERLAND JOURNEYS TO THE PACIFIC. 

Organization of the Northwest Company of Montreal ~ ~ Mackenzie* 8 
Journey to the Arctic Ocean — His Trip to the Pacific in 1792 — Dis- 
covery and Naming of Fraser River — Treaty of 179 % Opens a West- 
ern Field for American Traders — Conflicting Claims of Various 
Nations at the Beginning of the Present Century — Spain Reconveys 
Louisiana to France in 1800 — Thomas Jefferson' } s Efforts to have the 
Unknown Region Explored — Louisiana Purchased by the United 
States — The Lewis and Clarke Expedition — They Winter with the 
Mandan Lndians — Ascend the Missouri — Cross to Clarke's Fork — 
Reach the Nez Perces — Descend Clearwater, Lewis (Snake) and 
Columbia Rivers to the Pacific — Wmter at Fort Clatsop — The Mult- 
nomah, or Willamette, River- — The Walla Walla, Cay use and Nez 
Perce Lndians — Lewis and Clarke Descend the Yellowstone and 
Missouri — Effect of their Great Journey — Anxiety of Great Britain 
— Fort Fraser Established in New Caledonia — Fort Henry Built 
on Snake River. 

IT has been related how the early French explorers pushed their 
way gradually westward, until, in 1743, the Verendryes pene- 
trated to the heart of the Rocky Mountains, and how, with the con- 
quest of Canada by the English, these explorations suddenly ceased. 
Thirty years elapsed before they were again resumed by subjects of 
the new rulers of Canada, except in the instance of Captain Carver, 
whose pretentious claims have already been considered. Meanwhile, 
the American Colonies had fought and gained the War of Inde- 
pendence, and, as a result, England was deprived of all her posses- 
sions south of the great chain of lakes. France had sold Louisiana 
to Spain, as has been related, which gave that nation, in conjunction 
with her California possessions, proprietary claim to the whole 



OVERLAND JOURNEYS TO THE PACIFIC. 131 

country lying between the Mississippi and the Pacific, and extend- 
ing indefinitely northward. How extensive that region was, or 
what it contained, no one knew, and the Spanish owners were not 
inquisitive enough to find out. England was cut off from it except 
in the region lying north of Minnesota, certainly not a very inviting 
field for exploration; and the young Republic was too busy setting 
its government in good running order to engage in explorations of 
new territories. When, at last, westward journeys were again 
undertaken, it was solely by private enterprise in the interests of 
trade. 

A number of Montreal fur traders pushed as far westward as 
the Athabasca and Saskatchewan as early as 1775, and carried on 
an independent trade with the natives. Competition with the Hud- 
son's Bay Company became too heavy for them individually, and 
in 1784 they combined together as the Northwest Company of Mon- 
treal. Thus strengthened, and all its agents being interested part- 
ners, it prospered wonderfully and became, in a few years, a most 
powerful organization. In 1788 the station which had been estab- 
lished ten years before on Athabasca River was removed to Lake 
Athabasca, some twelve hundred miles northwest of Lake Superior, 
and called " Fort Chipewyan," and this became the great western 
headquarters of the company. Traders covered the whole country 
east of the Rocky Mountains almost to the Arctic. 

This advance post was under the charge of Alexander Macken- 
zie, a partner in the Northwest Company, who made a journey to 
the north in 1789, discovered the Mackenzie River, and followed it 
from its source in Great Slave Lake to where it discharges its icy 
waters into the Arctic Ocean. By this journey the character and 
extent of the continent to the northwest was ascertained, as well as 
the fact that there existed no passage between the Atlantic and Pacific 
south of the great northern sea. In 1791 he started with a small 
party upon a western trip, intent upon reaching the Pacific. Fol- 
lowing up Peace River to the base of the Rocky Mountains, he 
camped there for the winter, and in the spring continued his journey 
along the course of that stream and came upon the Fraser River, 
down which he passed in canoes a distance of two hundred and fifty 
miles. To this stream he applied the Indian title of " Tacoutchee- 
Tassee," a name somewhat similar to that which the navigators had 



132 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

a few years before applied to the Straits of Fuca. He finally 
abandoned the river and struck directly westward, reaching the 
coast at the ISTorth Bentinck Arm, only a short time after it had 
been explored by Vancouver's fleet. When he learned upon his 
return that the mouth of the Columbia had been discovered, he 
supposed that the large river which he had followed so far south- 
ward must be that great stream; and so it was considered to be 
until twenty years later, when Simon Fraser, a representative of 
the same fur company, descended it to its mouth in the Gulf of 
Georgia, and ascertained its true character. As Mackenzie's name 
was already applied to a large river, this stream was then christened 
" Fraser River." , 

These various sea and land expeditions had proved three very 
important facts: first, that there was no water passage for vessels 
across the continent; second, that by following the courses of 
streams and lakes the overland journey could be nearly accom- 
plished in boats; third, that this vast unexplored region abounded 
in fur-bearing animals, a fact which led, in a few years, to its occu- 
pation by the rival fur traders, both English and American. At 
this time the Spanish claim of Louisiana clouded the whole region 
west of the Mississippi, and though its limits were undefined, it 
extended indefinitely into the unknown region lying north of Mexico 
and California. The Americans were especially hampered in their 
trading operations on the frontier. The Mississippi formed a defi- 
nite and recognized western boundery to the territory of the United 
States, and the line of forts along the south side of the chain of 
great lakes were still held by Great Britain, notwithstanding they 
should have been surrendered under the treaty of 1783. When 
that convention was formed, the representatives of England endeav- 
ored to have the Alleghanies fixed as the western limit of the 
new nation, but the American commissioners insisted that as 
British colonies the states had previously exercised jurisdiction as 
far west as the Mississippi, and the safety of the Republic required 
that she still continue to do so; and they carried their point. By 
a special treaty made in 1794, England surrendered possession of 
the lake posts, and the two nations agreed that both should have 
unrestricted intercourse and trade in the great western region. 
From that time American traders extended their operations further 



OVERLAND JOURNEYS TO THE PACIFIC. L33 

westward. The Hudson's Bay Company also began to invade the 
field occupied by its great rival, the Northwest Company of 
Montreal. 

At the beginning of the nineteenth century the territorial claims 
of the various nations on the Pacific Coast were exceedingly con- 
flicting. The claim of Russia to Alaska was recognized as valid, 
having been established both by discovery and occupation ; though 
as yet no definite southern limit was fixed. Spain's claim to Cali- 
fornia was also undisputed, extending to the forty-second parallel. 
Between these two both England and Spain claimed title by right of 
discovery only, since by the Nootka convention both had agreed to 
base no claim whatever upon the actual or asserted occupation of 
their representatives or subjects at Xootka Sound. The United 
States, also, by reason of Gray's discovery of the Columbia, had 
laid a foundation for a claim to the whole region drained by that 
mighty river, as yet unasserted, but which was pressed with much 
vigor and final partial success a few years later. Besides these dis- 
covery rights, the Louisiana Province, which France had transferred 
to Spain in 1762, was construed by its possessor, or, more accu- 
rately speaking, its technical claimant, to cover the whole region 
west of the Mississippi not claimed by the same nation as portions 
of Mexico and California. This title was reconveyed to France in 
the year 1800, thus putting that nation again into the field as a 
claimant of territory in the western portion of North America. 

It will be remembered that John Ledyard. who had been one of 
Captain Cook's seamen, undertook to interest American and French 
capitalists in the Pacific fur trade, soon after the return of that ex- 
pedition to England. At that time Thomas Jefferson was the rep- 
resentative of the United States at the Court of "Versailles, and he 
became deeply interested in this great western region. He naturally 
preferred that his own country should fall heir to such a magnifi- 
cent inheritance; but more than a decade passed before the States 
had perfected their government and regulated those national affairs 
requiring immediate and careful consideration, and during that 
time it was idle to think of further accessions of territory. How- 
ever, in 1792, he proposed to the American Philosophical Society 
that a subscription be raised for the purpose of engaging some <-<>in- 
petent person to explore the country lying between the Mississippi 



134 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

River and Pacific Ocean, " by ascending the Missouri, crossing the 
Stony Mountains, and descending the nearest river to the Pacific. " 
His suggestion was acted upon, and the position having been eagerly 
solicited by Lieutenant Meriwether Lewis, a Virginian, that gentle- 
man was selected at the recommendation of Mr. Jefferson. His 
traveling companion was Mr. Andre Michaux, a distinguished 
French botanist, then living in the United States in the employ of 
his government. When they had proceeded as far as Kentucky, 
Mr. Michaux was recalled by the French Minister, and the expedi- 
tion was abandoned. 

Soon after France again acquired title to Louisiana, Napoleon 
recognized the fact that it would only be a source of annoyance and 
expense to the nation. His ambitious designs in Europe arrayed 
England and other powerful nations in hostility to France, and to 
avoid the necessity of having to provide for the protection of vast 
territorial possessions, as well as to place in the field an active and 
now powerful rival to England, he opened secret negotiations for 
the transfer of the whole Province to the United States. Mr. Jef- 
ferson was then President, and grasped eagerly the opportunity to 
realize his long- cherished desire, and by so doing render his admin- 
istration one to be forever remembered by his countrymen. Even 
before the treaty was concluded, he began to put his plan of oper- 
ations into effect; and on the eighteenth of January, 1803, he sub- 
mitted to Congress a special message on the Indian question, in 
which he incorporated a suggestion that an official expedition be 
dispatched upon the same journey as the private one would have 
accomplished ten years before, had it not been abandoned. Con- 
gress approved the idea and made an ample appropriation to carry 
it into effect. Lewis was then acting in the capacity of private sec- 
retary to the President, and once more solicited the direction of the 
enterprise. In this he was again successful. He held at that time 
the rank of captain, and having selected William Clarke as his asso- 
ciate, that gentleman also received a captain's commission. 

In the instructions drawn up for the guidance of the party, the 
President says: "The object of your mission is to explore the 
Missouri River, and such principal streams of it, as, by its course 
and communication with the waters of the Pacific Ocean, whether 
the Columbia, Oregon, Colorado, or any other river, may offer the 



OVERLAND JOURNEYS TO THE PACIFIC. 1 35 

most direct and practicable water communication across the conti- 
nent, for the purposes of commerce." They were directed to ac- 
quire as intimate a knowledge as possible of the extent and number 
of Indian tribes, their manners, customs and degree of civilization, 
and to report fully upon the topography, the character of the soil, 
the natural products, the animal life and minerals, as well as to as- 
certain by scientific observations and inquiry as much as possible 
about the climate, and to inquire especially into the fur trade and 
the needs of commerce. Since Louisiana had not yet been formally 
conveyed to the United States, the instructions contained a para- 
graph saying: " Your mission has been communicated to the min- 
isters here from France, Spain and Great Britain, and through them 
to their governments; and such assurances given them as to its ob- 
jects, as we trust will satisfy them. The country of Louisiana hav- 
ing been ceded by Spain to France, the passport you have from the 
minister of France, the representative of the present sovereign of 
the country, will be a protection with all its subjects; and that from 
the minister of England will entitle you to the friendly aid of any 
traders of that allegiance with whom you may happen to meet." 

The French passport was rendered needless by the receipt of the 
joyful intelligence a few days before they started that Louisiana had 
been formally ceded to the United States. Lewis left Washington 
on the fifth of July, 1803, and was. joined by Clarke at Louisville. 
Having selected the men to compose their party, they went into 
camp near St. Louis and remained until spring. The final start 
was made on the fourteenth of May, 1804, the party consisting of 
Captain Meriwether Lewis, Captain William Clarke, nine young 
men from Kentucky, fourteen soldiers, two French Canadian water- 
men, of the class called " voyageurs " among the fur traders, an in- 
terpreter and hunter and a negro servant of Captain Clarke. There 
were, also, a number of assistants who accompanied the party as 
far as the Mandan country. The Missouri river was ascended as 
far as the region occupied by the Mandan Indians, with whom they 
remained all winter, learning much from their hosts of the geogra- 
phy of the surrounding country as well as its native inhabitants. 
While there they negotiated a treaty of peace and friendship between 
the Mandans and Ricarees, between whom hostilities had existed for 
a long time. 



L36 



HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 



The westward journey was resumed in the spring of 1805. They 
still followed up the Missouri, of whose course, tributaries and the 
great falls they had received very minute and accurate information 
from their Mandan friends. Passing the mouth of the Yellowstone, 
which name they record as being but a translation of "Roche Jaune," 
the title given it by the French-Canadian trappers who had already 
visited it, they continued up the Missouri, passed the castellated 
rocks and the great falls and cascades, ascended through the mighty 
canyon, and reached the headwaters of the stream, crossed the Rocky 
Mountain divide and came upon the stream variously known along 
its course as "Deer Lodge," "Hellgate," " Bitterroot," "Clarke's 
Fork of the Columbia" and"Pend d'Oreille." Upon this they 
bestowed the name " Clarke's River," and so it should be called 
from its source in the Rocky Mountains to where it unites with the 
main stream in British Columbia. From this river the advance 
party under Clarke crossed the Bitterroot Mountains by the Lolo 
trail, suffering intensely from cold and hunger, and on the twentieth 
of September reached a village of Nez Perce Indians, situated on a 
plain about fifteen miles from the south fork of Clearwater River, 
where they were received With great hospitality. This first passage 
of the mountains by representatives of the United States and their 
warm reception by the Indians contrast strongly with a scene 
witnessed by this same Lolo trail seventy -two years later when 
Howard's army hotly pursued Chief Joseph and his little band of 
hostile Nez Perces, who were fleeing before the avengers from the 
scene of their many bloody massacres. 

The almost famished men partook of such quantities of the food 
liberally provided by their savage hosts that many of them became 
ill, among them being Captain Clarke, who was unable to continue 
the journey until the second day. He then went to the village of 
Twisted-hair, the chief, situated on an island in the stream men- 
tioned. To the river he gave the name u Koos-koos-kee," errone- 
ously supposing it to be its Indian title. The probabilities are that 
the Nez Perces, in trying to inform Captain Clarke that this river 
flowed into a still larger one, the one variously known as " Lewis," 
"Sahaptin" or " Snake," used the words " Koots-koots-kee," mean- 
ing " This is the smaller," and were understood to have meant that 
as the name of the stream. The Nez Perce name is " Kaih-kaih- 



OVERLAND JOURNEYS TO THE PACIFIC. 137 

koosh," signifying " Clearwater,,' 1 the title it is generally known by. 

Having been united, the two parties a few days later journeyed 
on down the Clearwater. Concerning their deplorable condition 
and their method of traveling the journal says: " Captain Lewis 
and two of the men were taken very ill last evening, and to-day he 
could scarcely sit on his horse, while others were obliged to be put 
on horseback, and some, from extreme weakness and pain, were 
forced to lie down alongside of the road. * * * The weather 
was very hot and oppressive to the party, most of whom are now 
complaining of sickness. Oar situation, indeed, rendered it neces- 
sary to husband our remaining strength, and it was determined to 
proceed down the river in canoes. Captain Clarke, therefore, set 
out with Twisted -hair, and two young men, in quest of timber 
for canoes. * * * Having resolved to go down to some spot 
calculated for building canoes, we set out early this morning and 
proceeded five miles, and encamped on the low ground on the south, 
opposite the forks of the river." The canoes being constructed, they 
embarked, in the month of October, on their journey down the Clear- 
water and connecting streams, for the Pacific, leaving what remained 
of their horses in charge of the friendly Nez Perces. They had for 
some time been subsisting upon roots, fish, horse -meat and an occa- 
sional deer, crow, or wolf, but having left their horses behind them, 
their resort, when out of other food, now became the wolfish dogs 
they purchased from the Indians. 

Upon reaching Snake River, which was named in honor of 
Captain Lewis, the canoes were turned down that stream, which 
they followed to the Columbia, naming the Tukannon River "Kim- 
so-emhn," a title derived from the Indians, and upon the Palouse 
bestowing the name "Drewyer," in honor of the hunter of the 
party. They then followed down the Columbia, passing a number < >f 
rapids, and arrived at the Cascades on the twenty-first of October. 
A portage was made of all their effects and a portion of the canoes, 
the remainder making the perilous descent of the Cascades in safety. 
The mouth of the Willamette was passed without the addition of 
so large a stream being noticed. Cape Disappointment was reached 
November fifteenth, and the eyes of the weary travelers were 
gladdened with a sight of the great ocean which had been their goal 
for more than a year. The season of winter rains having set in, 



138 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

they were soon driven by high water from the low land on the 
north bank of the stream, eleven miles above the cape, which they 
had selected for their winter residence. They then left the Chin- 
ooks, crossed the river, and built a habitation on the high land on 
the south side of the stream, which they called "Fort Clatsop, 77 in 
honor of the Indians which inhabited that region. Here they 
spent the winter, making occasional short excursions along the 
coast. The departure for home was delayed with the hope that 
some trading vessel might appear, from which sadly-needed supplies 
could be obtained, but being disappointed in this they loaded their 
canoes, and on March 23, 1806, took final leave of Fort Clatsop. 
Before going they presented the chiefs of the Chinooks and Clatsops 
with certificates of kind and hospitable treatment, and circulated 
among the natives several papers, posting a copy on the wall of the 
abandoned fort, which read as follows: "The object of this last is,. 
that through the medium of some civilized person, who may see 
the same, it may be made known to the world, that the party, con- 
sisting of the persons whose names are hereunto annexed, and who 
were sent out by the Government of the United States to explore 
the interior of the continent of North America, did penetrate the 
same by the way of the Missouri and Columbia rivers, to the dis- 
charge of the latter into the Pacific Ocean, where they arrived on 
the fourteenth day of November, 1805, and departed the twenty - 
third day of March, 1806, on their return to the United States by 
the same route by which they had come out." To this was appended 
a list of the members of the expedition. One of these copies was 
handed by an Indian the following year to Captain Hall, an Ameri- 
can fur trader, whose vessel, the Lydia, had entered the Columbia, 
by whom it was taken to China and thence to the United States; 
thus, even had the party perished on the return journey, evidence 
of the completion of their task was not wanting. 

Upon taking an invoice of their possessions before starting upon 
the return, they found that their goods available for traffic with the 
Indians consisted of six blue robes, one scarlet robe, one United 
States artillery hat and coat, iive robes made from the national 
ensign, and a few old clothes trimmed with ribbon. Upon these 
must they depend for purchasing provisions and horses, and for 
winning the hearts of stubborn chiefs. They proceeded up the 



OVERLAND JOURNEYS TO THE PACIFIC. 139 

south bank of the stream, until they came unexpectedly upon a 
large river flowing into it from the south. On an island near its 
mouth, known to the early trappers as "Wapatoo," and now called 
ik Sauvie's Island, 1 ' they came upon an Indian village, where they 
were refused a supply of food. To impress them with his power, 
Captain Clarke entered one of their habitations and cast a few 
sulphur matches into the tire. The savages were frightened at the 
blue flame, and looked upon the strange visitor as a great medicine 
man. They implored him to extinguish the " evil fire," and brought 
all the food he desired. The name of the Indian village was " Mult- 
nomah," but Captain Clarke understood the name to apply to the 
river, of whose course he made careful inquiry. Upon the map of 
this expedition the "Multnomah" is indicated as extending south- 
ward and eastward into California and Nevada, and the Indians 
who resided along the streams that flow from southeastern Oregon 
into the Snake, are represented as living on the upper branches of 
the Multnomah. The true Indian name of the river and valley is 
"Wallamet," which has been corrupted to "Willamette" by those 
who conceived the idea that it was of French origin. The confusion 
between Indian, French and English names in this region has 
resulted in many very peculiar and ridiculous appellations. 

At the mouth of the Lapage River, the stream later named 
u John Day," in memory of the bold hunter of the Astor party, 
who met such a tragic fate, the canoes were abandoned, and the 
party proceeded up the Columbia on foot, packing their baggage 
upon the backs of a few horses purchased from the natives. Cross- 
ing the Umatilla, which they called " You-ma-lolam," they arrived 
at the mouth of the Walla Walla on the twenty -seventh of April. 
Yellept, the Walla Walla chief, was a man of unusual capacity and 
power, and extended to them the most cordial and bountiful hospi- 
tality they had enjoyed since leaving the abodes of civilization. 
How different would have been the reception extended them could 
the old chief have gazed into the future with prophetic eye, and 
seen his great successor, Peo-peo-mux-mux, killed while unjustly a 
prisoner by members of the same race and tribe to which these 
white guests belonged! It is related of Yellept that in after years, 
having seen the last of Hve noble sons perish in battle or by the 
hand of disease, he called together the tribe, and throwing himself 



140 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

upon the body of his last son, sternly bade them bury him with 

his dead. With loud lamentations and heart-broken sobs they did 

as he commanded, and buried alive the great chief they both loved 

and feared. This was the man who extended his hospitalities to 

Lewis and Clarke, and because of the important part the Walla 

Wallas and Cayuses played in the after history of this region, the 

following account given by those gentlemen of their entertainers is 

presented. Their journal says: — 

Immediately upon our arrival, Yellept, who proved to be a man of much influ- 
ence, not only in his own, but in the neighboring nations, collected the inhabitants 
and, after having made a harangue, the purport of which was to induce the nations 
to treat us hospitably, set them an example, by bringing himself an armful of wood 
and a platter containing three roasted mullets. They immediately assented to one 
part, at least, of the recommendation, by furnishing us with an abundance of the 
only sort of fuel they employ, the stems of shrubs growing in the plains. We then 
purchased four dogs, on which we supped heartily, having been on short allowance 
for two days past. When we were disposed to sleep, the Indians retired imme- 
diately on our request, and, indeed, uniformly conducted themselves with great 
propriety. These people live on roots, which are very abundant in the plains, and 
catch a few salmon-trout; but at present they seem to subsist chiefly on a species of 
mullet, weighing from one to three pounds. * * * Monday, twenty-eighth, 
we purchased ten dogs. While this trade was carrying on by our men, Yellept 
brought a fine white horse and presented him to Captain Clarke, expressing at the 
same time a wish to have a kettle ; but on being informed that we had already dis- 
posed of the last kettle we could spare, he said he would be content with any pres- 
ent we should make in return. Captain Clarke, therefore, gave his sword, for 
which the chief had before expressed a desire, adding one hundred balls, some pow- 
der, and other small articles, with which he appeared perfectly satisfied. We were 
now anxious to depart, and requested Yellept to lend us canoes for the purpose of 
crossing the river. But he would not listen to any proposal of leaving the village. 
He wished us to remain two or three days ; but would not let us go to-day, for he 
had already sent to invite his neighbors, the Chimnapoos (Cayuses), to come down 
this evening and join his people in a dance for our amusement. We urged, in vain, 
that by setting out sooner we would the earlier return with the articles they desired ; 
for a day, he observed, would make but little difference. We at length mentioned 
that, as there was no wind, it was now the best time to cross the river, and would 
merely take the horses over and return to sleep at their village. To this he assented, 
and then we crossed with our horses, and having hobbled them, returned to their 
camp. Fortunately there was among these Wollawollahs a prisoner, belonging to 
a tribe of Shoshonee or Snake Indians, residing to the south of the Multnomah, 
and visiting occasionally the heads of the Wollawollah creek. Our Shoshonee 
woman, Sacajaweah, though she belonged to a tribe near the Missouri, spoke the 
same language as this prisoner, and by their means we were able to explain our- 
selves to the Indians, and answer all their inquiries with respect to ourselves and 
the object of our journey. Our conversation inspired them with much confidence, 
and they soon brought several sick persons for whom they requested our assistance. 
We splintered the broken arm of one, gave some relief to another, whose knee was 
contracted by rheumatism, and administered what we thought beneficial for ulcers 
and eruptions of the skin, on various parts of the body, which are very common 
disorders among them. But our most valuable medicine was eye-water, which we 



OVERLAND JOURNEYS TO THE PACIFIC. 141 

distributed, and which, indeed, they required very much ; the complaint of the 
eyes, occasioned by living on the water, and increased by the fine sand of the plains, 
being now universal. A little before sunset, the Chimnapoos, amounting to one 
hundred men and a few women, came to the village, and joining the Wollawollahs, 
who were about the same number of men, formed themselves in a circle round our 
camp, and waited very patiently till our men were disposed to dance, which they 
did for about an hour, to the tune of the violin. They then requested to see the 
Indians dance. With this they readily complied, and the whole assemblage, 
amounting, with the women and children of the village, to several hundred, stood 
up, and sang and danced at the same time. The exercise was not, indeed, very 
graceful, for the greater part of them were formed into a solid column, round a kind 
of hollow square, stood on the same place, and merely jumped up at intervals, to 
keep time to the music. Some, however, of the more active warriors entered the 
square and danced round it sidewise, and some of our men joined in the dance, to 
the great satisfaction of the Indians. The dance continued till ten o'clock the next 
morning. In the course of the day we gave small medals to two inferior chiefs, 
each of whom made us a present of a fine horse. We were in a poor condition to 
make an adequate acknowledgement for this kindness, but gave several articles, 
among which was a pistol, with some hundred rounds of ammunition. We have, 
indeed, been treated by these people with an unusual degree of kindness and civility. 
* * * We may, indeed, justly affirm that of all the Indians whom we have 
met since leaving the United States, the Wollawollahs were the most hospitable, 
honest and sincere. 

Bidding adieu to these hospitable people, they left the Colum- 
bia on the twenty -ninth of April and followed eastward what is 
known as the "Nez Perce Trail." They went up the Touchet, 
called by them " White Stallion," because of the present Yellept 
had made to Captain Clarke, the Patet and Pataha and down the 
Alpowa to Snake river, which they crossed and followed up the 
north side of Clearwater until they reached the village of Twisted - 
hair, where had been left their horses the fall before. The Lolo 
trail was not yet free from snow, and for six weeks they resided 
among the Nez Perces, a tribe closely woven into the history of 
this region. Of them and the intercourse held with them the fall 
before, the journal says: — 

The Chopunnish, or Pierce-nosed, "nation, who reside on the Kooskooske and 
Lewis' Rivers, are in person stout, portly, well-looking men ; the women are small, 
with good features, and generally handsome, though the complexion of both sexes 
is darker than that of the Tushepaws. In dress they resemble that nation, being 
fond of displaying their ornaments. The buffalo or elk skin robe decorated with 
beads, sea-shells (chiefly mother-of-pearl), attached to an otter-skin collar, and hung 
in the hair, which falls in front in two queues ; feathers, paint of different kinds 
(principally white, green and light blue), all of which they find in their own 
country ; these are the chief ornaments they use. In winter they wear a short shirt 
of dressed skins, long painted leggings and moccasins, and a plait of twisted grass 
around the neck, The dress of the women is more simple, consisting of a long shirt 
of argalia or ibex skin, reaching down to the ankles without a girdle ; to this are 
tied little pieces of brass and shells, and other small articles ; but the head is not at 



142 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

all ornamented. The dress of the female is, indeed, more modest, and more studi- 
ously so, than any we have observed, though the other sex is careless of the inde- 
licacy of exposure. The Chopunnish have very few amusements, for their life is 
painful and laborious ; and all their exertions are necessary to earn even their pre- 
carious subsistence. During the summer and autumn they are busily occupied in 
fishing for salmon, and collecting their winter store of roots. In the winter they 
hunt the deer on snow-shoes over the plains, and towards spring cross the moun- 
tains to the Missouri, for the purpose of trafficing for buffalo robes. The incon- 
veniences of that comfortless life are increased by frequent encounters with their 
enemies from the west, who drive them over the mountains with the loss of their 
horses, and sometimes the lives of many of the nation. Though originally the 
same people, their dialect varies very perceptibly from that of the Tushepaws ; 
their treatment of us differed much from the kind and disinterested services of the 
Shoshonees (Snakes) ; they are indeed selfish and avaricious; they part very reluc- 
tantly with every article of food or clothing ; and while they expect a recompense 
for every service, however small, do not concern themselves about reciprocating 
any presents we may give them. They are generally healthy — the only disorders, 
which we have had occasion to remark, being of a scrofulous kind, and for these, 
as well as for the amusement of those who are in good health, hot and cold bathing 
is very commonly used. The soil of these prairies is of a light yellow clay, inter- 
mixed with small, smooth grass ; it is barren, and produces little more than a 
bearded grass about three inches high, and a prickly pear, of which we now found 
three species. 

It is very evident that these gentlemen were not acquainted with 
the attributes' of the succulent bunch grass, nor of the soil, for those 
prairies constitute the now celebrated wheat lands of Eastern Ore- 
gon and Washington and Northern Idaho. 

They made an unsuccessful attempt to cross the Bitterroot 
Mountains on the fifteenth of June, but found the trails blocked 
with snow. On the thirtieth, however, they safely crossed. On 
the fourth of July it was decided to pursue two routes for a dis- 
tance; accordingly, Captain Lewis, with a portion of the party, 
crossed the Rocky Mountains to the Missouri, and followed down 
the main stream, exploring the larger tributaries and learning much 
of the geography of Montana. With the remainder of the party 
Clarke crossed to the Yellowstone, and descended that stream to 
its mouth, uniting again with Captain Lewis some distance below 
that point on the twelfth of August. There stands to the present 
day on the south bank of the Yellowstone, between the cities of 
Miles City and Billings, a monument to commemorate the visit of 
this expedition. It is known as " Pompey's Pillar," and consists of 
a detached body of yellow sandstone, which rises abruptly on three 
sides to the height of four hundred feet. On the north side, at a 
place which can be reached by clambering over the heavy blocks 



OVERLAND JOURNEYS TO THE PACIFIC. 143 

of sandstone broken down from the body of the cliff, in a place 
sheltered from the elements by an overhanging wall of rock, the 
leader carved his autograph ; and the characters, " William Clarke, 
July 25, 1806,'' can be still distinctly traced. When again united, 
the party continued their journey down the Missouri, and reached 
St. Louis September 25, 1806, having been absent nearly two and 
one -half years. 

The return of Lewis and Clarke was the cause of great rejoicing 
in the United States. Mr. Jefferson says: " Never did a similar 
event excite more joy throughout the United States. The humblest 
of its citizens had taken a lively interest in the issue of this journey, 
and looked forward with impatience to the information it would 
furnish. Their anxieties, too, for the safety of the corps had been 
kept in a state of excitement by lugubrious rumors, circulated from 
time to time on uncertain authorities, and uncontradicted by letters, 
or other direct information, from the time they had left the Manclan 
towns, on their ascent up the river in April of the preceding year, 
1805, until their actual return to St. Louis." Captain Lewis was, 
soon after his return, appointed Governor of Louisiana, with which 
his journey had rendered him more familiar than any other man 
except his associate ; and Captain Clarke was appointed General of 
Militia of the same Territory, and agent for Indian affairs in that 
vast region he had explored. During a period of temporary mental 
derangement, Captain Lewis died by his own hand, in September, 
1809, before he had fully completed his narrative of the journey. 
The history of the expedition was prepared from his manuscript 
under the direction of Captain Clarke, and was first published in 
1814. The general details, however, were spread throughout the 
country immediately upon their return, especially on the frontier. 
During their absence other exploring parties were traversing Louis- 
iana in various directions in search of information for the govern- 
ment. Lieutenant Pike ascended the Mississippi to its headwaters 
in 1805, and the following year journeyed south westward from the 
mouth of the Missouri to the sources of the Arkansas, Red and 
Rio Bravo del Norte. At the same time Dunbar, Hunter and 
Sibley explored Red River and its companion streams. These 
explorations served to greatly stimulate the fur trade carried on 



144 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

from St. Louis and Mackinaw, as well as to strengthen the govern- 
ment in its purpose of adhering to its right to Louisiana. 

When Great Britain received the official notification mentioned 
by President Jefferson in his letter of instructions to Captain Lewis, 
which was quickly followed by intelligence that the region to which 
it referred had been ceded by France to the United States, much 
anxiety was felt by the Government and such of its subjects as were 
personally interested in the country under consideration. Espec-* 
ially were the Northwest and Hudson's Bay Companies anxious for 
the future of their interests in that region, more particularly the 
former, whose hunters were operating further south and west than 
those of the rival company. The French claim to Louisiana, 
founded solely upon technical grounds, had not been a source of 
much uneasiness; but now that it had been transferred to a nation 
both able and anxious to make an effort to perfect the title by re- 
ducing the country to actual possession, the matter presented an en- 
tirely different aspect. Naturally, the technical title was not recog- 
nized in its entirety ; that is, there was a vast region lying north of i 
the forty -second parallel and west of the Rocky Mountains, known 
a few years later as " Oregon," and embracing the watershed of the 
Columbia River, which might be held by the United States under 
the Louisiana title and the discovery right of Captain Gray, pro- 
vided these claims were perfected by actual occupation; similar oc- 
cupation might entitle Great Britain to its possession as a perfec- 
tion of her technical title, claimed by discovery through Captain 
Francis Drake, and exploration by Captain Cook, Captain Vancou- 
ver and Alexander Mackenzie. Both nations having color of title, 
possession became the decisive issue. The Northwest Company im- 
mediately sent a party to establish trading posts on the Columbia, 
under command of a trusted agent named Laroque. He started in 
1804, but failed to progress farther than the Mandan country, and 
the Columbia stations were not established. Simon Fraser, another 
agent of the company, left Fort Chipewyan in 1805, and followed 
the route pursued formerly by Mackenzie until he reached Fraser 
River. At Fraser Lake, a few miles west of the point where the 
river turns to the southward, he established a trading post, bestow- 
ing the name "New Caledonia" upon that region. As the Fraser 
was then considered identical with the Columbia, it was supposed 






OVERLAND JOURNEYS TO THE PACIFIC. 145 

that this post was on the great stream for the possession of which 
England and America were contending. Though this idea was 
subsequently learned to be erroneous, the fact remained true that 
the post was the first establishment made by the subjects of either 
nation west of the Rocky Mountains. The Americans were uot far 
behind, for the Missouri Fur Company was organized in 1808, with 
headquarters at St. Louis. The same year trading posts were es- 
tablished on the affluents of the Mississippi and Missouri, and one 
of the agents of the company, named Henry, crossed the Rocky 
Mountains, and founded Fort Henry, on the headwaters of Lewis, 
or Snake, River, the first American establishment, and, as it proved, 
the first of any kind on a tributary of the Columbia. The next was 
made nearer the mouth of the stream in 1810, by an American whose 
name has been variously given by superficial historians as " Smith," 
U T. Winship" and "Nathaniel Winship," none of which are cor- 
rect. Early in 1809 a partnership was formed in Boston between 
Abiel Winship, Jonathan Winship, Nathan Winship, Benjamin 
P. Homer and a few others, for the purpose of founding a settle- 
ment on the Columbia as a base of trading operations, the settle- 
ment to be a permanent one. With everything necessary to the suc- 
cess of the project, Nathan Winship sailed in the Albatross in July, 
William Smith being his chief mate. He carried written instruc- 
tions, by which it appears that the projectors of the enterprise were 
wise enough to believe that Indian character was the same on the 
Pacific as it had been found to be on the Atlantic. It was the de- 
sign to buy the land from the natives; to erect a two-story log 
house with port-holes for cannon and loop-holes for rifles; the 
second story to be the arsenal where all the arms and ammunition 
were to be stored, and to which no Indian was to be admitted upon 
any consideration, entrance to be effected by means of a trap door 
and ladder ; agriculture to be carried on under the guns of the fort, 
which was always to be guarded by a sufficient force. William A. 
Gale kept a journal, which gives the details of the expedition. 
When the Albatross reached the Sandwich Islands, Winship found a 
letter there from his brother Jonathan, who was in command of the 
trading vessel G Cain, advising him to make haste, as the Russians 
had designs on the Columbia. It was the twenty-sixth of May, 1810, 
that the Albatross entered the river and began sounding it to locate 



146 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

the channel, gradually ascending the stream. On the first of June 
Winship and Smith selected a point on the south bank of the stream 
some forty miles above its mouth, which they called " Oak Point," 
because they observed there four oak trees, the first they had seen 
since entering the river. The place now known as " Oak Point " is 
on the opposite side of the river, a fact which has led some writers 
into the error of stating that this first American settlement on the 
Columbia was made in Washington Territory. They at once began 
preparations in accordance with their plans, such as hewing logs for 
the fort and clearing a patch of the fertile tract for a garden; but 
they were soon initiated into the mysteries of the " June Rise," for 
the annual freshets of that season covered their building site and 
garden patch to the depth of several feet long before they had the 
fort erected. A patch of higher ground five hundred yards further 
down the stream was selected, and the logs floated down to it, but 
as the natives had begun to exhibit symptoms of hostility, Winship 
decided to abandon the effort. On the seventeenth of June he 
dropped down to the mouth of the river, learning on the way that 
only his vigilance had prevented the capture of his vessel by the 
Chinooks. He then sailed on a trading voyage, expecting to return 
the next year and found a settlement, but in this he was forestalled 
by the Astor party. The Albatross had quite a string of adven- 
tures before again reaching Boston, being seized once on the Cali- 
fornia coast, and once blockaded by British men of war at the 
Hawaiian Islands. Thus were the first two settlements on the river 
made by Americans, and it will be seen that the third and most 
important was also made by them. 






CHAPTER X. 

ASTORIA AND THE JOINT OCCUPATION TREATY. 

The Pacific Fur Trade at the Beginning of the Present Century — Ameri- 
cans in the Lead — Their Plan of Operations — Russia Complains of 
the Sale of Fire-Arms to the Indians — John Jacob Astor's Plans — 
The Pacific Fur Company Organized — Aster's Alien Partners — The 
"Tonquin" Sails from New York — Dissensions on the Voyage — Dan- 
gers of the Columbia Bar — Astoria Founded — Sad Fate of the " Ton- 
quin " and Her Crew — Appearance at Astoria of an Agent of the 
Northwest Company — Fort Ohinagan — Launch of the " Dolly " — 
Sufferings of Wilson Price Hunt's Party — Operations along the 
Columbia — Astoria Sold to the Northwest Company — Captured by 
the English and Named u Fort George" — Unsuccessful Efforts of 
Mr. Astor to Regain Possession — Negotiations under the Treaty of 
Ghent — Conflicting Claims to Oregon Advanced by England and the 
United States — Technical Surrender of Fort George — Joint Occu- 
pation Agreed Upon — The Florida Treaty. 

DURING the first ten years of the present century, Americans 
took the lead in the fishing and fur trade of the Pacific, though 
the vessels of other nations were not an unfrequent sight to the 
waters of our coast. The reasons for this were simple. Russians 
did not enjoy the privilege of entering the few Chinese ports open 
to the commerce of more favored nations, and therefore did their 
trading by land from Kamtchatka, as previously described; the 
English independent traders were excluded from the Pacific by the 
monopoly grants of the East India Company and South Sea Com- 
pany. Naturally this usurpation of the fur trade by Americans 
was distasteful to rival nations, and especially to the English, who 
did not then, and, in fact, seldom do now, recognize the enterprise 
and commercial spirit of the "Yankees 1 ' as commendable, or admit 



148 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

their superiority, or even equality, in anything. Though often the 
representatives of wealthy and long- established business houses, 
these traders were classed by them as "adventurers," and very 
slightingly spoken of, while their skill as navigators and judgment 
as traders were not recognized as deserving of praise. Archibald 
Campbell gives the following contemptuous review of the "Yan- 
kee" method of conducting the fur trade: — 

These adventurers set out on the voyage with a few trinkets of very little value. 
In the Southern Pacific, they pick up a few seal skins, and perhaps a few butts of 
oil; at the Gallipagos, they lay in turtle, of which they preserve the shells; at Val- 
paraiso, they raise a few dollars in exchange for European articles ; at Nootka, and 
other parts of the Northwest Coast, they traffic with the natives for furs, which, when 
winter commences, they carry to the Sandwich Islands, to dry and preserve from 
vermin; here they leave their own people to take care of them, and, in the spring, 
embark, in lieu, the natives of the islands, to assist in navigating to the Northwest 
Coast in search of more skins. The remainder of the cargo is then made up of 
sandal, which grows abundantly in the woods of Atooi and Owyhee (Hawaii), of 
tortoise shells, shark's fins, and pearls of an inferior kind, all of which are accept- 
able in the Chinese market ; and with these and their dollars they purchase cargoes 
of teas, silks and nankins, and thus complete their voyage in the course of two or 
three years. 

With the exception of the assertion that their outward cargo 
consisted solely of a "few trinkets," this may be called a correct 
statement of the Yankee method, and, so far from proving them to 
have been mere adventurers, shows that their voyages were con- 
ducted with a clear idea of the nature of the Chinese trade and the 
only successful method of conducting it. Had the traders of rival 
nations shown the same good judgment and managed their enter- 
prises in the same systematic manner, they would have met with a 
greater measure of success. Tne vessels were generally large ones, 
dispatched by wealthy merchants, and besides the trinkets, carried 
valuable cargoes of English and American manufactured goods, 
with which they supplied the Kussian and Spanish settlements on 
the Coast. The Eussians in particular were dependent upon the 
American traders for ammunition, sugar, spirits, and manufactured 
articles generally. The " trinkets " spoken of were used in the 
Indian trade, as has been the custom from time immemorial with 
civilized nations in their dealings with inferior races. Commer- 
cially of little value, they were highly prized by the natives, who 
would give for them more furs than they would offer for some object 
worth ten times the amount, but which did not strike their fancy, 



ASTORIA AXD THE JOINT OCCUPATION TREATY. 149 

or was of no use to thera in their manner of living. This method 
of trading with the Indians was practiced as much by the Hudson's 
Bay Company and Northwest Company as by the Americans; nor 
was it coniined to English-speaking nations, for the Russians also 
bartered beads and cheap ornaments for valuable furs. Such arti- 
cles have always been considered a " valuable consideration " by 
every nation in dealing with uncivilized races. 

Certain of these traders were guilty of improper and impolitic 
conduct, however, and this was the chief cause of bringing them 
into disrepute. They used whisky and fire-arms as articles of mer- 
chandise, reaping present profit, but sowing the seeds of decay which 
have swept away the native inhabitants of the Coast likes flies by 
an October frost. It would, at the first glance, seem that the pos- 
session of fire-arms by the Indians would enable them to hunt more 
successfully, and thus, by rendering the supply of furs more abun- 
dant, add to the profit of the traders; but there was another face to 
the matter. Irving says: "In this way several fierce tribes in the 
vicinity of the Russian posts, or within range of their trading excur- 
sions, were furnished with deadly means of warfare, and rendered 
troublesome and dangerous neighbors." The Russians were ex- 
tremely harsh and illiberal in their dealings with the aborigines, 
winning their hostility instead of good will, and they naturally 
objected to the placing of the defrauded tribes on an equality with 
themselves in the matter of weapons of war. Complaint was made 
by the Russian Government to the State Department; but as the 
American traders were violating no law or treaty, the Government 
could not interfere directly. It did, however, use its influence to 
effect a remedy. John Jacob Astor was then the central figure of 
the American fur trade, being engaged extensively in that business 
in the region of the great lakes and headwaters of the Mississippi, 
and was the leading merchant of New York City. His attention 
was called to the matter and he soon devised an effectual remedy. 
His idea was to concentrate the trade in the hands of a company 
which would conduct it properly, and one of the means of doing 
this was to supply the Russian posts by contract, and thus cut off 
one of the most profitable elements of the Pacific trade from the 
independent traders. His plan was to establish a permanent post 
at the mouth of the Columbia, which would be the headquarters for 



150 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

a large trade with the interior and along the coast, and to supply 
this post and the Russian settlements by means of a vessel sent an- 
nually from New York, which should also convey the furs to China 
and take home from there a cargo of silk, tea, etc. The independ- 
ent traders would thus be superseded by a company which would 
establish posts along the Columbia, a thing earnestly desired by the 
Government, and the cause of irritation to Russia would be removed. 
The scheme was heartily endorsed by the President and Cabinet. 
As has been shown, President Jefferson had been for years a warm 
advocate of American supremacy along the Columbia, and in a let- 
ter written to Mr. Astor in later years, said of his opinion at that 
time: "I considered, as a great public acquisition, the commence- 
ment of a settlement in that part of the western coast of America, 
and looked forward with gratification to the time when its descend- 
ants had spread themselves through the whole length of the coast, 
covering it with free and independent Americans, unconnected with 
us but by the ties of blood and interest, and enjoying like us the 
lights of self-government." How vastly grander is the actual than 
even this grand conception of one of the greatest statesmen America 
has produced! 

Mr. Astor organized the Pacific Fur Company, himself supply- 
ing the capital and owning a half interest. To manage operations 
in the field, he selected competent men of much experience in the 
fur trade, and to bind them to his interests he gave them the other 
half share in the enterprise, divided in equal proportions. Wisdom 
and prudence marked every step taken, with the exception of the 
selection of partners. Among these were several men who had 
formerly belonged to, or were employed by, the Northwest Com- 
pany. They were of alien birth and sympathies. When they 
united with Mr. Astor it was simply as a commercial venture, by 
which they hoped to better themselves financially. His purpose of 
founding an American settlement on the Columbia, so that the 
United States might dominate this region, was not in harmony with 
their national sentiments. They were British in thought and sym- 
pathy, even- as partners in an American enterprise, and could not 
be relied upon to support the interests of the United States when 
they came in conflict in the disputed territory with those of Great 
Britain, as represented by the great company in which they had 



ASTORIA AND THE JOINT OCCUPATION TREATY. 1 5 1 

received their training and to which they were attached by the 
strongest ties which time and association can weave. In an enter- 
prise so purely American and of such deep political significance, 
Washington's injunction to " Put none but Americans on guard " 
should have been wisely heeded ; and the failure so to do was most 
disastrous in its consequences. These men were Alexander McKay 
(father of the well known Tom. McKay and grandfather of Dr. 
William C. McKay, of Pendleton, Oregon ), who had accompanied 
Mackenzie on both of his great journeys, Duncan McDougal, David 
and Eobert Stuart, and Donald McKenzie. So far from undertak- 
ing to Americanize themselves, these gentlemen took, the precaution 
before leaving Canada to provide themselves with proofs of their 
British citizenship, to be used for their protection in case of future 
difficulties between the two nations. Had this been known to Mr. 
Astor it would doubtless have put a sudden termination to their 
connection with the enterprise. Only one American, Wilson Price 
Hunt, of New Jersey, was an interested partner from the first, and 
to him was entrusted the management of the enterprise on the 
Pacific Coast. 

The first movement was made on the second of August, 1810, 
when the ship Tonquin sailed from New York for the mouth of 
the Columbia, commanded by Captain Jonathan Thorn, a Lieuten- 
ant of the United States Navy, on leave of absence. She mounted 
ten guns, had a crew of twenty men, and carried a large cargo of 
supplies for the company, and merchandise for trading with the 
natives, as well as implements and seeds for cultivating the soil, 
and the fame of a small schooner for use in trading along the coast. 
She carried, as passengers, McKay, McDougal, the two Stuarts, 
twelve clerks (among them Tom McKay), several artisans, and 
thirteen Canadian voyageurs. The voyage was uneventful, except 
as regards the dissensions that arose between the American Captain 
and the Scotch partners. Captain Thorn was a strict disciplinarian. 
He possessed great respect for himself as an officer of the Ameri- 
can Navy, and had inherited from Revolutionary sires a lasting 
contempt for "Britishers." He considered the authority of a com- 
mander on the deck of his vessel as supreme, even to the point of 
autocracy, and he made the Scotchmen understand this idea the first 
time they undertook to exercise any of the authority they conceived 



152 HISTOKY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

themselves to be possessed of as partners in the company. He 
informed them that when they were on shore they could do as they 
pleased, but when they were on board of his vessel they must do as 
he pleased or be put in irons. He held himself responsible in his 
management of the Tonquin solely to Mr. Astor, from whom he had 
received his instructions, and would brook no interference what- 
ever from the lesser partners, whom he considered as simply pas- 
sengers. It may well be imagined that when the ship reached 
the Columbia Bar, on the twenty- second of the following March, 
after a voyage of nearly eight months, the snubbed partners were 
delighted at the prospect of soon setting foot on shore, where they 
could exercise a little of that authority which had been so com- 
pletely bottled up; while Captain Thorn was equally pleased to be 
rid of his passengers, who had been a continual source of annoy- 
ance during the voyage. 

When the Tonquin arrived off the bar the weather was stormy 
and the breakers rolled high. He feared to take his vessel across 
an unknown bar in such a rough sea. This fear was not a personal 
one, for he was as brave as he was headstrong, but was solely in 
reference to the safety of his vessel, to secure which he would have 
forfeited his own life and those of his entire crew, had it been nec- 
essary to do so. He accordingly ordered Mr. Fox, the first mate, 
to take a whale boat, with a crew of one seaman and three Cana- 
dians, and explore the channel. Although it was almost certain 
death to make the attempt, Mr. Fox expressed a willingness to 
undertake it if he were provided with a crew of seamen instead of 
the green Canadians; but the willful captain insisted upon the exe- 
cution of his order as originally given. The surging billows soon 
engulfed the boat and its brave crew, and they were seen no more. 
The next day another boat was sent on the same errand, and was 
swept out to sea by the tide and current, and only one of its occu- 
pants finally reached land in safety. Just as darkness closed down 
upon the scene, on the second day, the Tonquin succeeded in cross- 
ing, and anchored just within the bar, where the wind and ebbing 
tide threatened to sweep her from her precarious hold upon the 
sands and swamp her amid the rolling breakers. The night was an 
anxious and distressful one. Irving says: u The wind whistled, the 
sea roared, the gloom was only broken by the ghastly glare of the 



ASTORIA AND THE JOINT OCCUPATION TREATY. 153 

foaming breakers, the minds of the seamen were full of dreary 
apprehensions, and some of them fancied they heard the cries of 
their lost comrades mingling with the uproar of the elements.'" In 
the morning the Tonquin passed safely in and came to anchor in a 
good harbor. 

On the twelfth of April the partners began the erection of a fort 
on the south side of the river, on a point which Lieutenant Brough- 
ton had named " Point George. 1 ' This was christened " Astoria," 
in honor of the founder and chief promoter of the enterprise, a 
name now borne by a thriving commercial city, which marks the 
spot where America first planted her foot squarely upon the dis- 
puted territory of Oregon. After much delay and continued wrang- 
ling over their respective authority, a store-house was built and the 
supplies landed; and on the fifth of June, before the fort was com- 
pleted, Captain Thorn sailed northward to engage in trade with the 
Indians, and to open that friendly communication with the Russian 
settlements which formed such an inrportant feature of Mr. Astor's 
plan. "With him went Alexander McKay, the only partner who 
had possessed the good sense to refrain from wrangling with the 
irascible captain. 

He came to anchor in one of the harbors on the west coast of 
Vancouver Island, and Mr. McKay went ashore. During his ab- 
sence the vessel was surrounded by a host of savages in their ca- 
noes, who soon swarmed upon the decks. They were eager to trade, 
but had evidently had considerable experience in dealing with the 
whites and were well posted upon the value of their furs, for they 
resolutely demanded a higher price than Captain Thorn was will- 
ing to pay. Provoked beyond measure at their stubbornness, Thorn 
refused to deal with them, whereupon they became exceedingly inso- 
lent. The Captain at last completely lost his temper, and seizing 
the old chief, Nookamis, who was following him about and taunting 
him with his stinginess, rubbed in his face an otter skin he had 
been endeavoring to sell. He then ordered the whole band to leave 
the ship, and added blows to enforce his command. The tragic 
ending of this adventure is thus related by Irving: — 

When Mr. McKay returned on board, the interpreter related what had passed, 
and begged him to prevail upon the Captain to make sail, as, from his knowledge 
of the temper and pride of the people of the place, he was sure they would resent 
the indignity offered to one of their chiefs. Mr. McKay, who himself possessed 



154 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

some experience of Indian character, went to the Captain, who was still pacing the 
deck in moody humor, represented the danger to which his hasty act had exposed 
the vessel, and urged upon him to weigh anchor. The Captain made light of his 
counsels, and pointed to his cannon and fire-arms as a sufficient safeguard against 
naked savages. Further remonstrance only provoked taunting replies and sharp 
altercations. The day passed away without any signs of hostility, and at night the 
Captain retired, as usual, to his cabin, taking no more than usual precautions. On 
the following morning, at daybreak, while the Captain and Mr. McKay were yet 
asleep, a canoe came alongside in which were twenty Indians, commanded by 
young Shewish. They were unarmed, their aspect and demeanor friendly, and 
they held up otter skins, and made signs indicative of a wish to trade. The caution 
enjoined by Mr. Astor in respect to the admission of Indians on board of the 
ship, had been neglected for some time past, and the officer of the watch, perceiv- 
ing those in the canoes to be without weapons, and having received no orders to 
the contrary, readily permitted them to mount the deck. Another canoe soon suc- 
ceeded, the crew of which was likewise admitted. In a little while other canoes 
came off, and Indians were soon clambering into the vessel on all sides. 

The officer of the watch now felt alarmed, and called to Captain Thorn and Mr. 
McKay. By the time they came on deck, it was thronged with Indians. The 
interpreter noticed to Mr. McKay that many of the natives wore short mantles .of 
skins, and intimated a suspicion that they were secretly armed. Mr. McKay 
urged the Captain to clear the ship and get under way. He again made light of 
the advice ; but the augmented swarm of canoes about the ship, and the numbers 
still putting off from the shore, at length awakened his distrust, and he ordered 
some of the crew to weigh anchor, while some were sent aloft to make sail. The 
Indians now offered to trade with the Captain on his own terms, prompted, 
apparently, by the approaching departure of the ship. Accordingly, a hurried 
trade was commenced. The main articles sought by the savages in barter, were 
knives ; as fast as some were supplied they moved off and others succeeded. By 
degrees they were thus distributed about the deck, and all with weapons. The an- 
chor was now nearly up, the sails were loose, and the Captain, in a loud and pre- 
emptory tone, ordered the ship to be cleared. In an instant a signal yell was given ; 
it was echoed on every side, knives and war clubs were brandished in every direc- 
tion, and the savages rushed upon their marked victims. 

The first that fell was Mr. Lewis, the ship's clerk. He was leaning, with folded 
arms, over a bale of blankets, engaged in bargaining, when he received a deadly 
stab in the back, and fell down the companionway. Mr. McKay, who was seated on 
the taffrail, sprang to his feet, but was instantly knocked down with a war-club 
and flung backwards into the sea, where he was dispatched by the women in the 
canoes. In the meantime, Captain Thorn made desperate fight against fearful 
odds. He was a powerful as well as resolute man, but he came upon deck without 
weapons. Shewish, the young chief, singled him out as his peculiar prey, and 
rushed upon him at the first outbreak. The Captain had barely time to draw a 
clasp-knife, with one blow of which he laid the young savage dead at his feet. Sev- 
eral of the stoutest followers of Shewish now set upon him. He defended himself 
vigorously, dealing crippling blows to right and left, and strewing the quarterdeck 
with the slain and wounded. His object was to fight his way to the cabin, where 
there were fire-arms ; but he was hemmed in with foes, covered with wounds, and 
faint with loss of blood. For an instant he leaned upon the tiller wheel, when a 
blow from behind, with a war-club, felled him to the deck, where he was dis- 
patched with knives and thrown overboard. 

While this was transacting upon the quarterdeck, a chance medley was going 
on throughout the ship. The crew fought desperately with knives, handspikes 



ASTORIA AND THE JOINT OCCUPATION TREATY. 155 

and whatever weapons they could seize upon in the moment of surprise. They 
were soon, however, overpowered by numbers and mercilessly butchered. As to 
the seven who had been sent aloft to make sail, they contemplated with horror the 
carnage that was going on below. Being destitute of weapons, they let themselves 
down by the running rigging, in hopes of getting between decks. One fell in the 
attempt, and was instantly dispatched ; another received a death-blow in the back 
as he was descending ; a third, Stephen Weeks, the armorer, was mortally wounded 
as he was getting down the hatchway. The remaining four made good their re- 
treat into the cabin, where they found Mr. Lewis still alive, though mortally 
wounded. Barricading the cabin door, they broke holes through the companion- 
way, and, with muskets and ammunition which were at hand, opened a brisk fire 
that soon cleared the deck. Thus far the Indian interpreter, from whom these 
particulars are derived, had been an eye-witness of the deadly conflict. He had 
taken no part in it and had been spared by the natives as being of their race. In 
the confusion of the moment he took refuge with the rest, in the canoes. The sur- 
vivors of the crew now sallied forth and discharged some of the deck guus, which 
did great execution among the canoes and drove all the savages to shore. 

For the remainder of the day no one ventured to put off to the ship, deterred by 
the effects of the fire-arms. The night passed away without any further attempt on 
the part of the natives. When day dawned the Tonquin still lay at anchor in the 
bay, her sails all loose and flapping in the wind, and no one apparently on board of 
her. After a time, some of the canoes ventured forth to reconnoitre, taking with 
them the interpreter. They paddled about her, keeping cautiously at a distance, 
but growing more and more emboldened at seeing her quiet and lifeless. One man 
at length made his appearance on the deck and was recognized by the interpreter 
as Mr. Lewis. He made friendly signs and invited them on board. It was long 
before they ventured to comply. Those who mounted the deck met with no oppo- 
sition ; no one was to be seen on board, for Mr. Lewis, after inviting them, had dis- 
appeared. Other canoes now pressed forward to board the prize ; the decks were 
soon crowded and the sides covered with clambering savages, all intent on plunder. 
In the midst of their eagerness and exultation, the ship blew up with a tremendous 
explosion. Arms, legs and mutilated bodies were blown into the air, and dreadful 
havoc was made in the surrounding canoes. The interpreter was in the maiu 
chains at the time of the explosion, and was thrown unhurt into the water, where 
he succeeded in getting into one of the canoes. According to his statement the bay 
presented an awful spectacle after the catastrophe. The ship had disappeared, but 
the bay was covered with fragments of the wreck, with shattered canoes, and 
Indians swimming for their lives or struggling in the agonies of death ; while those 
who had escaped the danger remained aghast and stupified, or made with frantic 
panic for the shore. Upwards of a hundred savages were destroyed by the explo- 
sion, many more were shockingly mutilated, and for days afterwards the limbs and 
bodies of the slain were thrown upon the beach. 

The inhabitants of Xeweetee were overwhelmed with consternation at this 
astounding calamity which had burst upon them in the very moment of triumph. 
The warriors sat mute and mournful, while the women filled the air with loud lam- 
entations. Their weeping and wailing, however, was suddenly changed into yells 
of fury at the sight of four unfortunate white men brought captive into the village. 
They had been driven on shore in one of the ship's boats, and taken at some dis- 
tance along the coast. The interpreter was permitted to converse with them. They 
proved to be the four brave fellows who had made such desperate defense from the 
cabin. The interpreter gathered from them some of the particulars already related. 
They told him further that, after they had beaten off the enemy, and cleared 
the ship, Lewis advised that they should slip the cable and endeavor to get to sea. 



156 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

They declined to take his advice, alleging that the wind set too strongly into the 
bay, and would drive them on shore. They resolved, as soon as it was dark, to put 
off quietly in the ship's boat, which they would be able to do unperceived, and to 
coast along back to Astoria. They put their resolution into effect ; but Lewis re- 
fused to accompany them, being disabled by his wound, hopeless of escape and 
determined on a terrible revenge. On the voyage out he had frequently expressed 
a presentiment that he should die by his own hands— thinking it highly probable 
that he should be engaged in some contests with the natives, and being resolved, in 
case of extremity, to commit suicide rather than be made a prisoner. He now de- 
clared his intention to remain on the ship until daylight, to decoy as many of the 
savages on board as possible, then to set fire to the powder magazine and terminate 
his life by a single act of vengeance. How well he succeeded has been shown. 
His companions bade him a melancholy adieu and set off on their precarious expe- 
dition. They strove with might and main to get out of the bay, but found it im- 
possible to weather a point of land, and were at length compelled to take shelter 
in a small cove, where they hoped to remain concealed until the wind should be 
more favorable. Exhausted by fatigue and watching, they fell into a sound sleep, 
and in that state were surprised by the savages. Better had it been for those un- 
fortunate men had they remained with Lewis and shared his heroic death ; as it 
was, they perished in a more painful and protracted manner, being sacrificed by 
the natives to the manes of their friends with all the lingering tortures of savage 
cruelty. Some time after their death the interpreter, who had remained a kind of 
prisoner at large, effected his escape and brought the tragical tidings to Astoria. 

While this sad tragedy was being enacted, affairs progressed 
rapidly at Astoria. The fort was completed and everything was 
placed in readiness for an opening of the expected large trade with 
the natives of the Columbia. On the fifteenth of July a canoe, 
manned by nine white men, was observed descending the river, and 
when they landed at the fort they were found to be a party of em- 
ployees of the powerful Northwest Company, headed by David 
Thompson, a partner in that great organization. He had been dis- 
patched from Montreal the year before, for the purpose of taking 
possession of the mouth of the Columbia before the Astor party 
should arrive. He had experienced much hardship, disappointment 
and delay ; had been deserted by nearly all his party, and now, with 
but a few faithful ones, he arrived too late to accomplish his mis- 
sion. The Americans wpre in possession. The Northwest Com- 
pany held a warm place in McDougal's heart, and as that gentle- 
man was in charge at Astoria, Thompson received a cordial wel- 
come, and was bountifully supplied with provisions and necessaries 
for his return journey, notwithstanding the fact that he was but a 
spy upon his hosts. When he set out upon his return, eight days 
later, he was entrusted with a letter to Mr. Astor, giving the presi- 
dent of the company information of the safe arrival of the Tonquin, 



ASTORIA AND THE JOINT OCCUPATION TREATY. 157 

the founding of Astoria, and the absence of the vessel upon a trad- 
ing voyage to the north, for the destruction of the ship and tragic 
death of the crew were as yet unknown at the fort. With Thomp- 
son went David Stuart, at the head of a party of nine men, with 
instructions to establish a post on the Upper Columbia. This he 
accomplished by founding Fort Okinagan, near the mouth of the 
Okinagan River. In the fall Stuart sent half his men back to 
Astoria, not having sufficient provisions to subsist them all through 
the winter. The schooner whose frame had been brought out in 
the Tonquin, was constructed during the summer, and was launched 
on the second of October, receiving the name of Dolly. She was the 
third craft constructed on the upper coast, and the first built along 
the Columbia River. While these steps were being taken by the 
party which reached Astoria by sea, the other one which attempted 
the overland journey was suffering terrible hardships. 

The land party was under the command of Wilson Price Hunt, 
and was composed of McKenzie and three new partners, Ramsey 
Crooks, Joseph Miller and Robert McLellan; also, John Day, a 
noted Kentucky hunter; Pierre Dorion, a French half-breed inter- 
preter, and enough trappers, voyageurs, etc., to make a total of sixty 
people. They reached Fort Henry, on Snake River, October 8, 
1811. Small detachments were, from time to time, sent out in the 
Rocky Mountains to trap, who were to use Fort Henry as a base of 
supplies and a depot for furs. 

The remainder of the party continued the journey down Snake 
River and met with a continuous succession of disasters. Antoine 
Clappin was drowned in passing a rapid, and soon after famine 
reduced them to a pitiable condition. They were finally forced to 
separate into small detachments, one party going under Crooks, 
another under McKenzie, and a third under Hunt, with the hope that 
by such a division their chances for reaching the mouth of the Col- 
umbia would be increased. Once the parties under Crooks and 
Hunt camped with only the narrow, turbulent waters of Snake 
River separating them. The Hunt party had killed a horse and 
were cooking it, while their starving companions on the opposite side 
of the stream, with no means of crossing it, were forced to look on as 
they dined. Not a man in Mr. Hunt's camp would make an effort 
to send them food, until the arrival of Mr. Crooks, who, discovering 



158 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

the condition of his men on the opposite side, called to the forlorn 
band to start fires for cooking, that no time might be lost, while he 
constructed a canoe out of skins in which to take the meat across to 
them. In vain he tried to shame the more fortunate into helping 
to succor their famishing companions, but "A vague and almost 
superstitious terror," says Irving, " had infected the minds of Mr. 
Hunt's followers, enfeebled and rendered imaginative of horrors by 
the dismal scenes and sufferings through which they had passed. 
They regarded the haggard crew, hovering like spectres of famine on 
the opposite bank, with indefinite feelings of awe and apprehension, 
as if something desperate and dangerous was to be feared from them." 
When the canoe was finished, Mr. Crooks attempted to navigate the 
impetuous stream with it, but found his strength unequal to the 
task, and failing to reach his companions on the opposite bank, 
made another appeal to Hunt's men. Finally, a Kentuckian, named 
Ben. Jones, undertook and made the passage, conveying meat to 
them and then came back. Irving, in describing the sad scene, 
says : — 

A poor Canadian, however, named Jean Baptiste Prevost, whom famine had 
rendered wild and desperate, ran frantically about the banks, after Jones had re- 
turned, crying out to Mr. Hunt to send the canoe for him, and take him from that 
horrible region of famine, declaring that otherwise he would never march another 
step, but would lie down there and die. The canoe was shortly sent over again, 
under the management of Joseph Delaunay, with further supplies. Prevost imme- 
diately pressed forward to embark. Delaunay refused to admit him, telling him 
that there was now a sufficient supply of meat on his side of the river. He replied 
that it was not cooked, and he should starve before it was ready ; he implored, there- 
fore, to be taken where he could get something to appease his hunger immediately. 
Finding the canoe putting off without him, he forced himself aboard. As he drew 
near the opposite shore, and beheld meat roasting before the fire, he jumped up, 
shouted, clapped his hands, and danced in a delirium of joy, until he upset the 
canoe. The poor wretch was swept away by the current and drowned, and it was 
with extreme difficulty that Delaunay reached the shore. Mr. Hunt now sent all 
his men forward excepting two or three. In the evening, he caused another horse 
to be killed, and a canoe to be made out of the skin, in which he sent over a further 
supply of meat to the opposite party. The canoe brought back John Day, the Ken- 
tucky hunter, who came to join his former commander and employer, Mr. Crooks. 
Poor Day, once so active and vigorous, was now reduced to a condition even more 
feeble and emaciated than his companions. Mr. Crooks had such a value for the 
man, on account of his past services and faithful character, that he determined not 
to quit him; he exhorted Mr. Hunt, however, to proceed forward and join the 
party, as his presence was all important to the conduct of the expedition. One of 
the Canadians, Jean Baptiste Dubreuil, likewise remained with Mr. Crooks. 

The occurrences at this starvation camp were on the twentieth of 



ASTORIA AND THE JOINT OCCUPATION TREATY. 159 

December, 1811, both parties being on their way np Snake River 
after having found the descent of that stream impossible. 

It was now their intention to strike across the country for the 
Colimibia, as soon as it was practicable to do so. On the twenty - 
third of December, Mr Hunt's followers crossed to the west side of 
the stream, where they were joined by Crook's men, who were 
already there. The two parties, when united, numbered thirty-six 
souls, and on the next day they turned from the river into a track- 
less country; but, before starting, three more of their number had 
concluded to remain among the savages rather than face the hard- 
ships and trials that lay before them. December 28, 1811, the head 
waters of Grand Ronde River were reached, and the last day of that 
year found them encamped in the valley of that name. Through 
all their perils and wanderings since leaving St. Louis, one woman, 
the Indian wife of Pierre Dorion, a guide, interpreter and trapper, 
had accompanied them, bringing with her two children, and, as the 
party entered the Grand Ronde Valley, she gave birth to another. 
The next day she continued the journey on horseback as though 
nothing had happened, but the little stranger only lived six days. 
Mr. Hunt, after halting one or two days to enable his followers to 
celebrate, in their forlorn way, the advent of a new year that had 
presented to them the Grand Ronde Valley, a kind of winter para- 
dise in the mountains, continued his course to the west. The Blue 
Mountain ridge was passed, and January 8, 1812, an Indian village 
on the Umatilla River close to the mountains was reached, where 
they were hospitably received. From there their route was down 
this stream to the Columbia River, thence to the mouth of the 
latter, arriving at Astoria February 15, 1812. 

Since leaving Fort Henry, October 19, 1811, out of Mr. Hunt's 
party, two men had been drowned on Snake River, and poor Michael 
Carriere, when exhausted, had straggled behind in Grand Ronde 
Valley, and was never heard from afterwards. Ramsey Crooks, 
John Day and four Canadian voyageurs had been left half dead on 
Snake River, to remain in the Indian country, die, or reach the Co- 
lumbia as best thev could. Eleven men, among whom were Donald 
McKenzie, Robert McLellan and the unfortunate John Reed, had 
been detached on Snake River, and following that stream until 
its waters mingled with the Columbia, had reached Astoria a 



160 HISTOKY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

month in advance of Mr. Hunt. Mr. Stuart, when returning from 
his post on the Okinagan, during the first days of April, found Mr. 
Crooks and John Day on the banks of the Columbia River, without 
weapons, nearly starved, and as naked as when born, having been 
robbed and stripped by the Dalles Indians. They had wintered in 
the Blue Mountains about Grand Ronde Valley, and in the spring 
had reached the Walla Wallas, who had fed, succored them, and 
sent them ou their way rejoicing down the river. When found, they 
were making their way back to these early friends of the Americans, 
who never failed to assist our people when in trouble. At length 
all but three of those starting from the head waters of the Snake 
River for Astoria had reached that place, except the four voyageurs, 
and later they, too, were found by a return party. 

On the ninth of May, the ship Beaver, with reinforcements and 
supplies, anchored at Astoria, and the Pacific Fur Company was 
in condition to enter upon a vigorous fur -gathering campaign. Mr. 
Hunt, who was at the head of affairs, set out in July for Alaska to 
fulfill the mission upon which the ill-fated Tonquin had sailed, and 
his departure left Duncan McDougal in charge. Prior to this, 
however, the various expeditions to trap waters and trade with 
natives between the Rocky and Cascade Mountains had started, 
sixty-two strong, up the* Columbia. Among the number was the 
unfortunate John Day, and, as the party approached the scenes of 
his former sufferings, his mind became delirious, and the mere sight 
of an Indian would throw him into a frenzy of passion. He finally 
attempted his own life, but was prevented from taking it, after 
which a constant guard was kept over him. It was at length de- 
termined to send him back to Astoria, and being placed in charge 
of two Indians, he was delivered by them at the fort, where he died 
in less than a year. His old compeers and staunch friends, who had 
shared perils and privations with him, were forced to continue their 
journey with a sad memory of this companion, whose brain had 
been shattered by his many misfortunes. The stream which had 
witnessed his sufferings still bears the heroic trapper's name. The 
arrival of trappers at the present site of Wallula, on the twenty- 
eighth of July, 1812, was the signal for general rejoicing among the 
friendly Walla Wallas, who greeted them with bonfires and a night 
dance, in which they sang the praises of their white friends. Here 



ASTORIA AND THE JOINT OCCUPATION TREATY. 161 

the four expeditions were to separate, Robert Stuart to cross the 
continent by Hunt's route; David Stuart to go up the Columbia to 
Okinagan ; Donald McKenzie to establish a post in the Nez Perce 
country; and John Clarke to locate one among the Spokane Indians. 
Of these several expeditions, Robert Stuart, with his party, includ- 
ing Crooks and McLellan, reached St. Louis eleven months later, 
bearing news to Mr. Astor of his enterprise on the Pacific Coast. 
McKenzie's operations were a failure; David Stuart's success was 
equal to his most sanguine hopes, and Mr. Clarke's efforts resulted 
second only to those of Mr. Stuart. 

On the twenty-fifth of May, 1813, Mr. Clarke started from his 
post on the Spokane to reach the Walla Walla, the place agreed 
upon as a general rendezvous, where the different expeditions were 
to meet and return to Astoria with the furs obtained in their ope- 
rations during the past season. On his way up, Mr. Clarke had 
left his canoes in charge of a Palouse chief, living; at the mouth of 
the river of 'that name, with whom he found them on his return. 
He had twenty-eight horse packs of furs, and all his men were in 
high spirits because of the success that had attended their year's 
work. While stopping at the mouth of this stream to repair their 
canoes, in which to embark upon the river, an incident happened 
that can not well be passed in silence. Mr. Clarke was a strong 
disciplinarian, something of an aristocrat, and disposed to impress 
those with whom he came in contact with the dignity of his pres- 
ence and person. He was in the habit of carrying a silver goblet 
to drink from, and the glittering object carefully guarded by its 
possessor, had a strange fascination for the superstitious Indians. 
In all their land, no such wondrous device had been seen before. 
They talked to each other concerning it, watched its appearance, 
and the care with which the lucky possessor laid it away after 
using. They believed it to be a great medicine, like the spotted 
shirt and the white quilt among the Coeur d'Alenes, a powerful 
talisman to shield its owner from harm. One night it disappeared, 
and Mr. Clarke was enraged. He threatened to hang the first In- 
dian detected in stealing, and the next night an unfortunate one 
was caught in the act. A hasty trial followed, and the prisoner 
was condemned to die, when Mr. Clarke made the assembled sav- 
ages a speech. He recounted the numerous gifts that had been be- 



162 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

stowed, the benefit the white man's presence had been to their peo- 
ple, and then, upbraiding them for thefts, told the Indians that he 
should kill the thief he had captured with pilfered goods. The old 
chief and his followers besought him not to do this. They were 
willing that he should be punished severely, and then let go, but 
the trapper was inexorable, and the poor groveling wretch was 
dragged to a temporary scaffold, constructed from oars, and was 
launched into eternity. The other partners of the Pacific Fur Com- 
pany were unanimous in condemning this act, and Gabriel Fran- 
chere, who was one of the company clerks, wrote concerning the 
killing of the unfortunate John Reed and his party by Indians dur- 
ing the ensuing winter: " We had no doubt that his massacre was 
an act of vengeance, on the part of the natives, in retaliation for 
the death of one of their people, whom Mr. John Clarke had hanged 
for theft the spring before." * Immediately after this hanging the 
party embarked for the mouth of the Walla Walla, where Stuart 
and McKenzie were waiting, and from this point they all continued 
their way down the river, arriving at Astoria, June 12, 1813* 

Upon re -assembling at head quarters, the return expeditions 
found that, upon the whole, it had been a successful year's labor; 
that the peltry brought in, amounting to one hundred and fifty -seven 
packs, if sold at market rates in Canton, would pay well for the 
time spent, and reimburse them for local losses. In addition to this, 
they had become well established in the fur-producing regions, and 
the outlook was very encouraging except for one thing. War had 
been raging between Great Britain and the United States for over 
a year, and they had recently become aware of the fact. On their 
arrival at Astoria, J. G. McTavish, with nineteen men, was found 
camped near by, awaiting the appearance of a vessel called the Isaac 
Todd, sent by the Northwest Company with stores for them, and 
bearing letters of marque, and instructions from the British Govern- 
ment to destroy everything American found on the Pacific Coast. 
This latter fact was unknown at Astoria at the time, however, but 
the non-arrival of supplies by sea, combined with the unfavorable 
news of British success in arms, led the partners to fear that none 
whatever would reach them. They, consequently, determined to 



* This is undoubtedly incorrect, as Reed's party was killed near Fort Henry, several hundred 
miles distant, and by a totally distinct tribe of Indians. 



ASTORIA AND THE JOINT OCCUPATION TREATY. 163 

abandon the country and start on their return overland the ensuing 
year, if their misgivings proved well founded. They sold their 
Spokane fort to McTavish for $848, and then furnished that gentle- 
man with provisions to enable him to return to the upper country, 
and, in July, they visited the interior themselves, to gather what 
furs they could before taking final leave of the country. Three 
months later, McTavish returned to Astoria with a force of seventy - 
five men, for the purpose of meeting the vessel that had caused his 
former visit, bringing, also, the news that her coming to the Colum- 
bia was for the purpose of capturing Astoria, and to assist the 
Northwest Company in gaining ascendency on the coast. He offered 
to buy the furs of the Astorians, and, on the sixteenth of October, 
1813, a transfer of the entire stock, worth at least $100,000, was 
made for less than $40,000. Two months later, on December 12th, 
the fort was surrendered to the English under command of a naval 
officer, Captain Black of the Raccoon, when the American flag was 
lowered to give the British colors place, and the name of Astoria 
was changed to " Fort George." An amusing incident of this trans- 
fer is related by John Ross Cox: — 

The Indians, at the mouth of the Columbia, knew well that Great Britian and 
America were distinct nations, and that they were then at war, but were ignorant 
of the arrangement made between Messrs. McDougal and McTavish, the former of 
whom still continued as nominal chief at the fort. On the arrival of the Raccoon 
which they quickly discovered to be one of "King George's fighting ships," they 
repaired, armed, to the fort, and requested an audience of Mr. McDougal. He was 
somewhat surprised at their numbers and warlike appearance, and demanded the 
object of such an unusual visit. Concomly, the principal chief of the Chinooks 
(whose daughter McDougal had married), thereupon addressed him in a long speech, 
in the course of which he said that King George had sent a ship full of warriors, 
and loaded with nothing but big guns, to take the Americans and make them all 
slaves, and that, as they (the Americans) were the first white men who settled in 
their country, and treated the Indians like good relations, they had resolved to 
defend them from King George's warriors, and were now ready to conceal them- 
selves in the woods close to the wharf, from whence they would be able, with their 
guns and arrows, to shoot all the men that should attempt to land from the English 
boats, while the people in the fort could fire at them with their big guns and rifles. 
This proposition was uttered with an earnestness of manner that admitted no doubt 
of its sincerity. Two armed boats from the Raccoon were approaching, and, had 
the people in the fort felt disposed to accede to the wishes of the Indians, every man 
in them would have been destroyed by an invisible enemy. Mr. McDougal thanked 
them for their friendly offer, but added, that, notwithstanding the nations were at 
war, the people in the boats would not injure him or any of his people, and therefore 
requested them to throw by their war shirts and arms, and receive the strangers as 
their friends. They at first seemed astonished at this answer; but, on assuring 
them, in the most positive manner, that he was under no apprehension, they con- 



164 



HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 



sented to give up their weapons for a few days. They afterwards declared they 
were sorry for having complied with Mr. McDougal's wishes, for when they ob- 
served Captain Black, surrounded by his officers and marines, break the bottle of 
port on the flag-staff, and hoist the British ensign, after changing the name of the 
fort, they remarked that however he might wish to conceal the fact, the Americans 
were undoubtedly made slaves. 

Seventy- eight days after the surrender of Astoria to the British, 
Mr. Hunt arrived at that fort in the brig Pedlar, and judge of his 
astonishment to learn that McDougal was no longer a partner of 
the Pacific, but of the Northwest, Company; that he held posses- 
sion, not under the American, but under the British, flag ; and that 
all in which Mr. Hunt was interested on this coast had passed, 
without a struggle, through treachery, into the hands of his country's 
enemies. Mr. Hunt, Anally, secured the papers pertaining to busi- 
ness transactions of the Pacific Fur Company from McDougal, and 
then sailed, April 3, 1814, from the shore that had seemed to yield 
only misfortune and disaster in return for the efforts of himself, and 
those with whom he was associated. The next day, David Stuart 
McKenzie, John Clarke and eighty -five other members and employees 
of the Pacific Fur Company, started up the Columbia River in their 
boats on their way across the continent, and while passing Wallula, 
learned from the widow of Pierre Dorion, of the massacre of John 
Reed and his eight associates, among the Snake Indians near Fort 
Henry. 

Thus matters remained until the war of 1812 was terminated by 
the Treaty of Grhent, by which it was stipulated that " all territory, 
places and possessions, whatsoever, taken by either party from the 
other during the war, or which may be taken after the signing of 
this treaty, shall be restored without delay." The commissioners 
could not agree upon a line of division between the possessions of 
England and the United States west of the Lake of the Woods, so 
the Oregon question was left for further discussion, and the Colum- 
bia remained disputed territory. Mr. Astor at once applied to the 
President for restitution of his property under the terms of the 
treaty, as he not only desired to recover his losses, but to resume 
operations on the Columbia and carry out the plan of American 
occupation which had been so well begun. Accordingly, in July, 
1815, the government notified the British Minister at Washington 
that it would immediately reoccupy the captured fort at the mouth of 



ASTORIA AND THE JOINT OCCUPATION TREATY. 165 

the Columbia; but the notification elicited no official response from 
Great Britain. For two years no active measures were taken, and, 
filially, in September, 1817, the sloop of war Ontario was dispatched 
to the Columbia, commanded by Captain J. Biddle, who, with J. 
B. Prevost, who went as a passenger, constituted a commission to 
accomplish the purpose declared. They were instructed to assert 
the claim of the United States to sovereignty over the region of the 
Columbia, but to do so in an inoffensive manner. 

This step compelled Great Britain to define her position. Her 
representative at Washington officially inquired of Secretary Adams 
the destination and object of the Ontario, and with the information 
he received in response to his query was the intimation, that since 
England had paid no attention to the notice given her two years 
before, it had been assumed that she had no intention of claiming 
any sovereign rights along the Columbia. In answer to this the 
British Minister stated that the post at the mouth of the Columbia 
was the private property of the Northwest Company, having been 
purchased by its agent from a partner of Mr. Astor; furthermore, 
that it was situated in a region long occupied by that company, 
(referring, presumably, to the establishment on Fraser River, many 
hundred miles to the north), and was consequently considered a 
portion of His Majesty's dominions. Quite a spirited correspond- 
ence was maintained for some time, involving on each side the ques- 
tions of abstract rights by discovery and absolute rights by posses- 
sion, both parties to the controversy basing a claim upon each of 
these foundations. As the claims then put forward remained prac- 
tically the same until the question was settled in 1846 — with a 
modification only in the direction of additional settlements made 
between these periods — it is well to define here the position assumed 
by the contending parties. 

The United States claimed Oregon under four distinct titles: 
First, as a portion of Louisiana, purchased from France in 1803; 
second, by right of discovery by the Spanish explorers — Ferrelo, 
Aguilar, Perez, Heceta, Bodega y Quadra, and others — the benefit 
of whose discoveries accrued to the United States by the Florida 
purchase made in 1819, denying at the same time that Sir Francis 
Drake proceeded north of the forty-third degree, a point claimed to 
have been previously reached by Ferrelo [The Spanish title was not 



166 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

asserted, of course, until after the purchase, being subsequent to the 
first temporary settlement of the question] ; third, by reason of the 
discovery of the Columbia by Captain Gray, claiming that Heceta, 
Meares and Vancouver had all declared that no river existed there, 
and that Broughton had simply entered it subsequent to its discov- 
ery by Gray, and explored it a few miles further up; fourth, by 
reason of the explorations of Captains Lewis and Clarke, and the 
establishment of posts at Astoria, Okinagan and Spokane by the 
Pacific Fur Company, denying that the sale of those posts, effected 
under the duress of threatened capture by a man-of-war, was such 
as to affect the right of the United States to the benefits to be de- 
rived from settlements made by her subjects, especially in view of the 
terms of the treaty of peace. On the part of Great Britain it was 
claimed that the country was originally discovered by Sir Francis 
Drake, and its coast thoroughly explored by Captain Cook and 
Captain Vancouver; that the discovery of the Columbia had been 
a progressive one, the successive steps having been taken by Heceta, 
Meares, Vancouver, Gray and Broughton, claiming that Gray had 
not entered the river proper, but simply the estuary at its mouth, 
and that Broughton was the first to actually enter and explore the 
Columbia, and denying that Gray, who was simply a trader, could 
acquire discovery rights for his government ; and, finally, that she 
held the country by right of exploration and possession, since 
McKenzie had made an overland journey prior to that of Lewis and 
Clarke, Fraser had built a fort on Fraser Lake before Astoria was 
founded, and the Northwest Company, having purchased at private 
sale the property of the Pacific Fur Company, then held possession 
of the Columbia region by means of settlements at Astoria and 
other points along the river. 

Such were the claims advanced by the two nations for possession 
of Oregon, there being many undeniable rights and equities on 
either side. A temporary agreement was affected in a few months, 
by which it was decided that Astoria and the other posts should 
remain the actual property of the Northwest Company, but that 
nominal possession should be given to the United States as a nation, 
the question of title being deferred for future negotiation. This 
decision was a severe blow to the hopes of Mr. Astor, who had 
looked to the Government to place him in possession of the prop- 






ASTORIA AM) THE JOINT OCCUPATION TREATY. L6*? 

erty which he had lost through the fortunes of war and the treachery 
of one of his partners. So firmly intrenched was the Northwest 
Company that he did not deem it advisable to found a rival estab- 
lishment, and lie abandoned his effort to engage in the fur trade in 
the Pacific. By thus failing to support its citizens who had under- 
taken to plant the flag of the United States firmly on the soil of 
Oregon, the Government jeopardized, almost to total annihilation, 
its chances for future possession of this region. 

AVhile these negotiations were in progress, the Ontario was ful- 
filling her mission. She arrived at Valparaiso in February, 1818, 
and Mr. Prevost debarked, having an official mission to the Chilean 
Government. Captain Biddle continued northward, and entered the 
Columbia in August, taking formal possession of the country in the 
name of the United States. He then sailed to other portions of the 
Pacific. Meanwhile, the controversy having been temporarily settled 
upon the terms outlined above, the British Government delegated 
Captain Sheriff, of the navy, as commissioner to execute formal trans- 
fer of Fort George. The agent of the Northwest Company, Mr. Keith, 
was also notified by his superior officers of what was about to be 
done, the orders going overland with the annual Montreal express, 
and enjoined to offer no opposition to the formal transfer. Captain 
Sheriff sailed in the frigate Blossom, and meeting Mr. Prevost in 
Chile, offered him passage to the Columbia in his vessel, which 
courtesy was accepted. The Blossom cast anchor at Astoria early 
in October, and Mr. Keith surrendered formal possession of the 
property, retaining, of course, actual possession and ownership. A 
certificate was given Mr. Prevost, stating that Fort George, on the 
Columbia, had been duly surrendered to him as representative of 
the United States; and he gave the officers a written acceptance of 
the transfer. These formal preliminaries having been concluded, 
the British standard was lowered and the stars and stripes were 
temporarily displayed upon the walls of the fort, while the guns of 
the Blossom roared a noisy salute. The American ensign was then 
lowered, and the farce was over. The United States was thus 
again nominally in possession of Oregon, while the actual possessor- 
were the agents of the Northwest Company, subjects of Great 
Britain. 

Fort George in 1818 was a far different structure from Astoria 



168 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

as it existed when surrendered to the Northwest Company in 1813. 
A stockade of pine logs, rising twelve feet above the ground, en- 
compassed a parallelogram 150x250 feet in dimensions. Within 
this were dwellings, storehouses, magazines, shops, etc. The walls 
mounted two eighteen -pounders, six six-pounders, four four-pound 
carronades, two six -pound cohorns and seven swivels, an armament 
sufficient to render it a strong fort in those days. These remained 
after the surrender, and Fort George was, practically, as much of a 
British post as before. 

The two governments still continued to negotiate on the main 
point at issue — title to Oregon. Neither would recede from the 
positions assumed at the beginning of the controversy, and to avoid 
an open rupture, and with the hope that time would inject a new 
element into the question, a treaty of procrastination was signed. 
By this convention it was agreed that all territories and their waters, 
west of the Rocky Mountains, should be free and open to the vessels 
and to the use and occupation of the citizens and subjects of both 
nations for the period of ten years, that no claim of either party 
should in any manner be prejudiced by this action, and that neither 
should gain any right of dominion by su^h use or occupation during 
the specified term. This treaty of joint occupation remained in 
force, by extension with mutual consent, until the question was 
definitely settled in 1846. On the twenty-second of February, 
1819, the State Department consummated negotiations which had 
been in progress for some time, completing the title of the United 
States as defined in a previous paragraph. This was the signing 
of a treaty with Spain, by which the Province of Florida was con- 
veyed to the United States, including all the rights, claims and pre- 
tensions of Spain to any territories north and east of a line drawn 
from the source of the Arkansas, north to the forty-second parallel, 
and thence to the Pacific. This remained the boundary between 
the United States and Mexico, and between the disputed land of 
Oregon and the Mexican possessions west of the Rocky Mountains. 
It still continues to be the southern boundary of Oregon, but ceased 
to divide the United States from Mexico when California, New 
Mexico and Arizona were conquered or purchased. 



CHAPTER XI. 



THE RIVAL FUR COMPANIES. 



Growth and Power of the Northwest Company — Rivalry between it and 
the Hudson's Bay Company — The Red River War — Barrows' 1 De- 
scription of the Hudson } s Bay Company — The Canadian Voya- 
geurs — Fort Vancouver .Founded — Dunn's Description of the Fort 
and the Methods of the Hudson's Bay Company in Oregon. 

THE Northwest Company had now full control of Oregon, but 
a fierce and bloody struggle was going on between it and the 
older Hudson's Bay Company, for possession of the fur regions of 
America. The companies had grown too large to be tolerant of 
each other; one must go the wall. When first organized the old 
company, enjoying chartered privileges and supreme monopoly of 
a vast extent of territory, laughed with derision at the idea that a 
few independent traders could so combine as to become dangerous 
rivals; but that such was the fact was quickly demonstrated. The 
Northwest Company began operations on a thorough system, by 
which it was soon developed into a powerful and wealthy corpora- 
tion. All its managing agents were interested partners, who natur- 
ally did their utmost to swell the receipts. In the plenitude of its 
power it gave employment to two thousand voyageurs, while its 
agents penetrated the wilderness in all directions in search of furs. 
It was the pioneer of the Northwest. While the chartered monor> 
oly clung like a burr to its granted limits, the new organization was 
exploring and taking possession of that vast region lying between 
Lake Superior and the Pacific, from the Missouri to the Arctic 
Ocean. It has been shown how Mackenzie made a journey to the 
Arctic and another to the Pacific, and how his footsteps were fol- 
lowed \>y Fraser and a post established in the extreme west. While 
the old company was sluggishly awaiting the advent of Indians at 



170 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

the few posts it had established in central locations, the rival organ- 
ization sent its agents ont to trade with the tribes far and near. The 
result was that all the tribes, except those in the immediate vicinity 
of the Hudson's Bay Company forts, were gradually won to an 
alliance with the younger and more vigorous organization. The 
collection of furs was so over -stimulated that a complete extinction 
of fur -bearing animals was threatened. A systematic effort was 
being made to drive the old company from the most valuable beaver 
country, and to so cripple it that a surrender of its charter would 
become necessary. 

The result of this aggressive policy was to arouse the Hudson's 
Bay Company to a realizing sense of the precarious condition of 
affairs, and the necessity of taking energetic steps to recover the lost 
ground. Its efforts to do this soon resulted in hostile collisions 
between its representatives and agents of the rival company, lead- 
ing to a state of war between them. The first act of actual hostility, 
other than mere trade rivalry, was committed in 1806, when a trader 
of the Hudson's Bay Company was forcibly deprived of four hundred 
and eighty packs of beaver skins, and a few months later of fifty 
more. The same year another trader was attacked and robbed of 
valuable furs by servants of the Northwest Company, and received 
similar treatment again the following spring. These acts of plun- 
dering were numerous, and since no law but the law of might existed 
in the wilderness, there was no redress for the despoiled company 
nor punishment for the offenders, since the latter were Canadians 
and their victims citizens of England and not possessed of facilities 
for securing redress in the courts of Canada. In twelve years but 
one case was brought to trial, in 1809, when a Hudson's Bay Com- 
pany man was convicted of manslaughter for killing an agent of 
the other company who was making an attack upon him with a 
sword; and this result was accomplished by the powerful influence 
of the Northwest Company in Montreal. 

In 1812, having received a grant of fertile land from the Hud- 
son's Bay Company, Lord Selkirk, a man of energy and an enthusi- 
ast on the subject of colonial emigration, commenced a settlement 
on Red River near its junction with the Assiniboine, south of Lake 
Winnipeg. No sooner was this accomplished than the rival com- 
pany expressed a determination to destroy the settlement, and in 



THE RIVAL FUK COMPANIES. 171 

the autumn of 1814 fitted out an expedition for that purpose at its 
chief establishment, Fort William, on the shore of Lake Superior. 
After harassing the settlement for some months, an attack was 
made upon it in June, 1815, which was repulsed. Artillery having 
been brought up, the buildings of Fort Gibraltar, the stronghold 
of the settlement, were battered down and the place captured. The 
governor was sent to Montreal a prisoner, the remainder of the set- 
tlers were expelled from the country, the cattle were slaughtered 
and the buildings demolished. In the fall, however, the colonists 
returned with a great accession to their numbers and again estab- 
lished themselves under the leadership of Colin Robertson, being 
accompanied by Robert Semple, Governor of the Hudson's Bay 
Company territories. In the spring of 1816, Alexander McDon- 
nell, a partner of the Northwest Company, collected a strong force 
with the design of crushing the settlement completely. After cap- 
turing the supply train on its way to Red River, the invading force 
came upon Governor Semple and a force of thirty men all of whom 
they killed, except one who was made a prisoner and four who es- 
caped. The settlers still remaining in the fort, seeing the hopeless- 
ness of resistance, surrendered, and to the number of two hundred 
were sent in canoes to Hudson's Bay. They were chiefly Scotch, 
as were also the attacking party ; but the love of gain was stronger 
than the ties of blood. 

In 1821 parliament put an end to this bloody feud and ruinous 
competition by consolidating the rival companies under the name 
of The Honorable Hudson's Bay Company, by which was created 
an organization far more powerful than had either been before, and 
England gained a united and potent agent for the advancement of 
her interests in America. The settlements on the Red, Assiniboine 
and Saskatchewan rivers were renewed, and Winnipeg became in a 
few years the center of a prosperous community. The new com- 
pany took possession of Fort George and other posts along the Co- 
lumbia, and as it thereafter became closely woven into the history 
of this region, a brief description of its founding, growth and meth- 
ods becomes necessary to a full understanding of subsequent events. 
Dr. William Barrows gives the following description of that pow- 
erful corporation: 

Its two objects, as set forth in its charter, were " for the discovery of a new pas- 



172 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

sage into the South Sea, and for the finding of some trade for furs, minerals and 
other considerable commodities." It may well be suspected that the first was the 
face and the second the soul of the charter, which grants to the company the ex- 
clusive right of the " trade and commerce of all those seas, straits and bays, rivers, 
lakes, creeks, and sounds, in whatsoever latitude they shall be, that lie within the 
entrance of the straits commonly called Hudson Straits," and of all lands bordering 
them not under any other civilized government. This covered all territory within 
that immense basin from rim to rim, one edge dipping into the Atlantic and the 
other looking into the Pacific. Through this vast extent the company was made 
for "all time hereafter, capable in law, to have, purchase, receive, possess, enjoy, 
and retain lands, rents, privileges, liberties, jurisdiction, franchise, and heredita- 
ments of what kind, nature, or quality soever they be, to them and their succes- 
sors." The company held that region as a man holds his farm, or as the great bulk 
of real estate in England is now held. They could legislate over and govern it, 
bound only by the tenor and spirit of English law, and make war and peace within 
it; and all persons outside the company could be forbidden to "visit, hunt, fre- 
quent, trade, traffic, or adventure" therein. For all this, and as a confession of 
allegiance to the crown as a dependent colony and province, they were to pay an- 
nually as rent "two elks and two black beavers." Cheap rent that, especially since 
the king or his agent must collect it on the ground of the company. To dwell in 
the territory or even go across it would be as really a trespass as if it were done on 
the lawn of a private gentleman in Middlesex county, England. 

Such were the chartered rights of a monopoly that, growing bolder and more 
grasping, became at last continental in sweep, irresistible in power, and inexorable 
in spirit. In 1821 the crown granted to this and the Northwest Company united, 
and for a term of twenty-one years, the exclusive right to trade with all Indians in 
British North America, north and west of the United States, and not included in 
the first charter. This granted only trade, not ownership in the soil. Thus, while 
the chartered territory was imperial, it grew, by granted monopoly of trade, to be 
continental. By degrees the trappers and traders went over the rim of the Hudson 
basin, till they reached the Arctic seas along the outlet of the Coppermine and the 
Mackenzie. They set beaver traps on Yukon and Fraser rivers, around the Ath- 
abasca, Slave and Bear Lakes, and on the heads of the Columbia. From the ad- 
jacent Pacific shore they lined their treasury with the soft coats' of the fur seal and 
the sea-otter. They were the pioneers of this traffic, and pressed this monopoly 
of fur on the sources, not only of the Mississippi and Missouri, but down into 
the Salt Lake basin of modern Utah. What minor and rival companies stood in 
the way they bought in, or crushed by underselling to the Indians. Individual en- 
terprise in the fur trade, from New Foundland to Vancouver, and from the head 
waters of the Yellowstone to the mouth of the Mackenzie, was at their mercy. 
They practically controlled the introduction of supplies and the outgoing of furs 
and peltries from all the immense region between those four points. 

Within the Canadas and the other provinces they held the Indian and the Eu- 
ropean equally at bay, while within all this vast unorganized wilderness, their 
hand over red and white man was absolute. At first the company could govern 
as it pleased, and was autocratic and irresponsible. By additional legislation in 1803, 
the civil and criminal government of the Canadas was made to follow the com- 
pany into lands outside their first charter, commonly called Indian countries. The 
Governor of Lower Canada had the appointing power of officials within those 
countries— but he did not send in special men ; he appointed those connected with 
the company and on the ground. The company, therefore, had the administration 
in those outside districts in its own hands. Thus the commercial life of the Can- 
adas was so dependent upon the Hudson's Bay Company that the government could 



THE RIVAL FUR COMPANIES. 173 

be counted on to promote the wishes of the company. In brief, the government of 
British America was practically the Hudson's Bay Company, and for all the privi- 
lege and monopoly which it enjoyed, without seeming to demand it, there was an 
annual payment, if called for, of " two elks and two black beavers." 

This company thus became a powerful organization. It had no rival to share 
the field, or waste the profits in litigation, or in bloody feuds beyond the region of 
law. [Except the contest between it and the Northwest Company prior to their 
consolidation.] It extended its lines, multiplied its posts and agents, systematized 
communication through the immense hunting grounds, economized time and funds 
by increased expedition, made many of its factories really fortifications, and so put 
the whole northern interior under British rule, and yet without a soldier. Rivers, 
lakes, mountains and prairies were covered by its agents and trappers. The white 
and the red men were on most friendly terms, and the birch canoe and the 
pirogue were seen carrying, in mixed company, both races, and, what was more, 
their mixed progeny. The extent of territory under this company seems almost 
fabulous. It was one-third larger than all Europe ; it was larger than the United 
States of to-day, Alaska included, by half a million of square miles. From the Ameri- 
can headquarters at Montreal to the post at Vancouver was a distance of twenty- 
five hundred miles ; to Fort Selkirk on the Yukon, or to the one on Great Bear 
Lake, it was three thousand miles, and it was still further to the rich fur seal and 
sea-otter on the tide waters of the Mackenzie. James Bay and Red River at Win- 
nipeg seem near to Montreal in comparison. These distances would compare well 
with air-line routes from Washington to Dublin, or Gibraltar or Quito. 

One contemplates this power with awe and fear, when he regards the even mo- 
tion and solemn silence and unvarying sameness with which it has done its work 
through that dreary animal country. It has been said that a hundred years has not 
changed its bill of goods ordered from London. The company wants the same 
muskrat and beaver and seal ; the Indian hunter, unimproved, and the half-breed 
European, deteriorating, want the same cotton goods, and flint-lock guns, and 
tobacco and gew-gaws. To-day, as a hundred years ago, the dog sled runs out from 
Winnipeg for its solitary drive of five hundred, or two thousand, or even three 
thousand miles. It glides, silent as a spectre, over these snow fields, and through 
the solemn, still forests, painfully wanting in animal life. Fifty, seventy, an hun- 
dred days it speeds along, and as many nights it camps without fire, and looks up 
to the same cold stars. At the intervening posts the sledge makes a pause, as a ship, 
having rounded Cape Horn, heaves to before some lone Pacific island. It is the 
same at the trader's hut or factory as when the sledgeman's grandfather drove up, 
the same dogs, the same half-breeds, or voyageurs, to welcome him, the same foul, 
lounging Indians, and the same mink skin in exchange for the same trinkets. The 
fur animal and its purchaser and hunter, as the landscape, seem to be alike under 
the same immutable, unprogressive law of nature, 

" A land where all things always seem the same," 

as among the lotus-eaters. Human progress and Indian civilization have made 
scarcely more improvement than that central, silent partner in the Hudson's Bay 
Company — the beaver. 

One feels towards the power of this company, moving thus with evenness and 
immutability through a hundred years, much as one does towards a law of nature. 
At Fort Selkirk, for example, the fifty-two numbers of the weekly London Times 
came in on the last sledge arrival. The first number is already three years old, by its 
tedious voyage from the Thames. Now one number only a week is read, that the lone 
trader there may have fresh news weekly until the next annual dog-mail arrives, 
and each successive number is three years behind time when it is opened ! In this 



174 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

day of steamers and telegraphs and telephones, does it seem possible that any 
human, white habitation can be so outside of the geography and chronology of the 
world? The goods of the company, packed and shipped in Fenchurch Street, 
leave London, and at the end of the third year they are delivered at Fort Confidence 
on Great Bear Lake, or at any other extreme factory of the company; and at the 
end of three years more the return furs go up the Thames and into Fenchurch 
Street again. So in cycles of six years, and from age to age, like a planet, the shares 
in the Hudson's Bay Company make their orbit and dividends. A run of three 
months and the London ship drops anchor in Hudson's Bay. "For one year,'' 
says Butler in his " Great Lone Land," "the stores that she has brought in lie in the 
warehouse at York Factory ; twelve months later they reach Red River ; twelve 
months later they reach Fort Simpson on the Mackenzie." 

The original stock of this company was $50,820. In fifty years it was tripled 
twice by profits only, and went up to $457,380, while not one new dollar was paid 
in. In 1821 the company absorbed the Northwest Company of Montreal, on a basis 
of value equal to its own. The consolidated stock then was $1,916,000, of which 
$1,780,866 was from profits. Yet, meanwhile, there had been an annual payment 
of ten per cent, to stockholders. In 1836 one of the company's ships left Fort 
George for London, with a cargo of furs valued at $380,000. * * * When 
the English Government, in 1846, conceded the claims of the United States to 
Oregon, property of the Hudson's Bay Company was found within Oregon for 
which that company claimed $4,990,036.67. One can not but admire the foresight, 
compass, policy, and ability with which those English fur traders moved to gain 
possession, and then keep in wilderness for fur-bearing, so much of North America. 
* * * Travelers tell us of an oppressive, painful silence through all that 
weird northland. Quadruped life, and the scanty little there is of bird life, is not 
vocal, much less musical. This company has partaken of the silence of its domain. 
It makes but little noise for so great an organization. It says but few things, and 
only the necessary ones, and even those with an obscurity often, that only the 
interested and initiated understand. The statements of its works and results are 
mostly in the passive voice. 

The voyageurs, so often spoken of in connections with the fur 

companies, were a special outgrowth of the fur trade, and are 

deserving of more than a passing notice. Irving thus describes 

them : — 

The voyageurs may be said to have sprung up out of the fur trade, having origin- 
ally been employed by the early French merchants in their trading expeditions 
through the labyrinth of rivers and lakes of the boundless interior. In the inter- 
vals of their long, arduous ahd laborious expeditions, they were wont to pass their 
time in idleness and revelry about the trading posts or settlements ; squandering 
their hard earnings in heedless conviviality, and rivalling their neighbors, the 
Indians, in indolent indulgence and imprudent disregard of the morrow. When 
Canada passed under British domination, and the old French trading houses were 
broken up, the voyageurs were for a time disheartened and disconsolate, and with 
difficulty could reconcile themselves to the service of the new comers, so different 
in habits, manners and language from their former employers. By degrees, how- 
ever, they became accustomed to the change, and at length came to consider the 
British fur traders, and especially the members of the Northwest Company, as the 
legitimate lords of creation. The dress of these people is generally half civilized, 
half savage. They wear a capot or surcoat, made of a blanket, a striped cotton shirt, 
cloth trowsers, or leathern leggings, moccasins of deer skin, and a belt of variegated 



THE RIVAL FUR COMPANIES. 175 

worsted, from which are suspended the knife, tobacco pouch, and other implements. 
Their language is of the same piebald character, being a French patois, embroidered 
with Indian and English words and phrases. The lives of the voyageurs are passed 
in wild and extensive rovings. They are generally of French descent and inherit 
much of the gaietj' and lightness of heart of their ancestors, being full of anecdote 
and song, and ever ready for the dance. Their natural good will is probably height- 
ened by a community of adventure and hardship in their precarious and wandering 
life. Thev are dexterous boatmen, vigorous and adroit with the oar and paddle, 
and will row from morning until night without a murmur. The steersman often 
sings an old traditionary French song, with some regular burden in which they all 
join, keeping time with their oars. In the course of years they will gradually dis- 
appear; their songs will die away like the echoes they once awakened, and the Can- 
adian voyageurs will become a forgotten race, or remembered among the poetical 
images of past times, and as themes for local and romantic associations. 

The Northwest Company, in 1821, prior to the consolidation, 
established a post on the north bank of the Columbia, several miles 
above the mouth of the Willamette. As this was on the point 
named "Vancouver" by Lieutenant Broughton, in 1792, the post 
was christened " Fort Vancouver." In 1823, soon after the con- 
solidation, the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company was 
removed from Fort George to Fort Vancouver, because it possessed 
the desirable features of such an establishment more fully than any 
other in this whole region. It was near the mouth of the Willamette 
and therefore the center and natural converging point of trapping 
parties coming down the Columbia from the vast wilderness to the 
east, or with the annual overland express from Montreal; from the 
rich trapping grounds to the south, or from the upper coast and 
Puget Sound. Agriculturally, the surroundings were all that could 
be desired, to raise the large crops of grain and vegetables required 
at all the Company's posts, and to furnish pasturage for the beef 
and dairy cattle. It was easily approachable by deep-water vessels 
of large draft, and presented excellent natural facilities for loading 
and discharging cargo. The vessels that came at stated periods to 
bring supplies and carry away the accumulated furs, could spare 
the few days 1 of extra time required to ascend the river, better than 
the employees of the company could spare it in passing to and from 
headquarters in the transaction of business. Vancouver was the 
most eligible site on the Columbia for the chief trading post, and 
remained the company's headquarters until it abandoned this region 
entirely, in 1858. During the next four years the company spread 
out in all directions, from California to Alaska, and from the Pacific 



176 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

to the Rocky Mountains. Some idea can be gained of its power 
and methods in Oregon from the following description given by 
John Dunn, for seven years a clerk and trader of the company: — 

Fort Vancouver is the grand mart and rendezvous for the company's trade and 
servants on the Pacific. Thither all the furs and other articles of trade collected 
west of the Rocky Mountains, from California to the Russian territories, are brought 
from the several other forts and stations ; and from thence they are shipped to 
England. Thither, too, all the goods brought from England for traffic — the various 
articles in woolens and cottons, in grocery, in hardware, ready-made clothes, oils 
and paints, ship stores, etc. — are landed, and from thence they are distributed to 
the various posts of the interior, and along the northern "shores by sailing vessels, 
or by boats, or pack-horses, as the several routes permit ; for distribution and traffic 
among the natives, or for the supply of the company's servants. In a word, Fort 
Vancouver is the grand emporium of the company's trade, west of the Rocky Moun- 
tains ; as well within the Oregon territory as beyond it, from California to Earns- 
tchatka. , 

The fort is in the shape of a parallelogram, about two hundred and fifty yards 
long, by one hundred and fifty broad ; enclosed by a sort of wooden wall, made of 
pickets, or large beams, fixed firmly in the ground and closely fitted together, 
twenty feet high, and strongly secured on the inside by buttresses. At each angle 
there is a bastion, mounting two twelve-pounders, and, in the center there are some 
eighteen-pounders ; but from the subdued and pacific character of the natives, and 
the long absence of all apprehension, these cannon have become useless. The area 
within is divided into two courts, around which are arranged about forty neat, 
strong wooden buildings, one story high, designed for various purposes — such as 
offices, apartments for the clerks and other officers, warehouses for furs, English 
goods and other commodities ; workshops for the different mechanics — carpenters, 
blacksmiths, coopers, wheelwrights, tinners, etc. — in all of which there is the most 
diligent and unceasing activity and industry. There is also a school-house and 
chapel, and a powder magazine built of brick and stone. 

In the center stands the governor's residence, which is two stories high, the 
dining hall, and the public sitting room. All the clerks and officers, including the 
chaplain and physician, dine together in the hall, the governor presiding. The 
dinner is of the most substantial kind, consisting of several courses. Wine is fre- 
quently allowed, but no spirituous liquors. After grace has been said the company 
break up ; then most of the party retire to the public sitting room, called " Bachelor's 
Hall," or the smoking room, to amuse themselves as they please, either in smoking, 
reading, or telling and listening to stories of their own and others' curious advent- 
ures. Sometimes there is a great influx of company, consisting of the chief traders 
from the outposts, who arrive at the fort on business, and the commanders of vessels. 
These are gala times after dinner, and there is a great deal of amusement, but 
always kept under strict discipline and regulated by the strictest propriety. There 
is, on no occasion, cause for ennui, or a lack of anecdote or interesting narrative ; 
or, indeed, of any intellectual amusement ; for if smoking and story-telling be 
irksome, then there is the horse ready to mount, and the rifle prepared. The voy- 
ageur and the trapper, who have traversed thousands of miles through wild and 
unfrequented regions, and the mariner, who has circumnavigated the globe, may 
be found grouped together, smoking, joking, si aging and story-telling, and in every 
way banishing dull care, till the period of their again setting out for their respective 
destinations arrives. The smoking room, or "Bachelor's Hall," presents the 
appearance of an armory and a museum. All sorts of weapons, and dresses, and 



THE RIVAL FUR COMPANIES. 177 

curiosities of civilized and savage life, and of the various implements for the prose- 
cution of the trade, might be seen there. The mechanics, and other servants of the 
establishment, do not dine in the hall, or go to the smoking room. 

The school is for the benefit of the half-breed children of the officers and servants 
of the company, and of many orphan children of Indians who have been in the 
company's employment. They are taught English (sometimes French), writing, 
arithmetic and geography ; and are subsequently either apprenticed to traders in 
Canada, or kept in the company's service. The front square is the place where the 
Indians and trappers deposit their furs and other articles, and make their sales, etc. 
There may be seen, too, great numbers of men sortiDg and packing the various 
goods, and scores of Canadians beating and cleaning the furs from the dust and ver- 
min, and coarse hairs, previous to exportation. Six hundred yards below the fort, 
and on the bank of the river, there is a neat village of about sixty well-built wooden 
houses, generally constructed like those within the fort, in which the mechanics 
and other servants of the company, who are, in general, Canadians and Scotchmen, 
reside with their families. They are built in rows, and present the appearance of 
small streets. They are kept in a neat and orderly manner. Here there is an hos- 
pital, in which the invalided servants of the company, and, indeed, others who may 
wish to avail themselves of it, are treated with the utmost care. 

Many of the officers of the company marry half-breed women. They discharge 
the several duties of wife and mother with fidelity, cleverness and attention. They 
are, in general, good housewives ; and are remarkably ingenious as needlewomen. 
Many of them, besides possessing a knowledge of English, speak French correctly, 
and possess other accomplishments; and they sometimes atteud their husbands on 
their distant and tedious journeys and voyages. These half-breed women are of. a 
superior class ; being the daughters of chief traders and factors, and other persons, 
high in the company's service, by Indian women of a superior descent or of superior 
personal attractions. Though they generally dress after the English fashion, 
according as they see it used by the English wives of the superior officers, yet they 
retain one peculiarity — the leggin or gaiter, which is made (now that the tanned 
deer skin has been superseded) of the finest and most gaudy coloured cloth, beauti- 
fully ornamented with beads. The lower classes of the company's servants marry 
native women, from the tribes of the upper country, where the women are round- 
headed and beautiful. These, too, generally speaking, soon learn the art of useful 
housewivery with great adroitness and readiness ; and they are encouraged and 
rewarded in every way by the company, in their efforts to acquire domestic economy 
and comfort. These, too, imitate, in costume the dress of the officer's wives, as 
much as they can ; and from their necessities of position, which exposes them 
more to wet and drudgery, they retain the moccasin, in place of adopting the low- 
quartered shoe. 

Attached to the fort there is a magnificent farm, consisting of about three 
thousand acres, of which fifteen hundred acres have already been brought to the 
highest state of tillage. It stretches behind the fort, and on both sides, along the 
banks of the river. It is fenced into beautiful corn fields, vegetable fields, orchards, 
garden and pasture fields, which are interspersed with dairy houses, shepherds' 
and herdsmen's cottages. It is placed under the most judicious management; and 
neither expense nor labour has been spared to bring it to the most perfect cultiva- 
tion. There is a large grist mill, and'a threshing mill, which are worked by horse- 
power, and a saw mill worked by water-power. All kinds of grains and vegetables, 
and many species of fruits, are produced there in abundance and of superior qual- 
ity. The grain crops are produced without manure ; and the wheat crop, espec- 
ially, is represented by practical farmers to be wonderful. 

Besides this farm, which they are every day extending, they have commenced 



178 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

farming on a large scale on the Cowlitz, to the north, Umpqua, to the south, and 
in other parts of the territory, where they have established posts, the produce of all 
of which they use for exportation both to the Russia stations in Kamstchatka (as 
they entered into a contract with the Russians, in 1839, to supply their posts in 
those regions with provisions at fixed prices), and to the islands of the Southern 
Pacific, and to British and American whalers and to other merchant ships. They 
also keep scores of wood-cutters employed to fell timber, which is sawed up in large 
quantities, three thousand feet a day, and regularly shipped for the Sandwich 
Islands and other foreign ports. And as they can afford to sell the goods purchased 
in England under a contract of old standing, together with the productions of the 
territory and their own farms, fish, beef, mutton, pork, timber, etc., at nearly half 
the American price, they are likely to engross the whole trade of the Pacific, as 
they do already the trade of the Oregon, especially since they command all the 
ports and safe inlets of the country. This the Americans feel and declare ; and it 
is this which whets their cupidity and excites their jealousy and hatred. 

Trapping parties leaving Vancouver are some weeks preparing for the mountains 
and prairies. The blacksmiths are busily engaged making beaver-traps for the 
trappers, the store-keepers making up articles for trade and equipping the men, the 
clerk in charge of the provision store packing up provisions for them, to last until 
they get into hunting ground, the clerk in charge of the farm providing horses and 
other requisite articles. The party generally consists of about fifty or sixty men, 
most of them the company's servants, others free hunters. The servants have a 
stated salary, while the freemen receive so much per skin. Previous to leaving the 
fort for the arduous adventure, they are allowed a small quantity of rum per man ; 
and they generally enjoy a grand holiday and feast the night previous to starting. 
Each man has a certain number of horses, sufficient to carry his equipment. The 
free trappers generally provide their own animals. Both the company's servants 
and the freemen frequently take their wives and families with them. The women 
are very useful on the expedition, in preparing meals and other necessaries for their 
husbands during their absence from the camp. In summer and winter, whether 
they have a sort of traveling camp or a fixed residence, t they select the localities 
that most abound in fur-bearing animals. Though a party may be obliged, from a 
variety of circumstances, to winter in the plain, or in the recesses of the mountains, 
or on the borders of lakes and rivers, some numbers of it return to the fort in the 
fall, with the produce of the season's hunt, and report progress, and return to the 
camp with a reinforcement of necessary supplies. Thus the company are enabled 
to acquire a minute knowledge of the country and natives, and extend their power 
and authority over both." 



CHAPTEE XII 



DIPLOMACY AGAIN ENDS IN JOINT OCCUPATION. 

Claim of the United States to the Columbia River — Spasmodic Consid- 
eration of the Oregon Question in Congress — The Russian Ukase — 
The Monroe Doctrine — Negotiations in 18% % — Claims of the United 
States Advanced by Mr. Rush — The Opposing Claims of Great Brit- 
ain — Reply of Mr. Rush and the English Commissioners to Each 
Other — England Rejects America's Offer of the Fifty-first Parallel, 
and Proposes the Forty -ninth and Columbia River — Rush Offers the 
Forty-ninth to the Ocean — Rejected and the Negotiations Terminate — 
Mr. Gallatin Sent to London in 1826 — Offer of the Columbia again 
made by England and Rejected — The Doctrine of Contiguity — The 
Spanish Title as Modified by the Nootka Convention — Trading Posts 
Declared not to be Settlements by Mr. Gallatin, a Declaration which 
Becomes a Boomerang- — The Period of Joint Occupation Indefinitely 
Extended. 

DURING all these years the Oregon question was not neglected 
in Congress. It was spasmodically discussed, and much cor- 
respondence was had between the two governments on the subject; 
but though many things were proposed at various times, nothing 
was actually done to promote American interests in Oregon, unless 
the leave of absence granted Captain Bonneville be considered as 
an effort in that direction. During these diplomatic negotiations 
the United States firmly maintained her claim to all the rights, of 
any nature whatsoever, which Spain may have possessed prior to 
the Florida Treaty. She also urged that the mouth of the Colum- 
bia was hers by the dual right of discovery and settlement; and, 
therefore, following the general rule which had been observed by 
European nations in colonizing America, all the country tributary 
to that river, and its confluents, was also subject to her dominion. 



180 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

As the Columbia sweeps northward to the fifty-first parallel, it was 
urged that, by this title alone, the government had indisputable right 
to the whole region lying between the forty-second and fifty-first 
degrees of latitude. 

In 1820, a committee was appointed by the House of Represent- 
atives, to inquire into the condition of the settlements on the Pacific 
Ocean, and the expediency of occupying the Columbia River. This 
resulted in the reporting of a bill " for the occupation of the Colum- 
bia, and the regulation of the trade with the Indians in the territo- 
ries of the United States''; but, though much discussed, both then 
and the ensuing year, the measure was never passed. There were 
several plans advocated, among them being one to send a body of 
troops overland to occupy the disputed territory, and another to 
construct a chain of forts across the continent, which should form a 
basis of supplies and protection for emigrants. The great draw- 
back was the lack of emigrants to be supplied and protected. The 
Mississippi Valley was still but sparsely settled, and no one thought 
of moving two thousand miles across what was supposed to be a 
region of nearly impassable mountains and almost interminable 
deserts, when the rich lands of Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa were 
inviting them to make their home in the domain of the " Father of 
Waters." 

Russia stepped in as a disturbing element, by the publication, on 
the sixteenth of September, 1821, of an imperial ukase, by which 
exclusive title was asserted on the coast as far south as latitude 51°, 
and all foreign vessels were prohibited from approaching within 
one hundred miles of said coast, under penalty of confiscation. Pro- 
tests were instantly entered by both Great Britain and the United 
States, Russia replying that her claim was based upon discovery, 
exploration and unquestioned occupation for a period of fifty years. 
Separate negotiations were opened with Russia by the two contend- 
ing powers. It was at this juncture that the celebrated Monroe Doc- 
trine was first enunciated in an official document. In his message 
to Congress, dated December 2, 1823, President Monroe declared 
that the a American continents, by the free and independent condi- 
tion which they had assumed, were henceforth not to be considered 
as subjects for colonization by any European power.' 1 This elicited 
a formal protest from both England and Russia. Another docu- 



DIPLOMACY AGAIN ENDS IN JOINT OCCUPATION. 181 

nient, which was peculiarly offensive to England, was a paper sub- 
mitted to the House, on the sixteenth of February, 1824, by Gen- 
eral Jessup, in which it was proposed to establish a chain of forts 
from Council Bluffs to the Pacific, by which " present protection 
would be afforded to our traders ; and at the expiration of the priv- 
ilege granted to British subjects to trade on the waters of the 
Columbia, we should be enabled to remove them from our territory, 
and to secure the whole trade to our citizens.' ' This suggestion of 
a preparation to expel her subjects from Oregon by force of arms 
was exceedingly, and properly so, distasteful to Great Britain, and 
did much to complicate the negotiations which had been already 
entered into. 

The ten years 1 limit of joint occupation had now more than 
half expired, and it became necessary to appoint commissioners to 
again endeavor to affect a settlement. Mr. Rush, the American 
commissioner, who had been an associate with Mr. Gallatin in 
arranging the treaty of 1818, asserted that by the Louisiana title 
the United States had undisputed claim as far north as the forty - 
ninth parallel, since that had been recognized by the Treaty of 
Utrecht as the boundary line between the possessions of France 
and England, and should properly be extended to the Pacific. He 
also claimed, under the Spanish title, as far north as the sixtieth 
parallel, the acknowledged limit of the Russian possessions, and he 
declared " the rights thus acquired from Spain were regarded by 
the Government of the United States as surpassing the rights of all 
other European powers on that coast." A third claim was the one 
outlined in a previous paragraph, based upon the discovery, explora- 
tion and occupation of the Columbia. Asserting these three distinct 
titles, he made the proposition that no future settlements be made by 
subjects of Great Britain south of the fifty -first degree, nor by citi- 
zens of the United States north of that parallel. Mr. Rush was, 
however, authorized to make a considerable modification of that 
proposal, since his letter of instructions contained the following 
words: "As, however, the line already runs in latitude 49° to the 
Stony Mountains, should it be earnestly insisted upon by Great 
Britain, we wall consent to carry it in continuance on the same 
parallel to the sea.' 1 

The plenipotentiaries of Great Britain not only declined the 



182 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

proposals, but denied in toto the principles upon which it had been 
offered, especially the idea that no future colonization in America 
should be attempted by European nations. They declared that all 
unoccupied portions of America were subjects of colonization, 
including the region on the Pacific Coast lying between the forty - 
second and fifty-first parallel. They declared that Great Britain 
could not concede to the United States, as the successor of Spain, 
those exclusive rights which she had successfully resisted when they 
had been advanced by Spain herself, and which the Nootka Conven- 
tion, in 1790, declared should not be admitted. They also denied 
the title by right of discovery, claiming that the discovery of the 
Columbia was a progressive one, participated in more conspicuously 
by British subjects than by Americans; that even admitting the 
discovery by Gray, he, being a private citizen, could not, merely by 
entering the mouth of a river, gain title for his Government to the 
whole coast for hundreds of miles above and below that point, 
especially since the coast had been explored prior to that time by 
an official expedition (Captain Cook's) of Great Britain, and a 
British subject (Sir Francis Drake) had purchased land from the 
natives only a few degrees south; that the settlement at Astoria 
was subsequent, or, at the best, only coeval, to similar settlements 
made by British subjects upon that stream, or upon rivers flowing 
into it (erroneously referring, perhaps, to the establishment on 
Fraser Lake). 

To this the United States embassador replied at length, asserting 
that Gray sailed under the flag and protection of the Federal Gov- 
ernment, whose rights followed him ; that he was unaware, and could 
not admit the fact, of any prior or contemporaneous settlement by 
British subjects on the Columbia; that Cook had been preceded by 
Perez, Heceta and Quadra, in his exploration of the coast; and 
closed by saying that " in the opinion of my government, the title 
of the United States to the whole of that coast, from latitude forty- 
two degrees to as far north as latitude sixty degrees, was, therefore, 
superior to that of Great Britain, or any other power: first, through 
the proper claim of the United States by discovery and settlement, 
and secondly, as now standing in the place of Spain, and holding in 
their hands all her title." The British reply was a renewal of the 
former objections, especially to the Spanish title, special stress being 






DIPLOMACY AGAIN ENDS IN JOINT OCCUPATION. 183 

laid on the fact that England never had admitted the exclusive rights 
claimed by Spain on the Pacific Coast of America, and had specifi- 
cally denied and combatted them in the Nootka controversy; the 
voyage of Sir Francis Drake was urged as giving England the dis- 
covery rights prior, even, to the earliest claimed by Spain, the forty - 
eighth degree being placed as the northern limit of his voyage. It 
was also denied that Spain could acquire title by simply sailing 
along the coast, and not following up her discoveries by genuine 
acts of possession and settlement. The response of Mr. Rush, was a 
denial that Drake proceeded beyond the forty-third parallel, and a 
reminder to the English plenipotentiaries that, even if all they 
claimed for Drake were true, England was debarred from claiming 
title through him by the rule laid down by them in the matter of 
Spanish explorers, since the title thus acquired had not been per- 
fected by acts of possession and settlement. 

By these successive statements and answers both sides to the 
question having been plainly set forth, the representatives of En- 
gland, rejecting Mr. Rush's proposition, made another proposal — 
that the boundary line follow the forty-ninth parallel till it struck 
the Columbia, and then follow down the main channel of that stream 
to the ocean, navigation of the river to be open to both nations. 
This was submitted, they said, in a spirit of compromise, though 
they considered that in so doing they were departing largely from 
the full extent of Great Britain's rights. Mr. Bush declared his 
utter inability to accept such a proposition, but that, actuated by 
the same strong desire to effect a compromise, he would agree to the 
forty-ninth parallel clear through to the ocean, stating that this was 
the extreme limit of his authority. This was declined, and as 
neither party would make further concessions the negotiations came 
to an end. 

In 1826, the attempt to settle this important question was 
renewed, and Mr. Gallatin was sent to London, with full powers to 
resume the discussion. The offer of the forty-ninth parallel and the 
Columbia River was again made by the British Commissioners, 
with a sop in the shape of a slice of Washington Territory south of 
Gray's Harbor and Hood's Canal thrown in. Mr. Gallatin renewed 
Mr. Rush's offer of the forty -ninth parallel, adding free navigation 



184 



HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 



to the sea from all branches of the Columbia lying north of that 
line. The complete claims and offered compromises of the two na- 
tions were submitted in written statements, and were published in 
full in the message of President Adams, of December 12, 1827. 
There was no essential difference in the claims made by the con- 
tending parties from those set forth above ; they were simply urged 
in different language and with a better understanding of the sub- 
ject. The Louisiana title was made a prominent feature by Mr. 
Gallatin; but the insufficiency of this was clearly shown by the 
representatives of Great Britain, who also claimed that the titles of 
the United States and Spain, when taken separately, were imperfect, 
and when taken together destroyed each other. Mr. Gallatin also 
advanced the doctrine of contiguity, asserting that the populous 
settlements in the valley of the Mississippi constituted a strong claim 
to the extension of their authority " over the contiguous vacant ter- 
ritory, and to the occupation and sovereignty of the country as far 
as the Pacific Ocean." This was asserted by the British Commis- 
sioners to be the doctrine of "might makes right," and to be wholly 
repulsive to the principles of international law. 

It was maintained, and with much justness, by the English ne- 
gotiators that, since the Nootka Convention especially declared the 
right of both England and Spain to either of them settle upon and 
take possession of any portion of the coast now in dispute which 
had not been previously settled upon by the other, the previous 
rights of both nations acquired by discovery were thus expressly 
waived, and future titles were made to depend entirely upon acts of 
possession and settlement; therefore, in succeeding to the Spanish 
title, the United States had acquired nothing but the right pos- 
sessed by Spain to settle upon and occupy any portion of the coast 
not already in the actual possession of Great Britain. 

Mr. Gallatin denied that mere fur trading factories, or posts, 
could be considered settlements such as were necessary to perfect 
title of a nation to an extended region; but by doing this he dis- 
credited the title claimed by his own Government by reason of the 
establishment by the Pacific Fur Company of a post at Astoria; 
also, by a simple process of reasoning, of the discovery title claimed 
through Captain Gray, since that gentleman was simply a fur trader, 
and was not engaged in a voyage \)f exploration or discovery. 



DIPLOMACY AGAIN ENDS IN JOINT CONVENTION, 185 

Not being able to come to any understanding upon the main 
question at issue — a definite boundary line — the negotiations were 
brought to a close in 1827 by the signing of an agreement indefi- 
nitely extending the period of joint occupation, making it termin- 
able by either party upon giving twelve months' notice to that effect. 
Thus was the aid of time again invoked to furnish a solution of this 
vexatious problem. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



FAILURE OF ALL ATTEMPTS AT JOINT OCCUPATION BY 
THE AMERICANS. 



Outlook for Joint Occupation — Comparison of the Advantages of the 
English and American Traders — Character of the American Trap- 
pers — The Hudson- } s Bay Company's Methods and Servants — Growth 
of the American Fur Trade — The American Fur Company — The 
Missouri Fur Company — Ashley, of the Rocky Mountain Fur 
Company, Penetrates the Rocky Mountains — Method of Conducting 
Trapping Enterprises — The Annual Rendezvous — Jedediah S. 
Smith's First Overland Journey — His Second Journey Fraught 
with Disaster — His Adventures in California — His Party Massacred 
on the TJmpqua — The Hudson's Bay Company Recover Smith's Furs 
and Pay him for Them — Gray's Version of this Affair — The Subject 
Discussed — Boston's and King George's Men — Dr. McLaughlin's 
Account of this Episode — McLeod's Unfortunate Expedition — 
Ogden's Expedition to the Humboldt and California — Death of 
Smith — Major Pitcher and Ewing Young — Hudson's Bay Company 
Establish Fort Umpqua and a Headquarters in California — Bonne- 
ville's Trading Ventures — Two Efforts of Nathaniel J. Wyeth to 
Trade in Oregon Result Disastrously — McLaughlin's Remarks on 
Wyeth — Abandonment of Oregon by American Trappers. 

THE great power and firm foothold secured in Oregon by' the 
Hudson's Bay Company has been thus minutely described in 
order that an adequate idea can be had of the herculean task which 
lay before any American company which might seek to compete with 
it in its chosen field. Joint occupation, as contemplated in the 
treaties of 1818 and 1826 was only possible, on the principle of 
the lion and the lamb. Americans cculd live in Oregon if they 
would permit themselves to be swallowed by the Hudson's Bay 
Company — not otherwise. The chief difficulty which lay in the 



FAILURE AT JOINT OCCUPATION BY THE AMERICANS. 187 

pathway of American traders in their efforts to compete with the 
great English corporation, was a lack of unity of purpose and com- 
bination of capital and effort. The Americans were all inde- 
pendent traders, operating alone or in limited partnerships. Sepa- 
rately they had not the capital to carry on the business in the sys- 
tematic and comprehensive manner in which the Hudson's Bay 
Company operated. There was an utter lack of system, unity of 
action or wise provision for the future. The trade was not care- 
fully fostered for future advantage, since none of them cared to 
build up a business for some one else to enjoy, but each sought to 
make all the immediate profit possible. The competition amoDg 
them was ruinous to all, and in a few years the whole trade, so far as 
Americans were concerned, was ruined. In their competition with 
the English monopoly they were at a fatal disadvantage. One 
unsuccessful season with them was often financially disastrous, while 
to the great corporation, covering such a vast scope of country, 
dealing with so many tribes and handling such varied classes of 
furs, such a thing as a completely unsuccessful year was impossible. 
Gains in one section compensated for any losses in another. For 
this reason, whenever two trapping parties met in open competition 
for the trade of any tribe of Indians, the Americans were at a dis- 
astrous disadvantage, and, except in the few instances when they 
outwitted the rival trader, were forced to the wall. The agent had 
full authority to use his own discretion in such cases, his only in- 
structions being to crush his rival at all hazards. No spectre of 
bankruptcy shook his bony finger in his face; no vision of an angry 
and distrustful partner rose up before him. He could give away 
every dollar's worth of goods he had, and receive the approval of 
his superiors, provided, that by doing so, he defeated the rival 
traders. On the contrary, the American, his entire fortune invested 
in this single venture, could neither afford to give away his goods 
nor to lose the opportunity to trade ; for often it was the only one 
of the season, and to miss it meant ruin. In 1815, Congress, in 
order to aid the struggling traders, passed an act expelling foreign 
trappers from the territories of the United States east of the Rocky 
Mountains; but it remained a dead letter, since brigades of the En- 
glish trappers continued to roam through the country along the 
Missouri and its tributaries. 



188 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Candor compels the confession that there were other reasons for 
the success of the English and utter failure of the American traders ; 
and these were the great difference in their methods of treating the 
natives and the character of the men engaged in the business. The 
American trappers were, to a large extent, made up of a class of 
wild, reckless and brutal men, many of them fugitives from justice. 
With them might made right, and Indian fighting was one of their 
chief accomplishments. A perpetual state of hostilities existed 
between them and the Blackfeet and other warlike tribes. They 
cared nothing for the interests of their employers, were insubordi- 
nate and quarrelsome, and the histories of their lives and adventures, 
written for the glorification of the few of the most noted of them, 
convince us that, as a whole, they composed the lowest stratum of 
American society. Irving, in one of many similar passages, thus 
speaks of one phase of their character: "The arrival of the sup- 
plies gave the regular finish to the annual revel. A grand outbreak 
of wild debauch ensued among the mountaineers; drinking, danc- 
ing, swaggering, gambling, quarreling and fighting. Alcohol, 
which, from its portable qualities, containing the greatest quantity 
of fiery spirit in the smallest compass, is the only liquor carried 
across the mountains, is the inflammatory beverage at these carousals, 
and is dealt out to the trappers at four dollars a pint. When inflamed 
by this fiery beverage, they cut all kinds of mad pranks and gam- 
bols, and sometimes burn all their "clothes in their drunken brava- 
does. A camp, recovering from one of these riotous revels, presents 
a serio-comic spectacle; black eyes, broken heads, lack lustre vis- 
ages." Alcohol was a leading article of merchandise, and the annual 
assemblage at the points of rendezvous and the meetings with 
Indians for the purposes of trade, were invariably the scenes of 
drunken debauchery like the one described. Many impositions 
were practiced on the Indians, and the men, being irresponsible 
and without restraint, were guilty of many acts of injustice. The 
Indians learned neither uprightness nor morality from contact with 
them, and had respect only for their bravery. 

The reverse was the case with the servants of the Hudson's Bay 
Company, who were men, chiefly half-breeds and descendants of 
the French settlers of Canada — the agents and factors being gener- 
ally of Scotch nativity — who had been reared to the business, as 



FAILTTKE AT JOINT OCCUPATION BY THE AMERICANS. 189 

had been their fathers before them, and cheerfully submitted to the 
rigid discipline maintained by the company. It was the company's 
policy to avoid all trouble with the natives, to whom they gave no 
liquor whatever. It was by pandering to the Indian's proverbial 
thirst for "fire-water" that the Americans occasionally defeated 
their opponents in competition for the trade of a tribe; still, it 
sometimes happened that after the noble red man had been hilari- 
ously and even pugnaciously drunk for a week on American 
alcohol, they sobered up sufficiently to sell their furs to the English 
trader, who could offer them such a greater quantity of goods in 
exchange, and left their bibulous friends to mourn. By just and 
generous treatment the company sought to bind the Indians to them 
by a community of interest; yet an act of bad faith or treachery 
was never permitted to go unrebuked. By this means it obtained 
an influence among the tribes covering a region over a thousand 
miles square, which amounted almost to the authority of govern- 
ment; and this influence was sufficiently powerful to cause the 
Indians of some tribes to not only refuse to trade with Americans, 
but to decline selling them provisions when in the greatest distress. 
Bonneville found this to be the case when he undertook the experi- 
ment of joint occupation, and sought to do business in Oregon, 
the chosen field of the great monopoly. 

The rise and growth of the Hudson's Bay and Northwest Com- 
panies have been traced till they united and spread like an octopus 
over the whole West. Let us also trace the growth of American 
fur enterprise until it began to enter Oregon in competition with the 
united rivals. In 1762 the Governor of Louisiana, then a Province 
of France, chartered a far company under the title of " Pierre 
Legueste Laclede, Antoine Maxan & Co." The following year 
Laclede established Fort St. Louis, where now the great city of that 
name stands, and this became the headquarters of the fur trade as 
carried on by the French of Louisiana. At that time the Canadian 
representatives of France had their general headquarters at Macki- 
naw and Montreal; but Canada becoming a British Province the 
following year, subjects of Great Britain, chiefly Scotchmen, suc- 
ceeded to the fur trade of that region. After the United States 
became a nation, American traders engaged in the fur trade along 
and west of the great lakes, Mackinaw becoming their general head- 



190 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

quarters. These men were chiefly New York merchants, the lead- 
ing spirit being John Jacob Astor, whose ill-fated attempt to found 
an establishment at the mouth of the Columbia has been related. 
The trade as then carried on ran in four great belts. To the north 
was the Hudson's Bay Company; next came the young and ag- 
gressive Northwest Company; south of them the independent 
American traders operated; and still further south was the field oc- 
cupied by the French. How the two English companies became 
consolidated and spread out over the whole region north of the 
Missouri and gained complete possession of Oregon, has been fully 
set forth. 

The next step was the substitution of Americans for Frenchmen 
at St. Louis, the natural result of the purchase of Louisiana by the 
United States. Immediately following this event St. Louis became 
the goal of thousands of young men who loved the excitement and 
adventures of a frontier life, and of as many more of all ages who 
preferred the obscurity of the frontier to the seclusion of a state's 
prison or the notoriety of a public execution. To say the least, the 
society of that frontier city was far from choice. It was not long 
before the Americans began to be in a majority in the various 
brigades of trappers which roamed the plains as far west as the 
base of the Rocky Mountains, while the direction of these enter- 
prises fell almost entirely into their hands. The French trappers, 
however, never entirely disappeared, for their names are found fre- 
quently mentioned in all narratives concerning the trapping frater- 
nity. They have generally been confounded with the voyageurs 
and trappers of French descent who formed the bulk of the ordinary 
servants of the Hudson's Bay Company; but this is an error, since 
the latter were the Canadian French, who had transferred their 
allegiance to the British conquerors and successors of their old em- 
ployers, while the former were the descendants of the French of 
Louisiana, and, consequently, were Americans. 

The act of Congress in 1815, expelling British subjects from the 
territories east of the Rocky Mountains, served to stimulate the 
American traders. The American Fur Company, at the head of 
which was Mr. Astor, then operating in the lake region from Mack- 
inaw, began to send trapping parties farther west, reaching the 
headwaters of the Mississippi and Missouri. Other American 



FAILURE AT JOINT OCCUPATION BY THE AMERICANS. 191 

traders opened an important trade between St. Louis and Santa Fe, 
the latter becoming headquarters for the fur business in the region 
of New Mexico, then a Province of Mexico. Up to this time the 
operations of American trappers had not extended beyond the base 
of the Rocky Mountains, except in the instance previously men- 
tioned, that of the Missouri Fur Company. This was a company 
organized at St, Louis in 1808, stimulated by the reports of the 
Columbia region brought in by Lewis and Clarke, and was headed 
by Manuel Lisa, a Spaniard. Mr. Henry, a partner, established 
Fort Henry the same year, on Lewis, or Snake, River, just west of 
the summit of the mountains, and other posts were founded on the 
Upper Missouri. Two years later, however, these were abandoned, 
owing to a failure of supplies and the hostility of the natives. The 
next effort was made by General W. H. Ashley, who had long been 
the leading spirit in such enterprises at St. Louis, and was the senior 
partner of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. In 1823 he led a 
party of trappers up the Platte to the Sweetwater, followed up the 
latter stream to its source, discovered the famous South Pass (the 
one Fremont endeavored to appropriate to himself twenty years 
later), explored the headwaters of the Colorado, or Green, River, 
and returned to St. Louis in the fall. The next year he again 
entered the mountains and discovered Great Salt Lake and Lake 
Ashley. On the later he established Fort Ashley, and leaving one 
hundred men at that post, returned to St. Louis. From that time 
the Rocky Mountains were the favorite trapping grounds of the 
Americans. Their method of doing business was by no means sys- 
tematic. Each company, when there were rivals, organized several 
brigades of trappers, sufficiently strong to protect themselves from 
hostile Indians, and sent them out in various directions, generally 
under the leadership of an interested partner. Once a year these 
parties assembled at a previously designated rendezvous, generally 
on Green River, where a settlement was made. There they met the 
partner who was the connecting link between them and civilization, 
such as it was, at St. Louis. He had come up with a train of sup- 
plies and packs of goods for the Indian trade, and turning these 
over to his partners, he loaded his train with the accumulated furs 
and conveyed them to market at St. Louis. Often furs were sent 
down the Missouri in a nondescript boat, made of buffalo skins — a 



192 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

craft of eccentric unreliability. With the supplies was invariably a 
liberal quantity of alcohol. Whisky was too bulky to carry, and 
as the palates of the trappers and Indians were none too refined, 
sour mash and bourbon were omitted from the wine list. There 
was plenty of water at hand and the spirits could be easily diluted 
to any strength required, though there were not a few who scorned 
to spoil their drink by putting water in it. Frequently two or three 
rival bands of trappers assembled at the same rendezvous, and it was 
not unseldom that a thousand white men and two or three thousand 
Indians were in camp at tone time. The appearance of the train 
from St. Louis was invariably followed by one of those wild 
debauches described above by Irving, the greatest excesses being 
committed by the free trappers, those who had been the longest in 
the business and had abandoned all thought of any other existence 
than the free and untrammeled life of the mountains. These men 
worked for themselves, receiving a stipulated price for all the furs 
taken by them. In return for a contract given by them to sell all 
their furs to the company, they were allowed almost unlimited 
credit, which they exercised as freely as it was offered. Their 
heaviest expenditures were for spirits, horse, gun, traps, clothing, 
and gaudy adornments of every kind for their Indian women, of 
whom each possessed at least one. It not infrequently happened 
that in a few days their reckless excesses and their heedless gener- 
osity to their fair ones not only exhausted their balance with the 
company, but ran up such an enormous bill of credit that their labor 
for a year was pledged in advance. When it is known that some 
of these men, when employed on a salary, received as high as two 
thousand dollars a year, the full extent of their extravagance will 
be better understood. That is a large sum to expend in two or 
three weeks for spirits and gewgaws. 

In 1825 the Rocky Mountain Fur Company dispatched Jede- 
diah S. Smith into the country? west of Great Salt Lake, with a 
party of forty men. He discovered Humboldt River, which he 
named " Mary's River "■ in honor of his Indian wife, so the old 
trappers testify, and following down that stream crossed the Sierra 
Nevada Mountains, arriving in the Sacramento Valley in July. 
This was undoubtedly the first overland journey to California, not- 
withstanding that Cronise speaks of American trappers appearing 



FAILURE AT JOINT OCCUPATION BY THE AMERICANS. 193 

there as early as 1820. He gives no authority for the statement, 
and there is no record of any other party having penetrated so far 
west; the context, also, shows that he confounded these supposi- 
tious early trappers with a portion of Smith's company which he left 
behind him when he returned. Smith had good success, and leav- 
ing the majority of his company to continue their operations, he 
returned to the general rendezvous on Green River. He crossed 
the mountains on his homeward journey in the vicinity of Mono 
Lake, discovering large deposits of placer gold in that region, spec- 
imens of which he took with him to exhibit to his employers on 
Green River. General Ashlev, having made a fortune, was then 
ready to retire from active participation in the business. He there- 
fore sold his interests in the Rocky Mountain Fur Company to 
William Sublette, Jedediah S. Smith and David Jackson. Smith 
again started for California in the spring of 1826, to rejoin the 
party he had left there, of whose success he and his partners enter- 
tained high hopes. It was his purpose to = make a thorough inspec- 
tion of the gold placers, trap through the Sacramento Valley, and 
with his whole party return to Green River to participate in the. 
annual meeting the following summer. In his journey he passed as 
far south as the Colorado River, and, at some point on that stream, 
his party was attacked by Indians, who killed all except Smith, 
Turner and Galbraith. Those three escaped to Mission San Ga- 
briel, and, notwithstanding their forlorn and distressed condition, 
were arrested as filibusters by the panicy Mexicans and sent to San 
Diego. At that point there happened to be several American ves- 
sels, whose officers signed a certificate that Smith was simply a 
peaceful trader and possessed a passport from the Commissioner of 
Indian Affairs of the United States. The certificate bears date of 
December 20, 1826, and was potential to procure the release of the 
prisoners. He then proceeded to hunt for the men he had left the 
year before, and found them in camp on the American River, in 
the vicinity of Folsom, their residence there leading to the bestowal 
of that title upon the stream. It was his purpose to return by way 
of the Columbia River, but that season was one of unusual snows 
and floods, and he was unable for a long time to leave the valley. 
His movements are somewhat uncertain, but are partially revealed 
in the following letter, written by him to Father Duran. The 



194 HISTOKY OF WILLAMETTE VALLET. 

Mexicans were uneasy about the intentions of this party of armed 
Americans, and the worthy Father wrote him a letter asking for 
information. Smith replied: — 

Reverend Father.— I understand, through the medium of some of your Chris- 
tian Indians, that you are anxious to know who we are, as some of the Indians have 
been at the mission and informed you that there were certain white people in the 
country. We are Americans on our journey to the River Columbia ; we were in at 
the Mission San Gabriel in January last. I went to San Diego and saw the general, 
and got a passport from him to pass on to that place. I have made several efforts 
to cross the mountains, but the snows being so deep, I could not succeed in getting 
over. I returned to this place (it being the only point to kill meat), to wait a few 
weeks until the snow melts so that I can go on ; the Indians here also being friendly, 
I consider it the most safe point for me to remain, until such time as I can cross the 
mountains with my horses, having lost a great many in attempting to cross ten or 
fifteen days since. I am a long ways from home, and am anxious to get there as 
soon as the nature of the case will admit. Our situation is quite unpleasant, being 
destitute of clothing and most of the necessaries of life, wild meat being our principal 
subsistence. I am, Reverend Father, your strange but real friend and Christian 
brother. J. S. SMITH. 

May 19th, 1827. 

Soon after this correspondence Smith started northward, crossing 
to the coast in the vicinity of Russian River. He continued along 
the coast to the Umpqua, and while ferrying his effects across the 
stream on a rudely constructed raft, his party was attacked by 
Indians, with whom they were holding friendly intercourse, and all 
but three were slain. Smith, Daniel Prior and one of the Indians 
were on the raft at the time of the attack, and when the signal yell 
was given the savage sprang into the water with Smith's gun in his 
hand; but he never lived to enjoy his prize, for Smith seized his 
companion's rifle and buried a bullet in the Indian's brain the in- 
stant his head appeared above water. The two men landed on the 
opposite side of the stream and succeeded in making their way to 
Vancouver, where they received a warm and sympathetic welcome. 
The officers of the Hudson's Bay Company would have done their 
utmost to have ruined his business had he come into their field with 
a band of trappers ; but one in his pitiable condition — his followers 
massacred and his furs and accoutrements plundered — could only 
excite their deepest sympathy. A few days later a third man made 
his appearance, more forlorn, if possible, than the others. This was 
Richard Laughlin, who was in camp at the time of the attack, and 
had seized a burning brand from the fire, with which he rained 



FAILUEE AT JOINT OCCUPATION BY THE AMERICANS. 195 

scorching blows upon the naked bodies of his assailants until he 
cleared a passage for himself and escaped. 

It was deemed necessary by the officers of the company to chas- 
tise the Indians who had been guilty of this unprovoked outrage, 
as a warning to other tribes who might feel encouraged to pounce 
down upon unwary bands of trappers; besides, the furs stolen were 
exceedingly valuable and ought to be recovered. It happened that 
Governor Simpson was at Fort Vancouver at the time Smith arrived 
in such a forlorn condition, and he sent out a party under Thomas 
McKay, to punish the Indians and recover the captured property, 
both as a necessary step to maintain the company's authority and 
as an act of courtesy to the despoiled trader. Accounts vary as to 
the degree of punishment inflicted, but at all events the furs were 
recovered and conveyed to Vancouver, and since he could not carry 
them, having no means, and since the company, from a business 
point of view, could not afford to provide him with facilities for 
carrying on opposition to it, he sold the whole lot to the company 
for $40,000. They were, to be sure, worth more in St. Louis, but 
under the circumstances, this was a fair * price for them on the 
Columbia. The most detailed account of this incident is given by 
Rev. Gustavus Hines, who received the facts from Dr. McLoughlin 
in person. Gray's History of Oregon, a rabid . anti-Hudson's Bay 
Company volume, seriously questions the correctness of these state- 
ments. It says: — 

The property was recovered from the Indians by giving them presents of blank- 
ets and powder, and such things as the Indians wished, as stated to us by a French- 
man, a servant of the company, who was one of McKay's party that went to get 
the furs. They found no bodies to bury, and had no fight with the Indians about 
the property, as stated by Mr. Smith, also. But, as the Hudson's Bay Company 
tells the story, through Mr. Hines, they spread terror through the tribes. * * * 
Mr. Hines says his Umpqua party returned in triumph to Vancouver/ And well 
they might, for they had made the best season's hunt they ever made in getting 
those furs and the property of Smith, which paid them well for the expedition, as 
there was no market for Smith, except in London, through the hypocritical kind- 
ness of Mr. Simpson. By this time Mr. Smith had learned all he wished to of this 
company. He preferred giving them his furs at their own price to being under 
further obligations to them. Mr. Sublette, Mr. Smith's partner, did not speak as 
though he felt under much obligation to Mr. Simpson or the Hudson's Bay Com- 
pany, which was not long after the transaction referred to. I do not know how the 
company regard these statements of Mr. Hines, yet I regard them as true so far as 
Mr. Hines is concerned, but utterly false as regards the company. * * * 
According to the testimony given in the case of the Hudson's Bay Company v. 
United States, the amount of furs seized by the company at that time was forty 



196 



HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 



packs, worth at the time $1,000 each, besides the animals and equipments belonging 
to the party, a large portion of which was given to the Indians to compensate them 
for the services rendered the company in destroying Smith's expedition and killing 

his men." 

It is a sufficient refutation of the above to state that the author 
is a monomaniac on the subject of the Hudson's Bay Company and 
the Catholics, resulting from the religious struggle between rival 
missionary establishments, with one of which he was connected. 
No sin is too black or crime too heinous for him to charge to the 
score of his old opponents. It is true that it was the company's 
policy to overbear all opposition; that all Indians over whom they 
exercised control were strictly enjoined from dealing with in- 
dependent traders or selling them supplies; that their agents were 
instructed never to supply such parties with food or ammunition, 
unless the dictates of pure humanity required it, as in the case under 
consideration; but that it ever encouraged the thought among the 
natives that it would be pleased by the murder of Americans, is not 
susceptible of proof, and the idea is inconsistent with the character 
of the men who administered its affairs on the Pacific Coast, 
especially the kind and benevolent Dr. John McLoughlin, Chief 
Factor at Vancouver. Smith's party was the first band of American 
trappers to invade the company's field in Oregon, and as their 
presence was unsuspected, since the company had not yet begun to 
operate in Southern Oregon and California, it is impossible that 
these Indians could have been encouraged to attack them. Gener- 
ally speaking, the Indians of this region, save those at the mouth of 
the Columbia, did not at that time understand the difference in na- 
tionality of white men, though but a few years later the appearance 
of Americans along the Columbia taught them all the difference 
between " Bostons " and " King George's Men," a distinction which 
was carefully impressed upon them by the representatives of the 
Hudson's Bay Company, and which, in their eyes, was a most im- 
portant one, as subsequent events plainly indicate. To show that 
the company did not encourage a general spirit of hostility against 
Americans, though admitting, or, rather, not denying, that the 
tribes were urged to hold no communication whatever with Ameri- 
can traders, Dunn relates the following incident, occurring, proba- 
bly, subsequent to 1830: — 



FAILURE AT JOINT OCCUPATION BY THE AMERICANS. 197 

On one occasion an American vessel, Captain Thompson, was in the Columbia, 
trading for furs and salmon. The vessel had got aground in the upper part of the 
river, and the Indians, from various quarters, mustered with the intent of cutting 
the Americans off, thinking that they had an opportunity of revenge, and would 
thus escape the censure of the company. Dr. M'Loughlin, the governor of Fort 
Vancouver, hearing of their intention, immediately dispatched a party to their ren- 
dezvous, and informed them that if they injured one American, it would be just 
the same offense as if they had injured one of his servants, and they would be treated 
equally as enemies. This stunned them, and they relinquished their purpose and 
all retired to their respective homes. Had not this come to the governor's ears the 
Americans must have perished. 

Such conduct is characteristic of the kind -hearted Chief Factor, 
and it is probable that he would have thus acted had he been im- 
plicitly enjoined to the contrary by his superior officers. One thing 
is certain — in after years he lost the favor of the Governor by not 
withholding from American settlers the aid their necessities required, 
though he well knew that by so doing he was violating the well- 
defined policy of the company of discouraging American immigra- 
tion. Just when the title "Bostons" was first bestowed upon 
Americans, to distinguish them from the English, or "King George's 
Men,'* is a matter of uncertainty; but it was probably done in 1832, 
when a Boston merchant, Nathaniel J. Wyeth, entered Oregon to 
engage in the fur trade, as will appear subsequently. In after years 
all white people became known as " Bostons,'* with the exception 
of the soldiers and the priests, and this classification exists at the 
present day. 

Dr. McLoughlin died on the third of September, 1857, at the 
age of seventy -three, and a stone marks his last resting place in the 
Catholic churchyard at Oregon City. Among his papers was found 
a quite lengthy manuscript, in his own handwriting, detailing at 
length his acts in connection with many events, and showing how 
his efforts to be just, kind and generous to the settlers had not only 
failed to win him the good will of many of them, or justice from the 
Government, but had lost him the friendship of his former fellow - 
officers of the Hudson's Bay Company. It details quite minutely 
the incident which is now under consideration, and it will be ob- 
served that the Doctor's version differs somewhat from that of Hines 
or Gray in several particulars, especially in regard to the quantity 
and value of the furs recovered. This posthumous paper lias been 
published in full in the " Transactions of the Oregon Pioneer Asso- 



198 



HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 



ciation," and will be frequently quoted from in the succeeding pages. 
That portion referring to the Umpqua massacre is as follows: — 

One night in August, 1828, I was surprised by the Indians making a great noise 
at the gate of the fort, saying they had brought an American. The gate was opened, 
the man came in, but was so affected he could not speak. After sitting down some 
minutes to recover himself, he told he was, he thought, the only survivor of eighteen 
(18) men, conducted by the late Jedediah Smith. All the rest, he thought, were 
murdered. The party left San Francisco bound to their rendezvous at the Salt 
Lake. They ascended the Sacramento Valley, but finding no opening to cross 
the mountains to go east, they bent their course to the coast, which they reached 
at the mouth of Rogue River, then came along the beach to the Umpqua, where 
the Indians stole their ax, and as it was the only ax they had, and which they 
absolutely required to make rafts to cross rivers, they took the chief prisoner 
and their ax was returned. Early the following morning, Smith started in a 
canoe with two (2) men and an Indian, and left orders, as usual, to allow no 
Indians to come into camp. But to gratify their passion for women, the men 
neglected to follow the order, allowed the Indians to come into camp, and at an 
Indian yell five or six Indians fell upon each white man. At tfre time, the 
narrator, Black, was out of the crowd, and had just finished cleaning and loading 
his rifle; three (3) Indians jumped on him, but he shook them off, and seeing all 
his comrades struggling on the ground and the Indians stabbing them, he fired on 
the crowd and rushed to the woods pursued by the Indians, but fortunately escaped ; 
swam across the Umpqua and [went] northward in the hopes of reaching the Colum- 
bia, where he knew we were. But broken down by hunger and misery, as he had 
no food but a few wild berries which he found on the beach, he determined to give 
himself up to the Killimour, a tribe on the coast at Cape Lookout, who treated him 
with great humanity, relieved his wants and brought him to the Fort, for which, in 
case whites might again fall in their power, and to induce them to act kindly to 
them, I rewarded them most liberally. But thinking Smith and his two men might 
have escaped, we made no search for them at break of day the next morning. I 
sent Indian runners with tobacco to the Willamette chiefs, to tell them to send 
their people in search of Smith and his two men, and if they found them to bring 
them to the fort and I would pay them ; and also told them if any Indians hurt these 
men we would punish them, and immediately equipped a strong party of forty 
(40) well armed men. But as the men were embarking, to out great joy, Smith and 
his two men arrived. 

I then arranged as strong a party as I could make to recover all we could of 
Smith's property. I divulged my plan to none, but gave written instructions to 
the officer, to be opened only when he got to the Umpqua, because if known before 
they got there, the officers would talk of it among themselves, the men Would hear 
it and from them it would go to their Indian wives, who were spies on us, and my 
plan would be defeated. The plan was that the officer was, as usual, to invite the 
Indians to bring their furs to trade, j ust as if nothing had happened. Count the 
furs, but as the American trappers mark all their skins, keep these all separate, give 
them to Mr. Smith and not pay the Indians for them, telling them that they 
belonged to him; that they got them by murdering Smith's people. 

They denied having murdered Smith's people, but admitted they bought them 
of the murderers. The officers told them they must look to the murderers for the 
payment, which they did ; and as the murderers would not restore the property 
they had received, a war was kindled among them, and the murderers were pun- 
ished more severely than we could have done, and which Mr. Smith himself 
admitted, and to be much preferable to going to war on them, as we could not dis- 



FAILURE AT JOINT OCCUPATION BY THE AMERICANS. 199 

tinguish the innocent from the guilty, who, if they chose, might fly to the mount- 
ains, where we could not find them. In this way we recovered property for Mr. 
Smith to the amount of three thousand two hundred dollars, without any expense 
to him, and which was done from a principle of Christian duty, and as a lesson to 
the Indians to show them they could not wrong the whites with impunity. 

Smith's report of the excellence of the region to the south as a 
trapping ground aroused the company to the importance of reaping 
the benefit of the American trader's enterprise. Accordingly, two 
expeditions were sent out in different directions to trap over the 
held Smith had explored. It has been said that the service of guides 
to these new beaver streams was part of the price paid by him for 
the recovery of his furs and traps; but a positive statement on that 
point is impossible. One party, consisting of forty men, completely 
equipped for a year's absence, started southward, led by Alexander 
Roderick jVIcLeod, and guided by Turner. Among them were some 
of the men who had come out to Astoria with the Pacific Fur Com- 
pany, and had remained here in the employ of the Northwest Com- 
pany and its successor. These were Etinne Lucier, Joseph Gervais, 
both well known to the early pioneers, Alexander McCarty, William 
Canning and Thos. McKay, whose father perished in the Tonquin. 
On then journey southward they bestowed several of the familiar 
names of Southern Oregon, such as "Jump-off- Joe," "Rogue River," 
and " Siskiyou Mountain." The first was so named because of an 
adventure which happened to Joe McLoughlin, son of the Chief Fac- 
tor. The second was called "La Rivier de Caqucain," because the 
Indians stole some of their traps and horses, and gave them much 
trouble. The last received its title because an old white, bobtailed 
horse, belonging to Jean Baptiste Pairroult, was stolen while they 
were camped on the mountain, " Siskiyou " meaning " bobtail " in 
the patois French of the Canadian trappers. McLeod's party met 
with considerable success; but they were snowed in, early in the 
winter, on the banks of a tributary of the Sacramento, lost their 
horses, and were unable to get out of the mountains with the large 
packs of furs and traps. In this emergency, McKay, McLoughlin 
and Pairroult started on foot for Vancouver, to procure horses, and 
after much hardship and suffering reached headquarters. McLeod, 
however, unable to procure food for his men, did not wait for the 
expected relief, but cached his furs and traps, and also made his 
toilsome way to Vancouver. The cache was made near the eastern 



200 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

base of Mount Shasta, which they called " Mt. McLoughlin." When 
the relief party arrived at the deserted camp, the following spring, 
it was found that the snow and rains had caused the river to flood 
its banks, and the furs had become wet and spoiled. The stream 
was ever afterwards known among the trappers as " McLeod River," 
the name it still bears in pronunciation, though the orthography 
has been changed to "McCloud." The reason for this is, that in 
sound the two names are very similar, and that Ross McCloud, a 
very worthy and well-known gentleman, resided on the stream in 
an early day, though not for a quarter of a century after it received 
its baptism of "McLeod." Care should be taken by all map 
makers, historians, and writers generally, to adhere to the original 
orthography. 

The other party referred to was led by Peter Skeen Ogden, and 
was accompanied by Smith. They passed up the Columbia and 
Lewis, or Snake, rivers, to the source of the latter, where Smith left 
them and proceeded to the general rendezvous of his company on 
Green River. Ogden continued southward until he reached the Hum- 
boldt. That stream of many titles was known among the American 
trappers as "Mary's River," and among the Hudson's Bay people 
as " Ogden's River," its present name having been bestowed upon 
it by Fremont, who had sought through that region in vain for the 
fabulous " Buena Ventura." Ogden passed down the stream to the 
" Sink," and then crossed the Sierra Nevada to Sacramento Valley 
through Walker's Pass. He trapped along the Sacramento, and 
continued northward until he reached Vancouver, sometime in the 
summer of 1829, with a valuable lot of furs. When Smith appeared 
at the Green River rendezvous with the tale of his manifold fortunes, 
he was as one risen from the dead, as his partners, having received 
no tidings of him for two years, supposed him to have perished. 
In 1830 he disposed of his interest in the Rocky Mountain Fur 
Company, and the following year was treacherously killed by In- 
dians, while digging for water in the dry bed of the Cimeron River, 
near Taos, New Mexico, and was buried there by his companions. 

The second party of American trappers to enter Oregon was that 
of Major Pilcher. They left Green River in 1828, and passed along 
the western base of the Rocky Mountains to Flathead Lake, where 
they wintered. In the spring they descended Clarke's Fork and the 



FAILURE AT JOINT OCCUPATION BY THE AMERICANS. 201 

main Columbia to Colville River, up which they ascended to its 
source and started on their return eastward. Gray says: "This 
party of Major Pilcher's were all cut off but two men, besides him- 
self ; his furs, as stated by himself to the writer, found their way into 
the forts of the Hudson's Bay Company." The writer, though not 
stating it positively, intends to convey the impression that these men 
were murdered at the instigation of the Hudson's Bay Company, or, 
at least, with its sanction. That the captured furs were sold to the 
company is true, but as that was the only market open to the In- 
dians, it is a very small foundation upon which to lay a charge of 
murder against the purchasers. The next band of American trap- 
pers was that of Ewing Young, who had been for years a leader of 
trapping parties from Santa Fe to the headwaters of the Del Norte, 
Rio Grande and Colorado rivers. He entered California through 
Walker's Pass, in 1829, and returned the next year. In 1832 he 
again entered California and followed Smith's route into Oregon as 
far as the Umpqua, when he turned eastward, crossed the moun- 
tains to the tributary streams of the Columbia and Snake rivers, 
entered Sacramento Valley again from the north, and finally crossed 
out by the Tejon Pass, having been absent from Santa Fe two years. 
Mr. Young soon returned, and became one of the first and most 
energetic of the American settlers in Oregon, his death a few years 
later leading to the organization of the Provisional Government. 
While in the Sacramento Valley, in 1832, Young encountered a 
brigade of Hudson's Bay trappers, led by Michael Laframbois. The 
company had made this one of their fields of operation, and had 
the year before established Fort Umpqua, at the confluence of Elk 
Creek and Umpqua River, as a base of supplies for Southern Ore- 
gon and California. In 1833 an agency was established at Yerba 
Buena (San Francisco), and trapping headquarters in Yolo and San 
Joaquin counties, both places becoming known to the early Ameri- 
can settlers as " French Camp." J. Alexander Forbes, the first 
English historian of California, and W. G. Ray, represented the 
company at Yerba Buena until it withdrew from California in 
1845. 

William Sublette and David Jackson retired from the Rocky 
Mountain Fur Company in 1830, at the same time as Smith, the new 
proprietors being Milton Sublette, James Bridger, Robert Campbell, 



202 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Thomas Fitzpatrick, Frapp and Jarvis. In 1831 the old American 
Fur Company, which had been managed so long by Mr. Astor but 
was now directed by Ramsey Crooks, one of Mr. Astor's partners in 
the Astoria ventuie, began to push into the trapping grounds of 
the other company. Great rivalry sprang up between them, which 
was the following year intensified by the appearance of two other 
competitors in the persons of Captain B. L. E. Bonneville and Na- 
thaniel J. Wyeth. Captain Bonneville was a United States army 
officer, who had been given permission to lead a party of trappers 
into the fur regions of the Northwest, the expedition being counte- 
nanced by the Government only to the extent of this permit. It 
was supposed, that, by such an undertaking, sufficient additional 
information of the region explored would be obtained to warrant 
authorizing an officer to engage in a private venture. The Captain 
first reached the Rocky Mountains in 1832. In 1833 he sent Joseph 
Walker with forty men to California over the route formerly pur- 
sued by Smith, and on Christmas of the same year started with three 
companions from his camp on Portneuf River, upon an expedition 
to Fort Walla Walla. His object, as given by Irving, was: "To 
make himself acquainted with the country, and the Indian tribes; 
it being one part of his scheme to establish a trading post some- 
where on the lower part of the river, so as to participate in the 
trade lost to the United States by the capture of Astoria." He 
reached Powder River on the twelfth of January, 1834, whence his 
journey was continued down Snake River and by the Nez Perce 
trail to Fort Walla Walla, where he arrived March 4, 1834. 

This journey, in mid- winter, was attended with its accompany- 
ing detail of hardships incident to the season, including the absence 
of game and presence of snow in the mountains. At one time they 
had wandered among the Blue Mountains, lost amid its canyons 
and defiles east of the Grand Ronde Valley, for twenty days, nearly 
frozen and constantly starved until they were at the verge of despair. 
At length a Nez Perce chief was met who invited them to his lodge 
some twelve miles further along the trail they were traveling, and 
then galloped away. So great had been the strain upon the 
Captain's system in sustaining these successive days of unnatural 
exertion, that when the chief disappeared he sank upon the 
ground and lay there like one dead. His companions tried in 



FAILURE AT JOINT OCCUPATION BY THE AMERICANS. 203 

vain to arouse iiim. It was a useless effort, and the)' were forced to 
camp by the trail until he awoke from his trance the next day and 
was enabled to move on. They had hardly resumed their tedious 
journey when some dozen Nez Perces rode up with fresh horses and 
carried them in triumph to their village. Everywhere after this 
they were kindly received by this hospitable people — fed, cared for 
and guided on their way bv them. 

Bonneville and his two companions were kindly received at Fort 
Walla Walla by Mr. P. C. Pambrun, who, with five or six men, 
was in charge of that station at the mouth of the Walla Walla 
River. This Hudson's Bay Company's representative was a courte- 
ous, affable host, but when asked to sell the Captain supplies that 
would enable his return to the Rocky Mountains, said: "That 
worthy superintendent, who had extended all the genial rights of 
hospitality, now suddenly assumed a withered-up aspect and 
demeanor, and observed that, however he might feel disposed to 
serve him personally, he felt bound by his duty to the Hudson's Bay 
Company to do nothing which should facilitate or encourage the 
visits of other traders among the Indians in that part of the country.'" 
Bonneville remained at the fort but two days longer, for his desti- 
tute condition, combined with the lateness in the season, rendered 
it necessary for him to return immediately; and he started on the 
back trail with his Xez Perce guide, and finally reached the point of 
general rendezvous for his various expeditions. This is a true state- 
ment of the position assumed by the Hudson's Bay Company; its 
agents would not themselves, nor would they permit the Indians 
under their control to deal with or in any manner assist opposition 
traders ; but that Bonneville traversed the country in safety with but 
three companions, after the company was aware of his intention to 
return and found a rival establishment on the Columbia, is convinc- 
ing evidence that assassination was not one of its methods of over- 
coming competition, however much such charges may be reiterated 
by its enemies. 

In July, 1834, Bonneville started on a second expedition to the 
Columbia, with a formidable number of trappers and mountain 
men, well equipped, and with an extensive stock of goods to traffic 
with Indians. He still contemplated a restoration of American trade 
in this country, and designed establishing a post for that purpose in 



204 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

the Willamette Valley. This time he passed the Blue Mountains 
by way of Grand Eonde Valley and the Umatilla River, and upon 
his arrival at the mouth of that stream, was surprised to find the 
natives shunning him. They ran from his men, hid themselves, and 
when intercepted, refused to have anything to do with the Ameri- 
cans. Not a skin, a horse, a dog, or a fish, could be obtained from 
them, having been warned by the Hudson's Bay Company not to 
traffic with these new comers, It now seemed a question of imme- 
diate evacuation or starvation, and Bonneville decided to abandon 
his attempt at joint occupancy. Once more he turned his back upon 
the Columbia and left the English company in undisputed possession 
of the field. 

A contemporaneous effort was made by Nathaniel J. Wyeth, a 
Boston merchant. With eleven men who knew nothing of trapper- 
life, he crossed the plains to Humboldt River, with Milton Sublette, 
in 1832. From this point the twelve pushed north to Snake River, 
and by way of that stream to Fort Vancouver, where they arrived 
on the twenty -ninth of October. Mr. Wyeth had his whole fortune 
invested in his enterprise, and had brought with him a large stock 
of goods, such as were used in the Indian trade. He was received 
with great hospitality by Dr. McLoughlin. The next spring he 
left for the East, a financial bankrupt, only two of his followers 
accompanying him. It does not appear that the company's officers 
contributed in any way to produce this result; but if they did not, 
it was simply because it was unnecessary to do so. Had not natural 
causes, the chief of which were the wrecking of his supply ship 
which had been sent around Cape Horn, and his utter ignorance of 
the business of fur trading, led to his failure, the company would 
undoubtedly have protected its interests as it did upon his next 
venture two years later. Arriving in Boston, Mr. Wyeth organized 
" The Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company," with a view 
of continuing operations on the Pacific Coast under the same general 
plan that had been outlined by Astor, adding, however, salmon fish- 
ing to the fur trade. He dispatched the brig Mary Dacres for the 
mouth of the Columbia, loaded with supplies and implements needed 
in his proposed undertaking. She had on board also supplies for 
the Methodist Mission, to be spoken of hereafter. With sixty ex- 
perienced men, Mr. Wyeth himself started overland in 1834. Near 



FAILURE AT JOINT OCCUPATION BY THE AMERICANS. 205 

the headwaters of Snake River he built Fort Hall, as an interior 

trading post, the name being that of one of his partners. Here he 
left twelve men and a stock of goods. He then pushed forward to 
the Columbia and erected a fort on Sauvie's Island, at the mouth of 
the Willamette River, which he called t% Fort Williams," in honor 
of another partner; and again the American Hag waved over soil 
west of the Rocky Mountains. The officers of the company again 
received him with much hospitality, and though they continued to 
treat him with courtesy, this did not prevent them from taking the 
steps necessary to protect the company's interests. Fort Boise was 
established as an opposition to Fort Hall, and drew the bulk of the 
trade of the Indians of Snake River. On the Columbia, \Yyeth 
found that the natives were so completely under the control of the 
company that he could establish no business relations with them 
whatever. In two years he was compelled to sell all his possessions, 
including Fort Hall, to the rival company, and abandon this second 
effort at joint occujjation. To this result the American Fur Com- 
pany and Rocky Mountain Fur Company largely contributed by 
conduct towards Mr. Wyeth that was neither generous nor honor- 
able, and it was finally, with a sense of gratification, that he sold 
Fort Hall to the British Company, and thus gave them an impor- 
tant post in the very heart of the trapping grounds of his unpatriotic 
and unscrupulous countrymen. 

Dr. McLoughlims account of Mr. Wyeth's venture, as given in 
the document previously spoken of, is as follows: — 

In 1832, Mr. Nathaniel Wyeth, of Cambridge, near Boston, came across land 
with a party of men, but as the vessel he expected to meet here with supplies was 
wrecked on the way. he returned to the East with three (3) men. The remainder 
joined the Willamette settlement and got supplies and were assisted by the Hud- 
son's Bay Company's servants, and to be paid the same price for their wheat — that 
is, three shillings sterling per bushel, and purchase their supplies at fifty per cent, 
on prime cost. 

In 1834, Mr. Wyeth returned with a fresh party, and met the vessel with supplies 
here, and started with a large outfit for Fort Hall, which he had built on his way, 
and in 1836, he abandoned the business and returned to the States, and those of his 
men that remained in the country joined the settlements and were assisted as the 
others on the same terms as the Hudson's Bay Company's servants, and in justice 
to Mr. Wyeth, I have great pleasure to be able to state that as a rival in trade, I 
always found him open, manly, frank and fair, and in short, in all his contracts, a 
perfect gentleman and an honest man, doing all he could to support morality and 
encouraging industry in the settlement. 



206 HISTOET OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

In 1835 the two rival American companies were consolidated as 
" The American Fur Company," Bridger, Fontenelle and Dripps 
being the leaders. The retirement of Bonneville, and the sale of 
Fort Hall by Mr. Wyeth, left only the consolidated company and 
a few "lone traders" to compete with the English corporation. 
For a few years longer the struggle was maintained, but gradually 
the Hudson's Bay Company absorbed the trade until the American 
trappers, so far as organized effort was concerned, abandoned the 
field. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

FOUNDATION AND PROGRESS OF THE MISSIONS. 

Missionaries Introduce a New Element into the Oregon Question — The 
Flatheads send Messengers to St. Louis to Procure a Bible — Jason 
Lee and others sent by the Methodist Board of Missions — They Locate 
in the Willamette Valley — Their Plan of Operations — Sickness at 
the Mission and Hostility of the Indians — Parker and Whitman 
sent by the American Board — Parker's Triumphal March — He Re- 
turns Home and Publishes a Book — Mr. and Mrs. Whitman — Whit- 
man Takes a Cart as Far as Fort Boise — Missions Founded at 
Waiilatpu and Lapwai — Progress of the Missions of the American 
Board — Mission Founded at The Dalles — Advent of the Catholics 
— A Religious War at Once Begins — A Few Sample Incidents — Ef- 
fects of the Two Forms of Worship upon the Natives. 

THE opening wedge for American settlement and occupation of 
Oregon, which was the new and decisive factor time intro- 
duced into the Oregon Question, was the Protestant Missionaries. 
In despair of coming to an amicable agreement, the plenipotentiaries 
of England and the United States, in 1827, had continued indefi- 
nitely the treaty of joint occupation, hoping that something would 
turn up to put a new phase upon the question ; and in less than ten 
years their expectations were fully realized, but in a manner little 
dreamed of by the most astute of them all. Military posts were 
thought of, emigrants were thought of, fur traders were thought of; 
but no one seemed to have thought of the earnest and self-abnegat- 
ing missionary — that is no one but the aborigines, whose rights 
and preferences had not been considered by either party to this 
long controversy. 

From Lewis and Clarke the Indians of the Columbia first learned 
of the white man's God. They were told that the Great Spirit wor- 



208 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

shiped by their visitors had made of them a powerful nation, given 
them books, guns, clothing, and a thousand things the red man did 
not possess. Other white men who came later whetted their already 
keen desire to learn about this powerful God, and possess that won- 
derful book which he had given to these strange people. One tribe 
was presented by some irreverent trappers with a well-thumbed 
pack of cards, with the assurance that they were the bible for which 
they longed; but the deception was a brief one. Finally, in 1832, 
four (some authorities say five) Flathead Indians were delegated 
by their tribe to proceed to St. Louis, which they believed to be 
the great center of the white man's power, and procure this all- 
powerful book and some one to teach them its contents. It was a 
strange quest, and a stranger place in which to make it, for St. 
Louis then overflowed with that turbulent and ungodly class that 
in those early times swarmed along the western border of civiliza- 
tion. The messengers were laughed at by the few to whom they 
applied ; and after two of their number had died in the city, the 
others set out sorrowfully on their return, without having procured 
the great book, and with their faith in its efiicacy for good sadly 
shaken by the scenes they had witnessed. One of them died on 
the way, yet their journey was not wholly fruitless; for their 
lamentations were overheard one day by one who immediately 
wrote to the missionary societies in the East that there was a wide 
and ripe field for their labors in Oregon. The matter was taken in 
hand by two organizations, the Methodist Board of Missions, and 
the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, a 
society supported by the Congregational, Presbyterian and Dutch 
Reformed denominations. 

The Methodists were the first to take the field. Rev. Jason 
Lee was given direction of the work. Mr. Lee was born in Canada, 
of American parents, and was ordained to the ministry in the United 
States; yet his American citizenship has been questioned by secta- 
rian writers, who imagine that by doing so they gain for themselves 
certain pioneer honors that are justly his due. His associates were 
Rev. Daniel -Lee, Cyrus Shepard and P. L. Edwards. When Na- 
thaniel Wyeth made his second journey to the Columbia, in 1834, 
as already related, this missionary party accompanied him. When 
Wyeth stopped to build Fort Hall the missionaries left him and 






FOUNDATION AND PKOGKESS OF THE MISSIONS. 209 

continued their journey with a brigade of Hudson's Bay Company 
trappers, under A. R. McLeod and Thomas McKay. On the first 
of September they reached Fort Walla Walla, a post the Hudson's 
Bay Company had established on the Columbia at the mouth of 
Walla Walla River, where the town of Wallula now stands. On 
the fifteenth they landed from boats at the company's headquarters 
at Vancouver. They were most cordially welcomed by Dr. Mc- 
Loughlin, who entertained them with the greatest hospitality. It 
had been their intention to locate east of the mountains, but the 
Chief Factor persuaded them to found their establishment in the 
Willamette Valley. It has been charged that his reasons for desir- 
ing them to choose the latter place were that he might secure the 
services of one of them as teacher to children at the fort. If such 
was the case his motive was far from being an unworthy one ; and he 
did the Indians no wrong, since those on one side of the mountains 
were as much in need of missionary labors as those on the opposite- 
It was a fortunate thing for the United States that he did so, for 
the mission became the center about which American settlers rallied 
a few years later, and it became an important factor in wresting 
Oregon from the grasp of Great Britain. On this subject McLough- 
lin's document says: — 

In 1834, Messrs. Jason and Daniel Lee, and Messrs. Walker and P. L. Edwards 
came with Mr. Wyeth to establish a mission in the Flathead country. I observed 
to them that it was too dangerous for them to establish a mission ; that to do good 
to the Indians, they must establish themselves where they could collect them around 
them ; teach them to cultivate the ground and live more comfortably than they do 
by hunting, and as they do this, teach them religion ; that the Willamette afforded 
them a fine field, and that they ought to go there, and they would get the same 
assistance as the settlers. They followed my advice and went to the Willamette, 
and it is but justice to these pioneers to say that no men, in my opinion, could exert 
themselves more zealously than they did till 1840, when they received a large rein- 
forcement of forty (40) or more persons ; then the new-comers began to neglect their 
duties, discord sprang up among them and the mission broke up. 

The location chosen was on the banks of the Willamette, some 
sixty miles above its mouth and ten below the site of the present 
city of Salem. They began the erection of a log house, 32x18 feet, 
and so eager were they to begin their labors that they took posses- 
sion of it on the third of November in an uncompleted condition, 
and received Indian pupils before the roof was finished. Their re- 
lations with the people at Vancouver were the most friendly and 



210 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

cordial. Twenty- one persons were baptized at the fort by Jason, 
Lee on the fourteenth of December, seventeen of them children; 
and he received a donation of twenty dollars to aid in his mission- 
ary work. They were viewed by the officers of the company solely 
in their character as missionaries, their nationality and creed not 
being considered; and as such they received hospitable treatment 
and hearty encouragement in a work which was deemed beneficial. 
They proposed not only to teach religion to the Indians, bnt to 
teach them to till the soil and to do other useful and productive 
labor, by means of which their moral, mental and physical condi- 
tion might be elevated. Realizing that the plastic mind of youth 
is the easiest moulded, they opened a school for children, and fur- 
nished them a house, where they conld learn to read, worship God 
and till the soil. To do this required food for their support; and 
it became necessary for them to embark in farming in order to pro- 
duce it. This they began the following spring, and their first 
harvest consisted of two hundred and fifty bushels of potatoes and 
a quantity of wheat, barley, oats and peas. To this they added six 
barrels of salmon, procured from the Indians. In September, one 
year after their arrival, the first of a series of misfortunes overtook 
them. An intermittent fever became prevalent, and four of the 
children died. The Indians had been watching their movements 
with considerable interest, and these sad occurrences had a powerful 
effect upon their superstitious natures, causing them to view with 
distrust the place where the Great Spirit was displaying his disap- 
proval by causing the death of their children. One Indian, who 
had lost a little brother, paid the mission a visit with the avowed 
intention of killing Daniel Lee and Cyrus Shepard, but was dis- 
suaded from doing so by a companion. He gave vent to his wrath 
against the " white medicines V by crossing the river and killing 
several of his own race, presumably his wife's relations. During 
the fall an addition, 16x32 feet, was built to the mission house, and 
the close of the year found them comfortably housed, with a suffi- 
cient supply of provisions and only ten pupils under their charge, 
while the Indians generally entertained serious doubts of the ad- 
vantage of having them there at all. 

The American Board dispatched Rev. Samuel Parker and Dr. 
Marcus Whitman in the spring of 1835, as a pioneer committee to 



FOUNDATION AND PROGRESS OF THE MISSIONS. 21 1 

examine the field and select suitable locations for missionary work. 
They joined a party of the American Fur Company, and ac- 
companied them to the grand rendezvous on Green River, where 
they encountered a band of Nez Perce Indians who had come across 
the mountains to trade with the trappers, with whom the tribe was 
on terms of warmest friendship. Among the Nez Perces was a 
young chief who was a most ardent friend of the Americans. He 
possessed great eloquence in debate, and was named "Lawyer" by 
the whites, because of his forensic efforts. With this chief the 
missionaries had a consultation, and resolved to establish at least 
two missions. Accordingly it was agreed that Dr. Parker would 
continue the journey across the continent for the purpose of explora- 
tion, so that suitable locations might be selected; he was then to 
leave a letter of advice with the Nez Perces to be given to Whit- 
man the next year, and return home by sea. This was decided 
upon because the peculiar characteristics of the two men were such 
as to prevent cordial co-operation. Dr. Whitman was the very soul 
of energy and devotion to duty, caring nothing for appearances or 
the opinion of others if they stood between him and the object to 
which he had devoted his life; while Dr. Parker seems to have 
been a self-important man to whom a little notoriety was extremely 
soothing. Dr. Whitman, accompanied by two young Nez Perces, 
returned to the East to procure the necessary assistance for the two 
missions to be founded. 

Dr. Parker resumed his journey westward on the twenty-second 
of August, and when he entered the Nez Perce country received 
such an ovation from the delighted Indians as must have gratified 
his vanity in the highest degree. No white man before or since 
was ever received by the natives of the Columbia with such cordial- 
ity and ceremonious distinction as greeted Mr. Parker on his way 
to Fort Walla Walla. His approach to an Indian village was the 
occasion of general display of savage grandeur and hospitality. 
Here was one who had come to tell them of that unseen and myste- 
rious power which had done so man}' wonderful things for the 
white man; and they hoped now to learn how to worship that Great 
Spirit of whom they had heard their first white visitors speak, and 
who, they hoped, might smile upon them and make them wise and 
powerful. With this thought they received the missionary every- 



212 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

where with outstretched arms and demonstrations of unbounded 
joy. He held religious services in several places, and to a degree 
inducted his eager neophytes into the mysteries of the white man's 
religion. He reached Fort Walla Walla on the fifth of October, 
receiving a cordial welcome from P. C. Pambrun, the gentleman in 
charge. A few days later he passed down the Columbia in a boat, 
and during the winter enjoyed the hospitalities of Dr. McLoughlin 
at Vancouver. In the spring he returned east of the mountains and 
made a journey through the ISTez Perce, Spokane and Colville 
countries, after which he embarked from Vancouver for the Sand- 
wich Islands, and thence for home, arriving in 1837. He soon after 
published an account of his travels, which was of special value at 
that time because of the deep interest the people were beginning to 
take in the Oregon Question. 

Dr. Whitman, with his two Indian companions, reached Rush- 
ville, N. Y., his home, late on Saturday night, and his presence 
there, instead of in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, was first 
known when he walked quietly into church the next morning with 
his copper-hued friends, his mother starting up with a cry of as- 
tonishment and joy. During the winter all his arrangements were 
made, including his marriage in February, 1836, with Miss Nar- 
cissa Prentiss, daughter of Stephen H. Prentiss. Mrs. Whitman 
was a woman of refined nature, rare accomplishments of voice and 
manner, of commanding presence, firm in purpose and an enthu- 
siast in the line of her accepted duty. In this cause her deepest 
sympathies had been enlisted, and she cheerfully yielded all her 
fair prospects among friends and kindred, and devoted her life to 
isolation in a country so far away that the very name conveyed to 
the mind a sense of loneliness and mystery,,; and where a martyr's 
grave was awaiting her. She was born at PAtsburg, N. Y., March 
14, 1808, and was therefore but thirty -nine years of age when 
merciless and ingrate hands crowned with her death the sacrifice of 
her life. Marcus Whitman, M. D., was born September 4, 1802, 
at Rushville, N. Y., and at the age of forty -five offered up his life 
on the altar of duty. These two, accompanied by Rev. H. H. 
Spalding and wife, a lady of much firmness of character and devo- 
tion to duty, and W. H. Gray, set out on their westward journey 
under the escort of a party of the American Fur Company. With 



FOUNDATION AND PROGRESS OF THE MISSIONS. 213 

the party were Major Pilcher, an independent trader previously 
alluded to, and Sir William Druinniond, an English nobleman 
traveling under the alias of " Captain Stewart " and accompanied 
by a companion and three servants. The missionary party took with 
them three wagons, eight mules, twelve horses and sixteen cows, 
besides farming utensils, blacksmith and carpenter tools, seeds, 
clothing, etc., to enable them to become self-supporting. At Fort 
Laramie all the wagons but one were abandoned, but Whitman in- 
sisted upon taking this one for the ladies to ride in ; the trappers also 
concluded to try the experiment of wheels in the mountains, and 
safely took a small cart to the grand rendezvous on Green River. 
Here the missionaries met Nathaniel J. Wyeth on his return home 
from his second unfortunate effort to test the virtues of joint occu- 
pation in Oregon, and they were by him introduced to McKay and 
McLeod, the two Hudson's Bay Company agents who had escorted 
Jason Lee two years before, and who were about to return to Van- 
couver from a trapping and trading tour. Notwithstanding the 
urgent objection of the trappers and their assurances that it was 
impossible for a wagon to pass through the mountains, Whitman 
insisted upon taking the vehicle along; but when he reached Fort 
Hall he was compelled to reduce it to two wheels, and at Fort Boise 
they insisted upon an entire abandonment of it. Nevertheless, he 
had demonstrated that wagons could cross the Rocky Mountains, 
and was satisfied that the remainder of the route presented no more 
formidable obstacles. They were met on the route by a band of 
Nez Perces who had been informed in the spring by Dr. Parker of 
their expected coming, and their reception was only less impressive 
than had been that of their herald, whose failure to do anything for 
them had served somewhat to cool the ardor which his appearance 
had raised to fever heat. Mr. Pambrun gave them a hearty wel- 
come to Fort Walla Walla on the second of September, which was 
repeated by Dr. McLoughlin a few days later when they landed 
from the company's boats at Fort Vancouver. 

Leaving the ladies to enjoy the hospitalities of the fort, the three 
gentlemen returned to AValla Walla, and, with the aid of Mr. Pam- 
brun, sought for suitable locations for their proposed missions. It 
was decided to locate one among the Cay uses and the other among 
the Nez Perces. The former was located at Waiilatpu, on the 



214 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Walla Walla River, six miles west of the present city of Walla 
Walla, and was taken charge of by Mr. and Mrs. Whitman. This 
was known as the " Waiilatpu," or " Whitman, Mission," the former 
name signifying "the people," being the proper title of the Cayuse 
tribe. Mr. and Mrs. Spalding founded the " Lapwai Mission " among 
the Nez Perces, at a place on the Clearwater River a few miles from 
the site of Lewiston, Idaho. Mr. Gray rendered material aid in 
constructing the two posts, and assisted the two principals in their 
missionary labors. 

The next year, it being deemed advisable to extend the field of 
their operations, Mr. Gray returned East, to procure the necessary 
means and additional aid to accomplish that purpose. He was 
accompanied by four Nez Perces, who took a large band of horses 
with them, the price of which they intended to contribute to the 
Mission fund. On the Platte River the party was attacked by Sioux 
Indians, their horses stolen and the four Nez Perces killed, Mr. 
Gray barely escaping with his life. He returned in 1838, with Rev. 
E. Walker and wife, Rev. Gushing Eells and wife, Rev. A. B. Smith, 
Mrs. Gray, and Cornelius Rogers. With the party came Captain 
John A. Sutter, the honored pioneer of the Sacramento Valley. 
They brought with them fourteen cows of a superior breed, but at 
Fort Hall were persuaded to leave them and accept in their place 
an order for a similar number to be delivered them by the agent of 
the Hudson's Bay Company when they reached their destination. 
They failed to fully appreciate the beauties of this transaction until 
after their arrival at the Whitman Mission in September, and wit- 
nessed the efforts of an expert vaquero to catch some of the wild 
heifers roaming with the herds belonging to the company. 

The following brief and accurate account of the Missions of the 
American Board is taken from Rev. Myron Eells' book, entitled 
" Indian Missions," and carries them up to the time when the Amer- 
ican settlers organized a government in Oregon, from which time 
they will only be considered in connection with concurrent events. 
Mr. Eells says: — 

On the arrival of this mission reinforcement, Mr. Gray was associated with Mr. 
Spalding. Mr. Smith was first stationed with Dr. Whitman, but the next year he 
opened a new station at Kamiah, sixty miles from Lapwai, among the Nez Perces, 
and Messrs. Walker and Eells likewise began another station among the Spokanes, 
at Tshimakain, six miles north of the Spokane River, in the spring of 1839. The 



FOUNDATION AND PROGRESS OF THE SCISSIONS. 215 

first few years of the mission were quite encouraging. Owing partly to the novelty, 
the Indians seemed very anxious to labor, to learn at school, and to receive religious 
instruction. In 1887, as soon as a school was opened at Lapwai, Mr. Spalding wrote 
that a hundred, both old and young, were in attendance. As soon as one had 
learned something more than the others, they would gather around him, while he 
would become their teacher. In 1839 one hundred and fifty children, and as many 
more adults, were in school. Similar interest was shown in religious instruction. 
They sometimes spent whole nights in repeating over and over what they had but 
partly learned at a religious service. Two years later 1,000 to 2,000 gathered for 
religious instruction. Then 2,000 made a public confession of sin, and promised to 
serve God. Many of them evidently did so with imperfect ideas of what they were 
doing, yet not a few were believed to give evidence of conversion. Among the 
Cayuses, also, more were ready to attend school than the mission family could sup- 
ply with books, or had ability to teach. Morning and evening worship was main- 
tained in all the principal lodges, and a confession of sin was made somewhat 
similar to that among the Xez Perces. For a time, when Dr. Whitman or Mr. 
Spalding traveled through the country, they were followed by hundreds of Indians, 
eager to see them and hear Bible truths at night. They had a strong desire for hoes 
and other agricultural implements, and were willing to part with any property they 
had. in order to obtain them, even bringing their rifles to be manufactured into 
such articles. From eighty to one hundred families planted fields near Mr. Spald- 
ing, and many near Dr. Whitman raised enough provisions for a comfortable sup- 
ply for their families. 

In 183S Mr. Spalding reported that his field produced 2,000 bushels of potatoes, 
besides wheat and other articles. In the year 1841 a saw and grist mill were erected 
among the Xez Perces. and a grist mill among the Cayuses. At Kamiah a large 
part of the Indians gave up their roving habits for a time, and remained most of 
the year at home, and the Spokanes received Messrs. Walker and Eells with glad- 
ness. In 1837 a church was organized, and in September, 1838, the first Indian was 
received into it ; though, in July previous, two Indian girls, who afterwards died in 
Mr, Spalding's family, gave evidence of conversion, and were baptized as the first 
fruits of the work. In November, 1839, Joseph and Timothy, Nez Perces Indians, 
were admitted to the church. In 1840 Mr. Eells reported a school of eighty scholars. 
In 1839 the mission received a donation from Rev. H. Bingham's church, at Hono- 
lulu, Sandwich Islands, of a small printing press, with types, furniture, paper, and 
other things, of the value of $450. The same church had, the year before, sent 
eighty dollars in money and ten bushels of salt to the Oregon mission. Mr. E. O. 
Hall, a printer at the Sandwich Islands, on account of the health of his wife, came 
with the press, and the first book printed west of the Rocky Mountains, so far un- 
known, was issued that fall in the Nez Perces language. This added new interest 
to the school, and other books in the same language, and one in that of the Spo- 
kanes, followed. Mr. and Mrs. Hall remained until the spring of 1840, when they 
returned to the Sandwich Islands. 

* * * -* 

But the novelty gradually wore off, and discouragements began. The natural 
heart naturally resisted the truths of the Bible, and some of the Spokane chiefs led 
in the opposition. In 1838 two Roman Catholic priests arrived, spoke against the 
missionaries, and persuaded some of the Cayuses to be baptized by them. Others 
afterwards came, established a mission among them, and one of the Roman Catholic- 
Indians instigated some others of the tribe to treat Dr. Whitman and Mr. Gray 
with much insolence and abuse, to destroy some property, and to demand payment 
for the land, timber, fuel and water which had been used. But by moderation and 
firmness, and with the aid of the Hudson's Bay Company, the Indians afterwards 



216 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

admitted their guilt, and peace was apparently restored. In 1841, Mr. Smith, after 
suffering no little annoyance from the savage manners of the Nez Perces, on 
account of the failure of his own and his wife's health [he had located among Ellis' 
band of Nez Perces in 1839, and the following year was prevented from cultivating 
any ground under pain of death, at the command of Ellis himself] , left that mission 
and Oregon, and joined the mission at the Sandwich Islands. He subsequently 
returned to the Eastern States. In his opinion the Indians were pharisaical, and 
desired to make money out of the missionaries. 

B3 7 February, 1842, affairs seemed so discouraging that the Board of Missions 
concluded to give up the stations among the Cayuses and Nez Perces, and Bev. J. 
D. Paris and Mr. W. H. Bice, who had been sent to the mission by the way of Cape 
Horn and the Sandwich Islands, having reached the latter place, were induced to 
remain there temporarily, an arrangement which was afterwards made permanent 
by the Board at Boston. The roving habits of the Indians, and the decrease in the 
attendance on the schools, increased the trials. Hence, Messrs. Spalding and Gray 
were to return East, and Dr. Whitman was to join the Spokane Mission. In the 
fall of 1842, however, affairs took a more favorable turn : the Spokane Indians 
showed more thoughtfulness and conscientiousness ; the school at Lapwai increased 
to an average of eighty, and afterwards to over 200; 1,000 Nez Perces attended a 
series of meetings for nine or ten days, seven of whom were examined for admission 
to the church ; the Cayuse Sabbath congregations varied in the spring from 200 to 
400, in the fall from 50 to 200, and less during the rest of the year. The two Nez 
Perces received into the church four years previous, and some others of whom hope 
was entertained, stood well as Christian workers ; and there was abundant evidence 
that the truth was exerting a restraining influence over most of the Indians. Some 
of them were becoming more settled, so that 50 Cayuse and 150 Nez Perces families 
cultivated from a quarter of an acre to five acres each ; one Nez Perces chief raised 
176 bushels of peas, 100 of corn, and 300 of potatoes. Mrs. Spalding had taught a 
few of the Nez Perces women to knit, card, spin, and weave, and a large number to 

sew. 

****** 

It was also becoming evident that more Americans were soon to come into the 
territory, and they would need something other than Boman Catholic preaching. 
All these things determined the missionaries in the fall of 1842, to continue all the 
stations, notwithstanding the instructions received from the Board at Boston, until 
the matter could again be reconsidered. These, and other considerations relating to 
the possession of the country, to which reference will afterwards be made, rendered 
it expedient, in the opinion of the mission, for Dr. Whitman to return East. He 
did so, leaving Walla Walla October 3d, 1842, and reaching Boston March 30th, 
1843. He made such representations that the Board ratified the action of the mis- 
sion, in continuing all the stations. After transacting important business at Wash- 
ington, and visiting his friends, he returned to Oregon. He left the western 
frontiers of Missouri, May 31st, and after a short time overtook a company of about 
875 emigrants, some of whom, when he was in the East, he had promised to aid, 
should they determine to go to Oregon. This journey was successfully made, and 
the first train of emigrant wagons rolled through to the Columbia Biver. 

The Methodist mission, founded by Jason Lee in the Willamette 
Valley, and which had met with such misfortune by sickness, was 
reinforced by Elijah White and wife, Alanson Beers and wife, W. 
H. Willson, Annie M. Pitman, Susan Downing and Elvira Johnson, 



FOUNDATION AND PROGRESS OF THE MISSIONS. 217 

who sailed from Boston in July, 1836, and reached their destination 
the following May. The scourge of fever still afflicted the mission, 
and it consequently bore ill repute among the Indians of the Wil- 
lamette, in spite of the most earnest and conscientious efforts of Mr. 
Lee and his associates to win the £ood will of those for whose ben- 
efit they had made so great a sacrifice. In the fall of 1837 Rev. 
David Leslie, Rev. H. K. W. Perkins and Margaret Smith were 
added to their force of missionary laborers. Their field of opera- 
tions was enlarged in the spring of 1838 by the establishment of 
a mission at The Dalles, under the charge of Daniel Lee and H. K. 
W. Perkins. To do this required money, if they would continue 
their plan of operations. The Protestant method of working em- 
braced the instruction of the Indian in the methods of procuring 
food and clothing by his own intelligent effort, so that he might 
not experience those alternate seasons of feasting and famine to 
which he was subjected when relying solely upon the products of 
nature. They sought, also, to destroy his roving habits by trans- 
forming him from a hunter to a farmer. Jason Lee accordingly 
started East to procure the necessary financial aid, accompanied by 
P. L. Edwards, F. Y. Ewing and two Indian boys. During his 
absence Mrs. Lee died, also Cyrus Shepard, who was teaching 
school at the Willamette Mission. Mr. Lee returned in 1840 with 
a party of forty -eight persons, eight of them being clergymen, and 
nineteen ladies. From this time the history of the missions be- 
comes so closely interwoven with that of the settlements, that no 
further effort will be made to keep it distinct. 

A new element was introduced into the mission field in 1838, in 
the form of two zealous Catholic priests. Rev. Francis N". Blanchet 
and Rev. Modest Demers came overland from Montreal with the 
regular express of the Hudson's Bay Company, reaching Vancouver 
on the twenty-fourth of November, 1838, and having baptized fifty- 
three persons while voyaging down the Columbia. They came pre- 
pared to stay, and not without having received a cordial invitation. 
The servants of the Hudson's Bay Company, such, at least, as were of 
Canadian descent, had a natural leaning toward the Catholic church, 
which had been the one to administer to the religious wants of them- 
selves and parents, whenever they had been fortunate enough to come 
within the radius of Christian worship. When the Protestant mis- 



218 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

sionaries appeared it caused them to long for the presence of the 
pious fathers; not with that insatiable longing which has its source 
in the deepest fountains of our nature; they simply preferred, in 
case they were to enjoy religious privileges at all, to have those 
with which they most naturally sympathized. Not only did they 
feel thus themselves, but they told the Indians that there were 
other and better missionaries than those who had settled amongst 
them, men who wore long black gowns and who would teach them 
the true religion. This created a natural desire among the tribes 
to have these holy men come among them, a desire shared by the 
officers of the company, who naturally preferred that religion which 
would meet with the most favor among their servants and the In- 
dians, and which was taught by subjects of Great Britain. This 
w r as the reason why the society of Montreal sent out Fathers Blan- 
chet and Demers, and why the advent of the " Black Gowns," as 
they were called by the Indians to distinguish them from the Prot- 
estants, was not unexpected by the natives. 

The coming of Catholics was the signal for the commencement 
of a contest for spiritual control of the Indians, whose terrible 
results will be seen as this narrative progresses. For this both 
parties to the controversy were to blame. They were all firmly set 
in their religious convictions, and intolerant of opposing or differing 
opinions to the highest degree. Embued by the loftiest of motives 
themselves, they did not possess sufficient charity or liberality to 
ascribe equally exalted purposes to their opponents. This spirit is 
exhibited to the present day in the rancorous writings of certain 
participants on either .side, in which they do not hesitate to charge 
upon their adversaries crimes for which the scaffold and peniten- 
tiary are the only adequate penalty; or motives and conduct, which, 
being proven, would cause them to be shunned and despised by 
every honorable man. It is but a continuation of that sectarian 
rivalry, that battle of religious creeds, which has existed since first 
primitive man began to worship his shadow as a manifestation of 
some intangible and mysterious power, and which has caused so 
much bloodshed, misery and horror in the world, and will not end 
until man judges his fellow man more by his motives and deeds, 
and less by his purely religious opinions. 

A few instances will suffice to show the existence of this spirit 



FOUNDATION AND PROGRESS OF THE MISSIONS. 219 

on both sides — a determination to impress upon the Indians the fact 
that their particular creed and form of worship were the only true 
and potent ones, and that all others were both false and harmful. 
The Catholics were the chief aggressors in this respect, the more 
energetic and crafty in undermining their opponents, but it was not 
entirely lacking with the other side ; and it must be admitted that 
in the matter of subsequent acrimonious writings, the Protestants 
lead the van. The first gun was fired and the nature of the cam- 
paign outlined by Dr. Parker when he first entered the country, 
and long before the Catholics appeared in the field. At the mouth 
of the Alpowa Creek, on Snake Kiver, he came upon a burial party 
of the Nez Perces, who "had prepared a cross to set up at the grave, 11 
and because the symbol of the crucifixion offended his sight, and he 
feared it would make, as he expresses it, " a stepping-stone to idol- 
atry,' 7 he took " the cross the Indians had prepared and broke it in 
pieces." As the Catholics had not yet appeared in the field, they 
consequently "didn't know they were hit"; and this incident is of 
interest only to show the spirit of religious intolerance which held 
possession of Dr. Parker, and which subsequent events proved to 
also pervade his successors. When the Catholics appeared they 
found the Protestants well entrenched, and they had either to attack 
them there or enter new fields. They did both. Their plan of 
operations is outlined by Father Blanchet, who, in after years, wrote 
thus of the duties of the missionary priests : — 

They were to warn their flocks against the dangers of seduction, to destroy the 
false impression already received, to enlighten and confirm the faith of the waver- 
ing and deceived consciences, to bring back to the practice of religion and virtue all 
of them who had forsaken them for long years, or who, raised in infidelity, had 
never known nor practiced any of them. * * * In a word, they were to run 
after the sheep when they were in danger. Hence their passing so often from one 
post to another — for neither the white people nor the Indians claimed their assist- 
ance in vain. And it was enough for them to hear that some false prophet (mean- 
ing a Protestant missionary) had penetrated into a place, or intended visiting some 
locality, to induce the missionaries to go there immediately, to defend the faith and 
prevent error from propagating itself. 

Here is a direct statement from the Archbishop at the head of 
the church, that it was the Catholic plan to counteract the influence 
of the Protestants where they had already located missions, as well 
as to hasten to any new point they might select in order to prevent 
the founding of others. The first overt act of this kind was com- 



220 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

mitted at Nesqually, only a few months after their arrival. Rev. 
Blanchet says: — 

The first mission to Nesqually was niade by Father Demers, who celebrated the 
first mass in the fort on April 22, [1839], the day after he arrived. His visit at such 
a time was forced upon him by the establishment of a Methodist mission for the 
Indians. * * * After having given orders to build a chapel, and said mass out- 
side of the fort, he parted with them, blessing the Lord for the success of his mis- 
sion among the whites and Indians, and reached Cowlitz on Monday, the thirtieth, 
with the conviction that his mission at Nesqually had left a very feeble chance for 
a Methodist mission there. 

The priests introduced a novelty in the shape of a picture by 
some ingenious artist. It was a representation of a large tree, with 
many branches, and the different Protestant sects were shown as 
ascending the trunk and going out upon the various branches, from 
which they dropped into a fire, the blaze being fed by a priest with 
the heretical books of his roasting victims. This tickled the Indians 
immensely, and among the Nez Perces it seemed about to capture 
the whole tribe. As an offset to this, Mr. Spalding had his wife 
paint a number of illustrations of prominent Bible events, and this 
colored panorama soon crowded the Catholic cartoon from the field. 
Thus was the contest waged for several years. In 1841, the Cas- 
cades Indians were won away from the The Dalles Mission in spite 
of Mr. Waller's strenuous efforts to hold them. This same Mr. 
Waller gave expression to his feelings on doctrinal points by cutting 
down a cross erected by the Catholics at Clackamas village. 

There was one thing which gave the Catholics a decided advan- 
tage among the natives — the use of symbols and ceremonies. Mr. 
Blanchet says: "The sight of the altar, vestments, sacred vessels, 
and great ceremonies, were drawing their attention a great deal more 
than the cold, unavailable and long lay services of Brother Waller." 
These were more akin to their own ideas of religion than the simple 
services of the Protestants. The mystery was fascinating to them, 
and they preferred to see the priests "make medicine" to hearing 
so much u wa-wa" from the ministers. By thus working upon the 
superstitious nature of the savages, and making no effort to suddenly 
change their old habits and time-honqred customs, the Catholics 
gained a firm hold upon them, and were thus able, gradually, to 
bring about the desired change. The Protestants, on the contrary, 
endeavored to accomplish too much at once, and having no censers 



FOUNDATION AND PEOGEESS OF THE MISSIONS. 221 

to swing, or imposing vestments to wear, could gain but slight 
influence over the natives when their opponents were about. There 
was also another distinction the Indians recognized, and one which 
gradually led them to entertain a spirit of bitterness and hos- 
tility against the Protestants. This was their affiliation with the 
American settlers, whose presence was highly distasteful to the 
Indians, the reasons for which will be developed as the narrative 
progresses. 



CHAPTER XV. 

AMERICAN EMIGRANTS ORGANIZE A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. 

Early Advocates of Oregon Emigration — Efforts of Hall J. Kelley — 
The American Society for the Settlement of Oregon Territory — It 
Memorializes Congress and Advertises fur Emigrants — Wyeth, Kelley 
and Eiving Young come to Oregon — Earliest American Settlers — 
McLoughlin's Account of Settlement of French Prairie — The Wil- 
lamette Cattle Company — Population of Oregon in 181fi — First 
Effort at a Government — Settlement at Willamette Falls — Radical 
Change in the Policy of the Hudson's Bay Company as Regards Set- 
tlers — The Company' 's Deep Laid Plan — Attitude of the Company 
and its Chief Representative — Dr. McLoughlin Considered — Reasons 

for the Bitter Feelings Entertained by some Americans — Dr. Mc- 
Loughlin's Statement of His Conduct and the Treatment Received 

from both English and Americans — A bad Showing for the Grati- 
tude of some Americans — Classification of the Population as Regards 
Interests — Reasons for Desiring a Government — A Petition Sent to 
Congress in 18^0 — First Meeting to Form a Government — Death of 
Ewing Young Leads to the Organization of a Government — The 
Officers Elected — Failure to Form a Constitution — The Wilkes Ex- 
pedition — The Wolf Meeting — The First Legislative Committee — 
Organization of the Provisional Government — The First Officers — ■ 
Condition of the Missions — Antagonism of the Indians to Ameri- 
can Settlers — Dr. White Induces the Nez Perces, Wascopums and 
Cayuses to Adopt a Code of Laws. 

TO the missionaries belongs the credit of opening the route to 
Oregon and encouraging that large emigration of hardy pio- 
neers of the Mississippi Valley which was the element to finally 
decide the Oregon Question in favor of the United States. This 
was not their object when they left their Eastern homes, but was 
simply the natural sequence of events. Emigration to Oregon was 



AMERICANS ORGANIZE A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. 223 

considered and advocated long before there was any thought of 
founding missions, but it was deemed impracticable, and remained to 
be so considered until the missionaries and their wives demonstrated 
that the intervening mountains and deserts presented no barrier 
which miodit not be overcome even by delicate ladies. It then be- 
came but a matter of time, not a question of possibility, when emi- 
grants should beat a well-worn trail to Oregon. 

The first recorded instance of an effort to induce emigration to 
seek the far distant coast of Oregon, was in 1817, when Hall J. 
Kelley, of Boston, advocated the immediate occupation of the coun- 
try in dispute by American settlers. At that time the United States 
was making her first genuine effort to regain possession of the Col- 
umbia, and was negotiating with Great Britain on the question of 
the restoration of Fort George, or Astoria. Mr. Kelley became an 
enthusiast upon the subject, and continued his exertions throughout 
the subsequent years of diplomatic negotiation. In 1829 he organ- 
ized a company which was incorporated by the Legislature of Mas- 
sachusetts as " The American Society for the settlement of the Oregon 
Territory." This society presented a memorial to Congress in 1831, 
setting forth that they were " engaged in the work of opening to a 
civilized and virtuous population that part of Western America 
called Oregon. 11 Among other statements, the memorialists said: 
" They are convinced that if the country should be settled under the 
auspices of the United States of America, from such of her worthy 
sons who have drunk the spirit of those civil and religious institu- 
tions which constitute the living fountain and the very perennial 
source of her national prosperity, great benefits must result to man- 
kind. They believe that there the skillful and persevering hand of 
industry might be employed with unparalleled advantage; that 
there science and the arts, the invaluable privilege of a free and 
liberal government, and the refinement and ordinances of Chris- 
tianity, diffusing each its blessing, would harmoniously unite in 
ameliorating the moral condition of the Indians, in promoting the 
comfort and happiness of the settlers, and in augmenting the wealth 
and power of the Republic." They further stated "that the coun- 
try in question is the most valuable of all the unoccupied portions 
of the earth." and they believed Providence designed it "to be the 
residence of a people whose singular advantages will give them un- 



224 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

exampled power and prosperity." They continued: "That these 
things * * * have settled in the policy of the British 
nation the determined purpose of possessing and enjoying the 
country as their own, and have induced their Parliament to confer 
on the Hudson's Bay Company chartered privileges for occupying 
with their settlements the fertile banks of the Columbia. * * * 
Already have they nourishing towns, strong fortifications and culti- 
vated fields. * Their largest town is Vancouver, 
which is situated on a beautiful plain, in the region of tide water, 
on the northern bank of the Columbia. * * * Every- 
thing, either in the organization of the government, or in the busy 
and various operations of the settlements of this place, at Walla 
Walla, at Fort Colville and at DeFuca, indicate the intention of the 
English to colonize the country. Now, therefore, your memorial- 
ists, in behalf of a large number of the citizens of the United States, 
would respectfully ask Congress to aid them in carrying into opera- 
tion the great purposes of their institution; to grant them troops, 
artillery, military arms and munitions of war for the security of the 
contemplated settlement; to incorporate their society with the 
power to extinguish the Indian title to such tracts and extent of 
territory, at the mouth of the Columbia and the junction of the 
Multnomah with the Columbia, as may be adequate to the lauda- 
ble objects and pursuits of the settlers; and with such other powers, 
rights and immunities as may be at least equal and concurrent to 
those given by Parliament to the Hudson's Bay Company; and such 
as are not repugnant to the stipulations of the convention, made 
between Great Britain and the United States, wherein it was agreed 
that any country on the Northwest coast of America, to be westward 
of the Rocky Mountains, should be free and open to the citizens and 
subjects of the two powers, for a term of years; and to grant them 
such other rights and privileges as may contribute to the means of 
establishing a respectable and prosperous community." 

Congress did not see fit to encourage this scheme of coloniza- 
tion; and it may well be said that, had Congress been relied upon, 
Oregon would inevitably have become a dependency of Great Brit- 
ain. That body of concentrated national wisdom lagged several 
years in the rear of the line of progress, and it was only by constant 
effort that through it the people were enabled to have their victories 



AMERICANS ORGANIZE A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. '22.) 

finally recognized and ratified. This halting and dilatory conduct 
of the national legislature placed the acquisition of Oregon in con- 
stant jeopardy. The society, however, which had constituted Mr. 
Kelley its general agent, continued its efforts despite the supineness 
of Congress. In 1831 a pamphlet was published entitled — " A 
general circular to all persons of good character who wish to emi- 
grate to Oregon Territory." The region covered by that designa- 
tion is defined in the head lines and opening paragraph, which 
read: " Oregon Settlement. — To be commenced in the spring of 
1832 on the delightful and fertile banks of the Columbia River. 
It has been for many years in serious contemplation to settle with 
a free and enlightened but redundant population from the Amer- 
ican Republic that portion of her territory, called Oregon, bound- 
ing on the Pacific Ocean and lying between the forty-second and 
forty -ninth parallels of N. latitude." It was well known by every 
intelligent man that the United States claimed as far north as the 
Russian boundary at fifty -four-forty, but that forty-nine had been 
offered as a compromise line; and it is probable that the society 
thus defined Oregon within the limits generally believed at that 
time it would eventually assume. The cry, " fifty -four -forty -or - 
fight," had not then been heard, nor had the people as yet been 
aroused to such a pitch of interest in this subject. That was re- 
served for the time when negotiations were again resumed, prior to 
the settlement of the question in 1846. The pamphlet gave the 
names of thirty -seven agents of the society, to whom persons de- 
siring to emigrate should make application for proper certificates 
and full information; and these agents were located at various 
points throughout the Union. One of these was Nathaniel J. Wy- 
etib, whose unfortunate fur and salmon ventures on the Columbia 
have been related. It was arranged for the expedition to start from 
St. Louis in March, 1 832, with a train of wagons and a good supply 
of stock. A town was to be laid out at the junction of the Co- 
lumbia and Multnomah, and each emigrant was to receive a town 
lot and a farm, also, a lot in a town at the mouth of the Columbia, 
these places being already platted on paper. The failure of Con- 
gress to take any action in the matter ended the colonization scheme 
for that year. Mr. Wyeth, it will be remembered, crossed the 
country with a small party of Boston men, and returned the next 



22G HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

year. He again visited the Columbia in 1834, accompanied by Ja- 
son Lee's party of missionaries. Mr. Kelley had undertaken to 
send a ship loaded with supplies to the Columbia, but unsuccess- 
fully. He then endeavored to open a route of trade through Mex- 
ico; but in that country the revenue officers pounced upon his 
goods and confiscated the greater portion of them. He still perse- 
vered, and falling in with Ewing Young, the independent trader 
whose operations on the coast have been related, persuaded him 
and several others to accompany him to Oregon. They reached 
Vancouver October 15, 1834. Mr. Kelley's health failed him, and 
he departed for home the following March, having lost $30,000 in 
his efforts to colonize Oregon. 

Mr. Young, and others who had come with Mr. Kelley, or with 
Wyeth's party, remained after the departure of those gentlemen — 
among them were James A. O'Neil, T. J. Hubbard, Courtney M. 
Walker and Solomon Smith. There were also two men of French 
descent — Joseph Gervais and Etinne Lucier — who had come out 
with Wilson G. Hunt's party, and whose sympathies were Ameri- 
can. All told, aside from the missionaries, there were about twenty- 
five men in Oregon who were favorable to the United States, most 
of them being mountaineers with Indian wives. Four of the inde- 
pendent settlers were John Turner, George Gay, John Woodworth 
and Dr. Bailey, the survivors of a party of nine, which left Califor- 
nia in the summer of 1835 for Oregon. The others were Daniel 

Miller, Saunders, an Irishman called " Big Tom," a man whose 

name is unknown, and a squaw. Turner was one of the survivors 
of the Unrpqua massacre of 1828. The incidents attending their 
arrival are thus related by Hon. J. W. Kesmith, who had them from 
the lips of the survivors: — 

The party had forty-seven head of good horses and a complete outfit for trapping. 
About the middle of June, 1835, the party encamped for the night near a place 
known as "The Point of Rocks," on the south bank of Rogue River. Early the 
next morning the Indians commenced dropping into camp, a few at a time. Gay 
was on guard, and not liking the appearance of the Indians, awoke Turner, who 
was the leader of the party, and the latter conversed with the savages through his 
squaw, who spoke Chinook. Turner concluded that there was no harm to be 
apprehended from their dusky visitors, and, forgetting the fearful massacre which 
he so narrowly escaped with Smith's party seven years before, near the Umpqua, 
the party became careless. In the meantime, some four or five hundred Indians 
had assembled in and about the camp of the little party, and at a signal, 
furiously attacked the white men with clubs, bows and arrows and knives. The 



AMERICANS ORGANIZE A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. 2*27 

attack was so sudden and unexpected that the Indians obtained three of the eight 
guns with which Turner and his party were armed. The struggle of the trappers 
for life was desperate and against fearful odds. The eight men seized whatever they 
could lay their hands on for defense. Some of them discharged their rifles in the 
bosom of their assailants and then clubbed their guns and laid about them with the 
barrels. Turner, who was a herculean Kentucky giant, not being able to reach his 
rifle, seized a big fir limb from the camp fire and laid about him lustily, knocking 
his assailants right and left. At one time the savages had Gay down and were 
pounding him, but they were crowded so thick as to impede the force of their blows. 
Old Turner, seeing Gay's peril, made a few vigorous blows with his limb which 
released him, and the latter, springing to his feet, dealt fearful cuts, thrusts, slashes 
and stabs with his long, sharp sheath-knife upon the naked carcasses of the dusky 
crowd. The other men, following Turner's and Gay's example fought with the 
energy of despair and drove the Indians from their camp. Dan Miller and another 
trapper were killed upon the spot, while the six survivors of the melee were all 
more or less seriously wounded. While the fight was going on, the squaws drove 
off the herd of horses and carried off all of the baggage and camp-equipage, together 
with three rifles. Three of the remaining guns were rendered useless by having 
their stocks broken off in the clubbing process. The six badly wounded survivors 
took to the brush and kept the Indians at bay with their two remaining rifles. 
By traveling in the night-time and hiding in the brush in the day-time, they man- 
aged to elude the Indians, but suffered terribly from their wounds and for want of 
provisions and clothing. Dr. Bailey had received a fearful wound from a toma- 
hawk, which sj>lit his lower jaw from the point of the chin to the throat. From 
want of proper treatment, the parts never properly united, and many old pioneers 
will recollect the unsightly scar that disfigured his face for life. Saunders' wounds 
disabled him from traveling, and he was left on the South Umpqua, and "Big Tom" 
was left on t}ie North Umpqua. The Indians subsequently reported to Dr. Mc- 
Loughlin that both men had died of their wounds where they were left. Turner, 
Gay, Woodworth and Dr. Bailey, after reaching the head of the Willamette Valley, 
differed about the route. Turner mistook the Willamette for the Columbia. Gay, 
in his sea voyages, had seen a map or chart showing that the Columbia ran west, and 
determined to strike due north in search of the great river, upon the banks of which 
he expected to find Hudson's Bay trappers and traders. Turner, Bailey and Wood- 
worth followed down the Willamette River until, in a famishing condition, they 
struck the Methodist mission below Salem. Gay kept along the foot-hills on the 
west side of the valley and crossed the Rickreal about where Dallas now stands, 
and crossed the Yamhill River at the falls near Lafayette, passing along on the west 
side of Wapatoo Lake, and crossing the Tualatin Plains, reached Wyeth's trading 
post on Sauvie's Island some time in August. Before separating from his compan- 
ions, Gay had cut up his buckskin breeches to make moccasins for the party, and 
made the most of the journey in a naked condition, with the exception of the 
tattered remnants of an old shirt. The mosquitoes nearly devoured him in the 
Columbia bottoms. This perilous trip of nearly 500 miles was made nearly fifty 
years ago, and was a terrible test of the endurance of a naked, wounded, and starv- 
ing man. 

There were, however, other settlers than the Americans. In 
1 *28, Sir George Simpson, Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, 
who was then on an official visit to Fort Vancouver, took possession 
of the Willamette Falls, for the purpose, as expressed by him, <>f 



228 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

locating there a colony of their retired servants. It had previously 
been the policy of the company not to permit settlements to be made 
by their servants whose term of contract had expired, since they 
deemed them detrimental to the preservation of this region as a fur- 
producing Wilderness. They wanted no settlements here whatever, 
neither British nor American. This move at Willamette Falls was 
not persisted in, but a few years later some of their ex -servants located 
about Champoeg, or French Prairie, in Marion county, and became 
quite a flourishing colony; and there their descendants live to the 
present day, useful and industrious citizens. 

On the subject of the first settlements in the valley, Dr. McLough- 
lin's posthumous manuscript has much to say. The Etinne Lucier, 
spoken of by him, is the one mentioned above. He first settled on 
the east side of the Willamette, opposite the city of Portland, where 
he lived several years before removing to French Prairie. The 
Doctor says : — 

In 1824 I came to this country to superintend the management of the Hudson's 
Bay Company's trade on the coast, and we came to the determination to abandon 
Astoria, and go to Fort Vancouver, as it was a place where we could cultivate the soil 
and raise our own provisions. In March, 1825, we moved there and that spring planted 
potatoes and sowed two bushels of peas, the only grain we had, and*all we had. In 
the fall I received from New York Factory a bushel spring wheat, a bushel oats, a 
bushel barley, a bushel Indian corn and a quart of timothy, and all of which was 
sown in proper time, and which produce well except the Indian corn, for which the 
ground was too poor and the nights rather cool, and continued extending our im- 
provements. In 1828, the crop was sufficient to enable us to dispense with the im- 
portation of flour, etc. 

In 1825, from what I had seen of the country, I formed the conclusion from the 
mildness and salubrity of the climate, that this was the finest portion of North 
America that I had seen for the residence of civilized man, and as the farmers could 
not cultivate the ground without cattle, and as the Hudson's Bay Company had only 
twenty-seven (27) head, bigand small, andas I saw at the time no possibility of getting 
cattle by sea, and that was too expensive, I determined that no cattle should be 
killed at Vancouver except one bull calf every year for rennet to make cheese, till 
we had an ample stock to meet all our demands, and to assist settlers, a resolution 
to which I strictly adhered, and the first animal killed for beef was in 1838 ; till that 
time we had lived on fresh and salt venison and wild fowl. From morality and 
policy I stopped the sale and issue of spiritous liquor to the Indians, but to do this 
effectually I had to stop the sale of liquor to all whites. In 1834, when Mr. Wyeth, 
of Boston, came, he began by selling liquor, but on my assuring him that the Hud- 
son's Bay Company sold no liquor to whites or Indians, he immediately adopted 

the same rule. 

* * * * * -* 

In 1828, Etinne Lucier, a Willamette trapper, asked me if I thought this would 
become a settled country. I told him wherever wheat grew, he might depend it 
would become a farming country. He asked me what assistance I would afford 






AMERICANS ORGANIZE A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. 229 

him to settle as a farmer. I told him I would loan him seed to sow and wheat to 
feed himself and family, to be returned from the produce of his farm, and sell him 
such implements as were in the Hudson's Bay Company's store, at fifty per cent, on 
prime cost. But a few daj T s after he came back and told me he thought there was 
too remote a prospect of this becoming a civilized country, and as there were no 
clergymen in the country, he asked me a passage for his family in the Hudson's 
Bay Company's boats, to which I acceded. He started in September to meet the 
boats at the mountain ; the express came in too late and he had to return, and went 
to hunt for the winter. 

In 1829 he again applied to begin to farm. I told him that since he had 
spoken to me I heard that several trappers would apply for assistance to begin to 
farm, and that it was necessary for me to come to a distinct understanding with 
him to serve as a rule for those who might follow. That the Hudson's Bav Company 
were bound under heavy penalties to discharge none of their servants in the Indian 
country, and bound to return them to the place wmere they engaged them. That 
this was done to prevent vagabonds being let loose among the Indians and incite 
them to hostility to the whites. But as I knew he was a good, honest man, and 
none but such need apply, and as if he went to Canada and unfortunately died 
before his children could provide for themselves they would become objects of pity 
and a burthen to others. For these reasons I would assist him to settle. But I 
must keep him and all the Hudson's Bay Company's servants whom I allowed to 
settle, on the Hudson's Bay Company's books as servants, so as not to expose the 
Hudson's Bay Company and me to a fine, but they could work for themselves, and 
no service would be exacted from them. 

Many of the Canadians objected to go to the Willamette, because it was to become 
American Territory, which I told them it would, as the Hudson's Bay Company in 
1825 officially informed that on no event could the British Government claim extend 
south of the Columbia, and that they were afraid they would not have the same 
advantages as American citizens. I told them from the fertility of the soil, the 
extent of prairie and the easy access from the sea, that the Willamette (they must 
admit) was the best and only place adapted to form a settlement which would have 
a beneficial effect on the whole country north of San Francisco, where we could 
assist and protect them from the Indians in case of difficulty, and as to advantages 
I did not know what they would have, but this I knew, that the American Govern- 
ment and people knew only two classes of persons, rogues and honest men, that 
they punished the first and protected the last, and it depended only upon them- 
selves to what class they would belong. 

Others wanted to go and live with the relatives of their wives, but as their chil- 
dren would be brought up with the sympathies and feelings of Indians, and as the 
half-breeds are in general leaders among Indians, and they would be a thorn in the 
side of the whites, I insisted they should go to the Willamette, where their children 
could be brought up as whites and Christians, and brought to cultivate the ground 
and imbued with the feelings and sympathies of whites, and where they and their 
mothers would serve as hostages for the good behavior of their relatives in the 
interior. As Indians judge of whites by themselves, and I think if they injure 
whites on their lands, the whites would revenge it by murdering their Indian rela- 
tives among them, and as the settlement increased by the addition of Indian women 
half-breeds, the turbulence of the Indian tribes would diminish; and certainly the 
Cayuse war would not have been quelled so easily as it was if other half-breeds bad 
not joined the Americans; and I have great pleasure to be able to say, what must 
be admitted by all who know them, that the Canadian trappers and half-breeds 
who have settled as farmers, are as peaceable, orderly, neighborly and industrious 
a set of men as any in the settlement ; and that so far the Canadian settlement has 



-')<> HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

produced and supplied three-fourths of the grain that has been exported. [Every 
pioneer will heartily endorse this eulogy of the people of French Prairie.] 

****** 

I made it a rule that none of the Hudson's Bay Company's servants should be 
allowed to join the settlements unless he had fifty pounds sterling before him, as he 
required that sum to supply him with clothing and implements. He that begins 
business on credit is seldom so careful and industrious as he who does business on 
his own means. By this I effected two objects — I made the men more saving and 
industrious, and attached them to their farms. If I had not done so, they would 
have abandoned on the least difficulty. But having their means invested on their 
improvements, they saw if they abandoned the loss would be theirs, they therefore 
persisted and succeeded. When the settlement was formed, though the American 
trappers had no means, they were assisted on credit, and all in three years paid up 
from the produce of their farms. 

The presence of American settlers was extremely distasteful to 
the company ; not simply because they were Americans, but because 
they were American settlers. The officers of the company were 
instructed not to encourage them in any way. It stood ready to 
sell to the settlers at a high price, but not to purchase from them 
anything whatever. They were without cattle, except a few rented 
to them by the company, and until they possessed them could not 
be or feel independent of the overshadowing corporation. To 
remedy this evil, Young and Jason Lee (who never let the fact that 
he came to Oregon simply as a missionary prevent him from advanc- 
ing American interests whenever possible), set on foot a scheme to 
procure a supply of cattle from the vast herds grazing about the 
Spanish Missions in California. The effort was opposed by the 
company, but with the aid of Lieutenant William A. Slocum, an 
officer of the United States Navy, who advanced money and gave a 
free passage to California in his vessel to those who went after the 
cattle, it was completely successful, and "The Willamette Cattle 
Company v was organized. The party which went to California 
was under the leadership of Mr. Young, and was composed of P. 
L. Edwards (who kept a diary of the expedition, which is now pre- 
served in the State Library at Sacramento and numbered 23,989), 
Hawchurst, Carmichael, Bailey, Erequette, DesPau, Williams, Tib- 
betts, George Gray, Wood, Camp, Turner, and enough others to 
make a company of about twenty men, all inured to the dangers and 
privations of mountain life. They collected a band of seven hundred 
cattle, at three dollars per head, and, with much labor and difficulty, 
succeeded in bringing six hundred of them into the valley. They 



AMERICANS ORGANIZE A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. 231 

bad much trouble with the Indians on Siskiyou Mountain and along 
Rogue River, and Gay, without any foundation, charges the com- 
pany with stirring up the Indians to cut them off. The fact is, as 
Edwards 1 diary plainly shows, the trouble grew out of the unpro- 
voked murder by one of the party of an Indian who visited their 
camp on Klamath River. Turner, Gay and Bailey were three of 
four survivors of the American trapping party which had been 
attacked on Rogue River two years before, and shot this Indian in 
a spirit of revenge. It is certainly difficult to trace any agency of 
the company in this affair, or to assign any other cause than wanton 
murder for their trouble with the Indians. The arrival of the cat- 
tle was hailed with joy by the settlers, as it guaranteed them com- 
plete independence of the company, and demonstrated that Ameri- 
cans could settle in the Willamette Valley with an assurance of 
being self-supporting. 

Such is the version of the cattle question, as it comes from Amer- 
ican sources. Dr. McLoughlin gives quite another tone to it. His 
document says: — 

Every settler had as much wheat on loan as he wanted to begin with, and I lent 
them each two cows, as in 1825 we had only twenty-seven head, big and small, old 
and young. If I sold they would of course be entitled to the increase, and I 
would not have the means to assist the new settlers, and the settlement would be 
retarded, as those purchasers who offered me two hundred dollars for a cow would 
put such a price on the increase as would put it out of the power of poor settlers 
to buy. This would prevent industrious men from settling. For these reasons I 
would not sell, but loaned, as I say, two cows to each settler, and in case the increase 
of settlers might be greater than we could afford to supply with cattle, I reserved 
the right to take any cattle I required (above his two cows) from any settlers to assist 
new settlers. To the Methodist Mission, as it was a public institution, I lent seven 
oxen, one bull and eight cows with their calves. In the beginning, several settlers 
lost cattle, poisoned by eating water hemlock. It has been said by the late Mr* 
Thurston, Delegate from Oregon, on the floor of Congress, that settlers paid for 
dead cattle. This is a wanton falsehood, as it is well known to all old settlers that 
no settler paid a cent for dead cattle. It was a loss to the company. 

In 1836 we found means of forming a company to go to California for cattle. I 
took half the stock for the Hudson's Bay Company, so that by purchasing a large 
number (as the expense of driving five hundred or a thousand was the same) as it 
would make the cattle cheaper. Those of the settlers that had means put it in the 
stock ; those that had none, engaged as drivers at one dollar per day, to be paid in 
cattle at their actual cost. Mr. Slocum, who came here in a chartered vessel, gave 
them a passage gratis from this place to San Francisco. Mr. Ewing Young was se- 
lected to conduct the party. Mr. P. L. Edwards, who came with Messrs. Lee, of 
the Methodist Mission, but now a lawyer in California, was appointed Treasurer. 
They brought, I think, about seven hundred head of cattle, which cost eight dollars 
per head rendered. In the Willamette, the settlers kept the tame and broken-in 



*Jo*J HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

oxen they had belonging to the Hudson I&ay Company, and gave their California 
wild cattle in the place, so that they found themselves stocked with tame cattle 
which cost them only eight dollars per head, and the Hudson's Bay Company, to 
favor the settlers, took calves in place of grown-up cattle, because the Hudson's Bay 
Company wanted them for beef. These calves would grow up before they were re- 
quired. 

At the close of 1837, the independent population of Oregon con- 
sisted of forty-nine souls, about equally divided between missionary 
attaches and settlers. With but few exceptions the arrivals during 
the next two years were solely of persons connected with the various 
missions, whose advent has already been noted. Those coming in 
1839 were, Rev. J. S. Griffin and wife, and Mr. Munger and -wife, 
who had made an unsuccessful effort to found an independent mis- 
sion on Snake River, and Ben Wright, Robert Shortess, Sidney 
Smith, Lawson, Keiser, Geiger, and Blair, a blacksmith. By add- 
ing the following list of arrivals in 1840, to those previously men- 
tioned, the population of Oregon at that time will be quite accu- 
rately listed. Mr. Gray thus summarizes the arrivals of that sea- 
son: — 

In 1840 — Methodist Episcopal Protestant Mission— Mrs. Lee, second wife of Rev. 
Jason Lee ; Rev. J. H. Frost and wife ; Rev. A. F. Waller, wife and two children ; 
Rev. W. W. Kone and wife; Rev. G. Hines, wife and sister; Rev. L. H. Judson, 
wife and two children ; Rev. J. L. Parish, wife and three children ; Rev. G. P. 
Richards, wife and three children ; Rev. A. P. Olley and wife. Laymen — Mr. Geo. 
Abernethy, wife and two children ; Mr. H. Campbell, wife and one child ; Mr. W. 
W. Raymond and wife; Mr. H. B. Brewer and wife ; Dr. J. L. Babcock, wife and 
one child ; Mrs. Daniel Lee ; Mrs. David Carter ; Mrs. Joseph Holman ; Miss E. 
Phillips. Independent Protestant Mission — Rev. Harvey Clarke and wife ; P. B. 
Littlejohn and wife ; Robert Moore, James Cook, and James [Travers, according to 
Judge Deady,] Fletcher, settlers. Jesuit Priests — P. J. DeSmet, Flathead Mission. 
Rocky Mountain men with native wives— William Craig, Doctor Robert Newell, 
Joseph L. Meek, George Ebbert, William M. Dougherty, John Larison, Geo. Wil- 
kinson, a Mr. Nicholson, and Mr. Algear, and William Johnson, author of the 
novel, "Leni Leoti, or, The Prairie Flower." The subject was first written and 
read before the Lyceum at Oregon City, in 1843. 

He classifies the population as follows: American settlers, 
twenty -five of them with Indian wives, 36; American women, 33; 
children, 32; lay members, Protestant Missions, 13; Methodist Min- 
isters, 13; Congregational, 6; American Physicians, 3; English Phy- 
sicians, 1 ; Jesuit Priests, including DeSmet, 3 ; Canadian French, 
60. Total Americans, 137; total Canadians, including Priests, 63; 
total population, not including Hudson's Bay Company operatives, 






AMERICANS ORGANIZE A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. 233 

within what now is a portion of Montana, and all of Idaho, Wash- 
ington and Oregon, 200. 

Up to 1839 the only law or government administered in this 
region was the rules of the Hudson's Bay Company ; but that year, 
deeming that there must be some authority which the settlers would 
respect, the Methodist missionaries designated two persons to act as 
magistrates. This was done entirely without the co-operation of 
the settlers, hut the action received their endorsement, or, at least, 
was generally acquiesced in. Several cases came before these officers 
for adjudication, the most important being the trial of T. J. Hub- 
bard for murder, he having shot a man who was attempting to 
enter his cabin through the window. The magistrate was Rev. 
David Leslie. The prisoner was acquitted by the jury. 

Settlements were made at this time with reference to the possi- 
ble division of the country on the line of the Columbia Eiver, all 
Americans locating south of the stream, and none but British sub- 
jects north of it. Cook, Fletcher and Moore settled on the banks 
of the TTillainette, near the falls, the last named locating directly 
opposite the cataract, on the west bank. He purchased a section 
of land of the Indians, a transaction which, of course 1 , had no legal 
force, and named his place "KobiVs Xest." Dr. McLoughlin 
claimed the opposite end of the falls, and, later, when he resigned 
from the Hudson's Bay Company, located there and became as good 
an American as any of them. He thus relates some of the diffi- 
culties he experienced with this claim: — 

In 1840, as I already stated, the Methodist Mission received a large reinforce- 
ment. I had selected for a claim, Oregon City, in 1829, made improvements on it 
and had a large quantity of timber squared. The Superintendent applied to me for 
a loan of some of it to build a mission house. I lent them the timber and had a place 
pointed out to them upon which to build. In 1840 the Methodist Mission formed a 
milling association and jumped part of my claim and began to build a saw and 
grist mill. They assumed the right to judge of my rights, and said that I could not 
hold it as part of my claim, though the stream that separates the islet from the main 
land is not more than forty feet wide in summer. This island is what is called 
"Abernethy Island," and is about three or four acres in extent. In 1842, Mr. 
Walker, the resident missionary in the house, to build which I lent timber, which 
they never returned, and gave the ground upon which to build, set up a claim to 
Oregon City in opposition to me, but after some difficulty, I paid them $500 
and he gave it up. I preferred to do this and have done with it rather than here- 
after trouble Government with it. 

It has been remarked that the policy of the Hudson's Bay Com- 



334 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

pany was to discourage any settlements whatever, preferring that 
the country should remain uninhabited by all save the Indians and 
the actual servants of the company. It had even gone to the ex- 
pense of sending to Canada those employees whose terms of service 
expired. Had they but themselves and employees to deal with, the 
policy was a wise one for the purpose of effecting the end aimed at 
— the preservation of the country in its primeval state — but with 
the complication of independent American settlers it was the re- 
verse. Had the company from the beginning colonized Oregon 
with its discharged servants, as it had previously done the Red 
River region, there would now have been such a flourishing colony 
as would have completely overshadowed the Americans, if, indeed, 
it did not prevent their coming altogether. Failure to do this lost 
Great Britain her only hope of acquiring Oregon. The company's 
eyes were fully opened to the danger when the Wallamet Cattle 
Company w r as organized in 1837. It resolved then upon a radical 
and immediate change of policy — to colonize the country with sub- 
jects of Great Britain as rapidly as possible. Accordingly, the 
Puget Sound Agricultural Company was organized in 1837 as an 
associate of the company, which it was to supply with its products 
as well as carry on a trade with the Sandwich Islands and Alaska. 
The company, for reasons previously stated, selected a location on 
the north side of the Columbia, at Cowlitz and Nesqually. It took 
several years to carry the scheme into effect, since it was necessary 
to bring a large emigration from the company's older colony on 
Red River. The settlement on French Prairie has been mentioned; 
this consisted of about twenty-five families at the time Father Blan- 
chet arrived in 1838, and located there the Mission of St. Paul, 
where a school and church have ever since been maintained. The 
plan of the company was to thus overwhelm the American settlers 
in point of numbers, and at the same time to open negotiations be- 
tween the home governments for a final settlement of the mooted 
question of title, in which the great preponderance of English sub- 
jects should be urged as a reason why Great Britain's claim to the 
country should be conceded. To the defeat of this deep-laid plan 
the United States is indebted largely to Dr. Marcus Whitman's per- 
spicacity, determination and patriotism, as will appear later on. 
The company's plans embraced, also, a studied and persistent 









AMERICANS ORGANIZE A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. 235 

misrepresentation of the agricultural resources of the country. The 
idea was industriously impressed upon every one that Oregon was 
a barren waste, of no earthly value except as a fur region. By this 
means it was hoped not only to discourage emigration, but to im- 
press upon American statesmen the idea that a country of such little 
value for colonization was not worth contending for, and some of 
the speeches made in Congress by several of the foremost men of 
the nation show how well the plan succeeded. That England, and 
Englishmen generally, became embued with the same idea was of 
no consequence, since the company did not desire English settlers 
other than such as, in a measure, belonged to it; and England could 
be relied upon to do her best to secure it as a perpetual trapping 
ground for this great corporation, which was her powerful repre- 
sentative in the extreme West. Not only was the region decried, 
but it was asserted with great positiveness that it was absolutely 
impossible for wagons to cross the mountains, and that emigrants 
could not pass overland from the Mississippi Valley. Every book 
of English origin laid great stress upon these facts, and they were 
echoed by the magazines and newspapers. Said John Dunn, a 
former clerk of the company, in his work on Oregon: "None but 
the wild and fearless free -trappers can clamber over these precipices 
and tread these deserts with security. It is true that there have 
been published more favorable accounts, within the last year or two, 
by parties who have made the journey safely, and who encourage 
others to make a similar experiment, but these accounts are mere 
bravado." In 1843, the Edinburg Review said: "However the 
political question between England and the United States, as to the 
ownership of Oregon, may be decided, Oregon will never be colo- 
nized overland from the United States. The world must assume a 
new phase before the American wagons will make plain the road 
to the Columbia, as they have done to the Ohio.' 1 These extracts 
are sufficient to show the general tenor of them all. 

In this there was nothing either criminal or dishonest, nothing 
which Americans would not have done under the same circum- 
stances; and yet certain writers speak of this and other steps of the 
company to obtain, or retain, possession of Oregon, as constituting 
a heinous crime. In looking at this matter one should divest him- 
self of all national and religious prejudice or bigotry. Both na- 



236 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

tions having well-founded claims to the country, the subjects of 
Great Britain certainly were as fully justified in making an effort 
for possession as were the citizens of the United States ; and the 
actual fact is that they were less active, less aggressive than were 
the Americans, to which is largely due their defeat in the contest 
upon which they entered with every advantage. Because they made 
these efforts, parties who were equally active on the other side have 
charged the company with grave crimes, not the least of which was 
the inciting of the natives to murder American settlers and mission- 
aries. These charges rest solely upon the most flimsy circumstan- 
tial evidence, which is outweighed by the conduct and character of 
the officers who administered the company's affairs in Oregon. It 
is not the purpose of the writer to engage in a general defense of 
the Hudson's Bay Company, or acquit ifc of all censure; for he be- 
lieves its policy to have been harsh and cruel, though natural and 
human. He would, however, desire to defend the name of good 
Dr. McLoughlin from the aspersions of men who were not worthy 
to untie the latchet of his shoes; who possessed neither his large and 
liberal mind, nor his warm and generous heart. He must be dis- 
associated entirely from the company whose chief representative he 
was, since he failed utterly to carry out its policy. He was ever the 
sympathizing friend of the needy pioneer, and liberally aided him 
in distress; and when called to account, in 1844, for not enforcing 
the company's orders to withhold from American settlers all assist- 
ance whatever, resigned his position and became nearly penniless 
because of being held personally responsible for the debts he had 
permitted many distressed emigrants to contract for necessary sup- 
plies, which debts, it may be stated, many never had the honor or 
gratitude to discharge. Aside from this order to withhold assistance, 
which, had it been enforced by Dr. McLoughlin, would have caused 
great distress, and which, of course, not being present to witness it, 
the chief officers of the company could not fully appreciate, there 
was nothing in the conduct of the company which would not be 
looked upon in any country and by any people as proper and nec- 
essary for the protection of their interests, could they be placed in a 
similar position. It is questionable if the gentlemen entertaining 
such bitter feelings had possessed the great power of the company, 
whether they would have used it as honorably and conscientiously 



AMERICANS ORGANIZE A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. 287 

as did Dr. McLoughlin and his associates. These narrow-minded 
views were not entertained by Dr. Whitman, the Nestor of them all. 
He had a brain sufficiently large, and a nature sufficiently honor- 
able, to divorce politics and personality, and he honored and respected 
some of these men, and enjoyed their warmest friendship, while do- 
ing more than any other man to counteract and defeat their plans. 
The active part taken politically by the Protestant missionaries lost 
them the support* they at first received from the company, which 
was transferred to the Catholics, who, as subjects of Great Britain, 
could be counted upon to further its interests. It was this support 
of their religious adversaries which caused the bitter enmity of cer- 
tain Protestant historians to the company. The mutual intolerance 
of adherents of the two creeds, and the especially bitter spirit en- 
gendered by the contest for spiritual control of the Indians, suffi- 
ciently explain why those whose minds were thus wrought up to a 
belief in the commission of fiendish acts by their Catholic opponents, 
should extend their prejudices to the company which aided in their 
defeat. 

Dr. McLoughlin treats the subject of his attitude and conduct 
towards American settlers at great length, and justice to him requires 
that his words be given in full. He says: — 

In 1843, about 800 emigrants arrived from the States. I saw by the looks of the 
Indians that they were excited, and I watched them. As the first stragglers were 
arriving at Vancouver in canoes, I was standing on the bank. Nearer the water 
there was a group of ten or twelve Indians. One of them bawled out to his com- 
panions, *' It is good for us to kill these Bostons ! " Struck with the excitement I 
had seen in the countenances of the Indians since they had heard the report of the 
immigration coming, I felt certain they were inclined to mischief, and that he spoke 
thus loud as a feeler to sound me, and take their measures accordingly. I imme- 
diately rushed on them with my cane, calling out at the same time, "Who is the 
dog that says it is a good thing to kill these Bostons!" The fellow, trembling, 
excused himself, " I spoke without meaning harm, but the Dalles Indians say so." 
" Well," said I, " the Dalles Indians are dogs for saying so, and you also," and left 
him, as, if I had remained longer, it would have had a bad effect. I had done 
enough to convince them I would not allow them to do wrong to the immigrants 
with impunity. From this Indian saying, in the way he did, that the Dalles 
Indians said it was good to kill the Bostons, I felt it my duty to do all I could to 
avert so horrid a deed. 

Mr. P. L. Edwards, whom I mentioned, came in 1834, with Messrs. Lee, and 
left in 1838, sent me a letter by Gen. McCarver, stating he had given a letter of in- 
troduction to me to P. H. Burnett, Esq. I immediately formed my plan and kept 
my knowledge of the horrid design of the Indians secret, as I felt certain that if 
Americans knew it, these men acting independent of each other, would be at once 
for fighting, which would lead to their total destruction, and I sent two (2) boats 



238 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

with provisions to meet them ; sent provisions to Mr. Burnett, and a large quantity 
of provisions for sale to those who would purchase, and to be given to those who 
had not the means, being confident that the fright I had given (as already stated) the 
Indians who said it was a good thing to kill the Bostons was known at the Dalles 
before our boats were there, and that with the presence of the Hudson's Bay Com- 
pany people, and the assistance they afforded the immigrants, would deter the 
Indians from doing them any wrong, and I am happy to be able to say I entirely 
succeeded. At first I thought these Indians were excited by some of the Iroquois 
Indians in the Hudson's Bay Company's service, and tried to find if so, but found 
nothing to enlighten me on the subject. 

About a month after Dr. Whitman, from his mission Walla Walla to Vancou- 
ver, as the Dalles was on his way, and as he had seen the principal men there, it 
occurred to me that he might have heard of it, and told him what I heard the 
Indian say, and how I had alarmed him, what I had done to deter them and my 
suspicion that all this sprung from some of our rascally Iroquois, and that I was 
anxious to find that rascal out to punish him as an example to deter others. " Oh," 
says the Doctor, " I know all about it." " You do, Doctor," says I. " Yes," said 
the Doctor, "and I have known it for two years." "You have known it for two 
years and you told me nothing! Pray tell me his name." The Doctor, seeing I 
was on the wrong scent, said, "His name is Thomas Hill." After thinking for 
some time, I replied, the Hudson's Bay Company had no man of that name in their 
service. "Oh," says the Doctor, " Tom Hill the Shawnee." This Indian, it is said, 
had been educated at Dartmouth College in the States, had told the Indians that a 
few Americans had come to settle on their land ; that the Shawnees allowed them, 
but when the Americans were strong enough they drove the Shawnees off and now 
the Shawnees have no lands, and had urged the Indians to allow no Americans to 
settle on their lands, which advice the Indians about Walla Walla say the Cayuses 
are following to this day, and the Indians are inclined to follow by killing the immi- 
grants who first came, and which I believe they would have done but for the decided 
and cautious manner that I acted. And the reason the Indian made use of the ex- 
pression he did, was because I punished the murderers of the Smith party, and be- 
fore acting they wanted to know how I would treat them, and most certainly if I 
had not been most anxious for the safety of the immigrants and to discharge to 
them the duties of a Christian, my ear would not have caught so quickly the words, 
" it is a good thing to kill these Bostons," and acted as I did. In fact, if the immi- 
grants had all been my brothers and sisters, I could not have done more for them. 
I fed the hungry, caused the sick to be attended to and nursed, furnished them 
every assistance so long as they required it, and which some have not paid to this 
day, though abundantly able, and for which, if they do not pay, I am answerable 
to the Hudson's Bay Company. It may be said, and has been said, that I was too 
liberal in making these advances. It is not so, but was done judiciously and 
prudently. 

When the immigration of 1842 came, we had enough of breadstuff's in the country 
for one year, but as the immigrants reported that next season there would be a 
greater immigration, it was evident if there was not a proportionate increase of seed 
sown in 1843 and 1844, there would be a famine in the country in 1845, which would 
lead to trouble, as those that had families, to save them from starvation, would be 
obliged to have recourse to violence to get food for them. To avert this I freely sup- 
plied the immigrants of 1843 and 1844 with the necessary articles to open farms, and 
by these means avoided the evils. In short I afforded every assistance to the immi- 
grants so long as they required it, and by management I kept peace in the country, 
and in some cases had to put up with a great deal ; for instance, when the milling 
company jumped part of my claim, the island upon which they built a mill, and 



AMERICANS ORGANIZE A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. 239 

which subsequently Abernethy purchased, and when Williamson jumped part of 
Fort Vancouver, as may be seen by my correspondence with the provisional govern- 
ment on the subject, and which occurred in the presence of several American 
citizens, who I am happy to say strongly expressed their disapprobation of William- 
son's conduct, and which I am induced to believe made him desist, and it will be 

seen, to their credit, that Messrs , the 

Executive Committee, acted in a straightforward, manly and correct manner, and 
it was by such conduct on the part of respectable American citizens, that peace and 
order were maintained in the country. It is true, several thought I was too for- 
bearing ; but when I saw how much the good on both sides would suffer if I acted 
differently, and that a war between Great Britain and the United States might be 
caused by it, I considered it my duty to act as I did, and by which I think I may 
have prevented a war between the United States and Great Britain. And how 
have I been treated by both ? 

By British demagogues I have been represented as a traitor. For what? Because 
I acted as a Christian ; saved American citizens, men, women and children from 
the Indian tomahawk, and enabled them to make farms to support their families. 
American demagogues have been base enough to assert that I had caused American 
citizens to be massacred by hundreds by the savages. I, who saved all I could. 
I have been represented by the delegate from Oregon, the late S. R. Thurston, as 
doing all I could to prevent the settling, while it was well known to every Ameri- 
can settler who is acquainted with the history of the Territory, that this is a down- 
right falsehood, and most, certainly will say, that they most firmly believe that I 
did all I could to promote its settlement, and that I could not have done more for 
the settlers if they had been my brothers and sisters, and after being the first person 
to take a claim in the country and assisting the immigrants as I have, my claim is 
reserved, after having expended all the means I had to improve it, while every other 
settler in the country gets his. But as I felt convinced that any disturbance 
between us here might lead to a war between Great Britain and the States, I felt it 
my bounden duty as a Christian, to act as I did, and which I think averted the 
evil, and which was so displeasing to some English demagogues that they repre- 
sented me to the British Government as a person so partial to American interests as 
selling the Hudson's Bay Company goods in my charge cheaper to American than 
I did to British subjects. On the other hand, though, if the American immigrants 
had been my brothers and sisters, I could not have done more for them ; yet, after 
acting as I have, spending my means and doing my utmost to settle the country, 
my claim is reserved, while every other settler in the country gets his; and how 
much this has injured me, is daily injuring me, it is needless to say, and certainly 
it is a treatment I do not deserve and which I did not expect. To be brief, I founded 
this settlement and prevented a war between the United States and Great Britain, 
and for doing this peaceably and quietly, I was treated by the British in such a 
manner that from self respect I resigned my situation in the Hudson's Bay Com- 
pany's service, by which I sacrificed $12,000 per annum, and the "Oregon Land 
Bill " shows the treatment I received from the Americans. 

It is a pleasure to state that all liberal-minded pioneers regard 
the good Doctor as one of the grandest and most noble characters 
with whom they ever came in contact. 

The population of Oregon may be classified, in 1840, into four 
distinct divisions — the Hudson's Bay Company; the Catholic mis- 
sionaries and their French proteges; the Protestant missionaries; 



240 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

and the independent settlers. The first two generally acted together, 
though there were a few members of the Catholic church who favored 
American rule. Though not always in full accord, and occasionally 
opposing each other, the settlers and missionaries, as a rule, acted 
together, the missions serving as a rallying point for the settlers. 
These latter cared nothing for the religious creed the missionaries 
represented, their sole object in securing homes in the Willamette 
Valley being to better their wordly condition, yet they favored the 
mission to the extent that it served their purpose of settling in the 
country. • The missions of the American Board located east of the 
mountains, cut no figure at first in the organization of a government, 
that movement being confined to the settlers in the Willamette Val- 
ley. The motives which actuated them are thus set forth by J. 
Quinn Thornton: — 

Distant from the land of their birth, surrounded by restless tribes of Indians, 
who clamorously and insolently demanded of the immigrants pay for lands which 
the immigrants had neither the means nor the right to purchase; still ardently de- 
siring to have their names and their destiny connected with that of the republic, 
and yet, often pierced to the heart by the thought, which would sometimes, unbid- 
den, obtrude itself upon the mind, that they were the victims of their country's 
neglect and injustice, and suffering all the inconveniences and embarrassments 
w hich are necessarily felt by a resident and civilized community, without a system of 
laws for the conservation of peace and order, they were at length compelled to or- 
ganize a provisional government. 

Their first step was taken March 16, 1838, when J. L. Whit- 
comb and thirty -five other settlers prepared a memorial, which was 
presented to Congress January 28, 1839, by Senator Linn. This 
document set forth the resources and condition of the country, and 
contained the following paragraph: — 

We are anxious when we imagine what will be, what must be, the condition of 
so mixed a community, free from all legal restraint and superior to that moral influ- 
ence which has hitherto been the pledge of our safety. We flatter ourselves that 
we are the germ of a great State and are anxious to give an early tone to the moral 
and intellectual character of our citizens — the destinies of our posterity will be 
intimately affected by the character of those who immigrate. The territory must 
populate — the Congress of the United States must say by whom. The natural 
resources of the country, with a well-judged civil code, will invite a good community? 
but a good community will hardly emigrate to a country which promises no pro- 
tection to life or property. * * * We can boast of no civil code. We 
can promise no protection but the ulterior resort of self-defense. * * * We 
have thus briefly shown that the security of our persons and our property, the 
hopes and destinies of our children, are involved in the subject of our petition. We 
do not presume to suggest the manner in which the country should be occupied by 
the Government, nor the extent to which our settlement should be encouraged. 



AMERICANS ORGANIZE A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. 241 

We confide in the wisdom of our national legislators, and leave the subject to their 
candid deliberations. 

This petition was read, laid on the table, and neglected. In 
June, 1840, Senator Linn again presented a memorial, signed by 
seventy citizens of Oregon : — 

Your petitioners represent that they are residents in Oregon Territory, and citi- 
zens of the United States, or persons desirous of becoming such. They further rep- 
resent that they have settled themselves in said Territory, under the belief that it 
was a portion of the public domain of the United States, and that they might rely 
upon the government thereof for the blessings of free institutions and the protec- 
tion of its arms. But your petitioners further represent, that they are uninformed 
of any acts of said Government by which its institutions and protection are ex- 
tended to them; in consequence whereof, themselves and families are exposed to be 
destroyed by the savages and others that would do them. harm. And your petition- 
ers would further represent that they have no means of protecting their own and 
the lives of their families, other than self-constituted tribunals, organized and sus- 
tained by the power of an ill-instructed public opinion, and the resort to force and 
arms. And your petitioners represent these means of safety to be an insufficient 
safeguard of life and property. * * * * Your petitioners wherefore 
pray the Congress of the United States of America, to establish, as soon as may be, 
a territorial government in Oregon Territory. 

The phrase which is italicized in the above memorial undoubt- 
edly refers to the Hudson's Bay Company, which, so some of the 
settlers then believed and a few still affect to believe, designed their 
destruction. The absurdity of this has already been pointed out by 
calling attention to the character of the company's officers in Ore- 
gon, and to the very patent fact that had such been their intention 
it would have been carried out, since nothing could have been easier 
of accomplishment. That the company succeeded in ''freezing out " 
opposition traders, by exerting its authority to prevent the Indians 
form trading with its rivals, and by refusing to sell such men sup- 
plies when in business distress, is an undisputed fact; and that 
it sought to " starve out " all American settlers, or, at least, keep 
them in practical subjection, is equally undisputable, and would 
probably have been as fully successful had another than Dr. Mc- 
Loughlin been in charge at Vancouver ; but that it sought to achieve 
these ends by murder and inciting the Indians to slaughter them, 
lacks proof of any kind. Its domination over the Indiaus was so 
complete that a simple hint that the company desired the Americans 
killed would have been sufficient to have accomplished that end. 
The simple fact that these petitioners lived for many years exposed 



242 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

to attack and never once received it, is evidence enough to show 
that the fears expressed in the memorial were ungrounded. 

Having thus provided for making known the situation of affairs 
to Congress, and being well aware that one, and possibly two, years 
must roll around before they could even know that their petition 
had been presented, they addressed themselves to the task of pro- 
viding such government as was absolutely required for the security 
of their families and the proper conservation of the peace. The 
principal settlement was at Champoeg, and there a meeting was 
held on the seventh of February, 1841, the record of which shows 
that it was " a meeting of some of the inhabitants * * * for 
the purpose of consulting upon steps necessary to be taken for the 
formation of laws, and the election of officers to execute them." Eev. 
Jason Lee was called to the chair, and requested to express his 
opinion of what was necessary to be done. In a brief speech, which 
indicates that he had given considerable thought to the subject, he 
advised the appointment of a committee to draft a constitution and 
by-laws for the government of that portion of the territory lying 
south of the Columbia. The people were also recommended to con- 
sidered the question of a governor and other officers. Here the 
matter rested temporarily; but an event happened a few days later 
which revived it with greater vigor. This was the death of that 
able and energetic leader, Ewing Young, on the fifteenth of Feb- 
ruary. His funeral, which was held two days later, was attended 
.by nearly every settler in the valley. Mr. Young possessed con- 
siderable property, and left no visible heirs to claim it and no one 
to administer upon the estate. Had he been a servant, or even an 
employee of the company, the officers would have taken charge of 
the effects; or had he been associated with one of the missions, there 
would have been no doubt about the disposition of his property ; but 
he was simply an independent settler, and no one had any color of 
authority to act in the premises. After the funeral ceremonies were 
concluded, the people organized a u meeting of some of the inhabit- 
ants of the.Wallamet Valley, for consultation concerning the steps 
necessary to be taken for the formation of laws, and the election of 
officers to execute the same, and for the better preservation of peace 
and good order.'' 7 Rev. Jason Lee was chosen Chairman, and Rev. 
(xustavus Hines Secretary. It was determined to institute a civil gov- 



AMERICANS ORGANIZE A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. 243 

ernment south of the Columbia, to the protection of which any per- 
son living north of that stream and not connected with the company, 
might be admitted upon application. The form of government 
decided upon was a legislative committee, a governor, a supreme 
judge with probate powers, three justices of the peace, three con- 
stables, three road commissioners, an attorney -general, a clerk of the 
courts and public recorder, a treasurer, and two overseers of the 
poor. Names of gentlemen to occupy the various offices were sug- 
gested, and then the meeting adjourned to assemble the next day at 
the Methodist Mission, and elect officers. Nearly all the male pop- 
ulation south of the Columbia assembled at the time and place 
specified. There were three distinct factions — the Methodist mis- 
sionaries and their associates, the independent settlers, and the 
Catholics as allies of the Hudson's Bay Company. The first busi- 
ness was the choice of a committee to draft a constitution and code 
of laws, the following gentlemen being selected: Rev. F. N. Blan- 
chet, representing the Catholics; Rev. Jason Lee, Rev. Gustavus 
Hines and Rev. Josiah L. Parrish, representing the Methodist Mis- 
sion; D. Donpierre and M. Charlevo, representing the French Can- 
adian settlers; Robert Moore and Etinne Lucier, representing the 
American settlers; William Johnson, representing the purely English 
element. The main point at issue between the factions seemed to 
be the position of governor; Revs. Leslie and Hines and Dr. J. L. 
Babcock were the mission candidates, and seemed liable to divide 
the vote sufficiently to ensure the election of Dr. Bailey, a man of 
strong English prejudices, who was opposed to religion generally. 
He could secure the French Catholics and a majority of the settlers' 
votes, but the latter element he alienated by his extreme immodesty 
in nominating himself. It was finally decided to dispense with a 
governor, the duties of that office being discharged by the supreme 
judge, to which position Dr. J. L. Babcock was elected. He was 
instructed to render decisions in cases which mijrfit come before him. 
in accordance with the New York code ; but as there was not a New 
York statute book west of the Rocky Mountains, it would have been 
difficult to determine whether he complied or not. The committee 
being divided between the different interests, and the bench having 
fallen to the Methodists, the Catholics were given the recorder in 
the person of George W, LeBreton, who had come out in the brig 



244 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Maryland, and was a young man of good education. Later, he 
affiliated entirely with the settlers, and is spoken of by the priests 
at the time of his death, which will be subsequently noted, as being 
an apostate. The English element was represented by William 
Johnson, as high sheriff. Joseph Gervais, Hadier Laderaut (Zania 
Ladaroot), Pierre Billique and William McCarty were chosen con- 
stables. The other offices designated were not filled; to have done 
so would have required nearly every prominent man in the settle- 
ments. The meeting then adjourned to assemble on the first Tues- 
day in June, at the new building near the Catholic church. Dr. 
Babcock administered upon the estate of Mr. Young, and as no 
heirs appeared to claim it, the property was devoted to the build- 
ing, two years later, of a jail at Oregon City, the first of its kind 
west of the Rocky Mountains. A score of years later the Oregon 
Legislature refunded the value of the estate to Joaquin Young, of 
New Mexico, who proved himself to be a son of the deceased 
pioneer. 

Upon the day appointed in June the people again assembled, 
and learned that the committee had not framed a constitution, nor 
had they even met for that purpose. Rev. F. N. Blanchet resigned, 
and after choosing Dr. Bailey to fill the vacancy, the meeting in- 
structed the committee to "confer with the Commodore of the 
American squadron and John McLoughlin, Chief Factor of the 
Hudson's Bay Company, with regard to forming a constitution and 
code of laws for this community." The meeting then adjourned 
till the following October. The naval officer alluded to was Com- 
modore Charles Wilkes, who had been despatched by the United 
States Government, in 1838, with a fleet of vessels, on an extended 
voyage of exploration, continuing live years. Wilkes was then in 
Oregon with the double purpose of obtaining geographical and sci- 
entific information and learning the exact situation of affairs. Per- 
sonally, he enjoyed the hospitality of Dr. McLoughlin during his 
brief stay, several expeditions being sent out from Vancouver, one 
going to Puget Sound, one to the missions east of the mountains, 
and a third, under Lieutenant Emmons, passing up the Willamette 
Valley and going overland to the Bay of San Francisco, whither 
the squadron proceeded by sea. Having visited the various mis- 
sions, talked with the settlers, and consulted with the worthy Chief 



AMERrCANS ORGANIZE A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. 245 

Factor, he learned that only a minority were in favor of a govern- 
ment, chiefly those associated with the Methodist Mission. It 
seemed to be the prevailing opinion that the settlement was not 
strong enough to sustain a government and not large enough to 
absolutely require it. Accordingly, Wilkes advised the com- 
mittee which waited upon him, to wait until they were stronger 
before attempting a government, until the " Government of the 
United States should throw its mantle over them.''' This advice was 
accepted, and the adjourned meeting never convened. This ended 
the first effort to organize a local government. 

The first regular emigration from the East arrived in 1841, be- 
ginning that steady stream of young and vigorous life which has 
annually flowed into Oregon for over forty years; and the end will 
not be seen for many years to come. There were deep and moving 
causes for this living stream to force its way through the rocky bar- 
riers and alkali deserts and cut a deep channel to Oregon. Trap- 
pers who had visited the Pacific Coast sang the praises of the lovely 
and fertile valleys of the Willamette and Sacramento, where winter 
was unknown and the grass remained green the year round. The 
western frontiersmen caught up the refrain as it passed from cabin 
to cabin ; and in a few years the tale was an old one with the hardy 
pioneers of the West. The publication of Dr. Parker's book, Liv- 
ing's "Astoria' 1 and "Bonneville," John Dunn's work on Oregon, 
a letter written by Robert Shortess, who had come out in 1839, 
combined with a general financial depression in the. Western States, 
caused much attention to be directed towards Oregon, California 
then being a province of Mexico and, consequently, less attractive 
to American citizens. The two steadfast friends of Oregon in Congress 
were the senators from Missouri, Thomas H. Benton and Lewis F. 
Linn, whose names are borne by two of the oldest and best counties 
in the Willamette Valley. They never ceased to urge upon the 
Government the necessity of taking some decisive step to perfect 
its title to the region of the Columbia, and to extend the jurisdic- 
tion of the law over this disputed country for the protection of 
American citizens who were making, and might in the future make, 
their homes in the far-off Occident. It was Senator Linn who pre- 
sented the two memorials before alluded to, and who, at the same 
time, introduced bills for the extension of the jurisdiction of the 



246 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

United States laws over Oregon, urging them warmly upon the 
consideration of Congress. Early in 1842 he introduced a bill 
granting donations of the public lands to all who might settle in 
Oregon, his idea being that a liberal emigration alone could be re- 
lied upon to win the Columbia for the United States, and that 
special inducements should be offered to those brave and hardy 
people who must be relied upon to thus constitute the line of battle 
on the frontier. With all earnestness he supported this measure in 
the Senate, ably seconded by his eminent colleague, but his sudden 
death on the 3d of October, 1843, suspended, for the time, the vi- 
tality of these measures; yet, in the donation laws passed by Con- 
gress a few years later, the pioneers of Oregon reaped the benefit 
of his unselfish exertions, and received the fulfillment of that im- 
plied promise which had induced many of them to undertake the 
toilsome and dangerous journey. In his eulogy upon his distin- 
guished colleague, delivered in the Senate, Mr. Benton said: "In 
the character of such a man, so exuberant in all that is grand and 
beautiful in human nature, it is difficult to particularize excellen- 
cies, or pick out any one quality or circumstance which could claim 
pre-eminence over all others. If I should attempt it, I should point 
among his measures for the benefit of the whole Union, to the Or- 
egon bills." 

The emigration of 1841 consisted of one hundred and eleven 
persons, who, owing to the supposed impossibility of crossing the 
country with wagons, made no attempt to bring vehicles with them. 
That such was not an impossibility had been demonstrated in two 
instances — when Dr. Whitman took his cart to Fort Boise in 1836, 
and again in 1840 by Dr. Robert Newell, an old mountaineer, who 
took a prominent and honorable part in the early affairs of Oregon. 
He was one of the arrivals of 1840 previously noted. Newell had 
served as guide to the Methodist missionaries from Green River to 
Fort Hall, where, as compensation for his services, he received the 
two wagons belonging to the missionaries, which they had decided 
to abandon at that point. The wagon party consisted of Dr. Rob- 
ert Newell and family, Joseph L. Meek, Caleb Wilkins and Francis 
Ermatinger, a Factor of the Hudson's Bay Company. The inci- 
dent is thus related by Dr. Newell: — 

At the time I took the wagons, I had no idea of undertaking to bring them into 






AMERICANS ORGANIZE A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. 247 

this country. I exchanged fat horses to these missionaries for their animals, and 
after they had been gone a month or more for Wallamet, and the American Fur 
Company had abandoned the country for good, I concluded to hitch up and try the 
much-dreaded job of bringing a wagon to Oregon. I sold one of these wagons to 
Mr. Ermatinger, at Fort Hall. Mr. Caleb Wilkins had a small wagon which Joel 
Walker had left at Fort Hall. On the fifth of August, 1840, we put out with three 
wagons. Joseph L. Meek drove my wagon. In a few days we began to realize the 
difficult task before us, and found that the continual crashing of the sage under our 
wagons, which was in many places higher than the mule's backs, was no joke. 
Seeing our animals begin to fail, we began to light up, finally threw away our 
wagon-beds and were quite sorry we had undertaken the job. All the consolation 
we had was that we broke the first sage on that road, and were too proud to eat 
anything but dried salmon skins after our provisions had become exhausted. In a 
rather rough and reduced state we arrived at Dr. Whitman's mission station in the 
Walla Walla Valley, where we were met by that hospitable man and kindly made 
welcome and feasted accordingly. On hearing me regret that I had undertaken to 
bring wagons, the Doctor said, "Oh, you will never regret it. You have broken the 
ice, and when others see that wagons have passed, they too will pass, and in a few 
years the valley will be full of our people." The Doctor shook me heartily by the 
hand ; Mrs. Whitman, too, welcomed us, and the Indians walked around our 
wagons, or what they called "horse canoes," and seemed to give it up. We spent a 
day or so with the Doctor, and then went to Fort Walla Walla, where we were 
kindly received by Mr. P. C. Pambrun, Chief Trader of the Hudson's Bay Com- 
pany, Superintendent of that post. On the first of October, we took leave of those 
kind people, leaving our wagons and taking the river trail — but we proceeded 
slowly. Our party consisted of Joseph L. Meek and myself, also our families, and 
a Snake Indian whom I brought to Oregon, where he died a year after our arrival. 
The party did not arrive at the Wallamet Falls till December, subsisting for weeks 
upon dried salmon, and upon several occasions compelled to swim their stock across 
the Columbia and Wallamet. 

The emigrants from the Red River colonies which were brought 
to Oregon in pursuance of the plan of the Hudson's Bay Company 
set forth above, arrived in the fall of 1841. Sir Greorge Simpson, 
governor of the company, visited Vancouver the same year, crossing 
overland from Montreal. Just east of the Rocky Mountains he 
passed this train of emigrants, which he records as consisting of 
tk twenty-three families, the heads being generally young and active. 1 " 
They reached Oregon in September and were located north of the 
Columbia, in the vicinity of the Cowlitz farm of the Puget Sound 
Agricultural Company. A number of them relocated the next year 
in the Willamette Valley. 

The emigration of 1842 consisted of one hundred and nine 
people, fifty-five of them over eighteen years of age. They started 
from Independence on the sixteenth of May, with sixteen wagons 
and a number of cattle. In the train was Dr. Elijah White, who 
had spent three years in Oregon in connection with the Methodist 



248 IITSTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Mission. He had now secured an appointment as Indian Agent for 
the region west of the Rocky Mountains, and was on his way back 
to the scene of his missionary labors. Alexander and John McKay, 
sons of Tom. McKay, were also with the party, being homeward 
bound from a few years of attendance at school in New York State. 
These three had lived in Oregon, but were not acquainted with the 
route thither. Judge Columbia Lancaster and his family accompa- 
nied them as far as the Kansas River, but he was compelled by the 
sickness of his wife to abandon the journey and return. A few 
years later he was more successful and his name is now indelibly 
stamped upon the pages of Oregon history. Stephen H. Meek, an 
experienced mountaineer and brother of Col. Jo. Meek, served as 
guide and general advisor, having trapped for years through the 
mountains and been in Oregon several times, first with Bonneville 
and afterwards as an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company. F. X. 
Matthieu, well known in the State, joined the train at Fort Lara- 
mie, with three Frenchmen whose names are unknown. Thomas 
Fitzpatrick, a former partner in the Rocky Mountain Fur Com- 
pany, and one of the most experienced of mountain men, was en- 
countered at Fort Laramie and engaged for $500 to pilot the train 
to Fort Hall. At Independence Rock a young man named Bailey 
was killed by the accidental discharge of a rifle; and L. W. Hast- 
ings and A. L. Lovejoy, two names prominent in Oregon history, 
were captured by Sioux Indians while engaged in carving their 
names on the face of the rock. They were ransomed by making 
their captors a present of a few trinkets and pieces of tobacco; and 
this was what gave rise to the story in after years that Hastings had 
been bought for a plug of tobacco. At Green River one -half of 
the wagons were dismantled and used to make pack saddles, since 
it was deemed too slow and difficult a task to take the whole train 
further. This event and the subsequent incidents of the journey 
are thus related by Hon. Medorum Crawford, one of the party: — 

Horses, mules and oxen were packed with such clothing, utensils and provisions 
as were indispensable for our daily wants, and with heavy hearts many articles of 
comfort and convenience, which had been carefully carried and cared for on the 
long journey, were left behind. About the middle of August we arrived at Fort 
Hall, then an important trading post belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company. 
From Captain Grant, his officers and employees, we received such favors and assist- 
ance as can only be appreciated by worn-out and destitute emigrants. Here the 
remaining wagons were left, and our company, no longer attempting to keep up an 



AMERICANS OKGAXIZE A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. 249 

organization, divided into small parties, each traveling as fast as their circumstances 
would permit, following the well-beaten trail of the Hudson's Bay Company to 
Fort Walla Walla, now Wallula. The small party to which I was attached was 
one month traveling from Fort Hall to Dr. Whitman's, where we were most hos- 
pitably received and supplied with flour and vegetables in abundance, a very 
acceptable change after subsisting almost entirely on buffalo meat from Laramie to 
Fort Hall, and on salmon from Fort Hall to Whitman's. In fact there had not 
been in my mess a mouthful of bread since leaving Laramie. * * * From 
Walla Walla Dr. White and some others took passage down the Columbia River in 
the Hudson's Bay Company's boats. Others pursued the journey by land to The 
Dalles, and there embarked in boats or canoes, and still others, and the larger por- 
tion of the emigrants, crossed the Cascade Mountains on the old Indian trail. From 
Fort Hall to the Willamette no precaution was taken against, or the slightest 
appreheusion felt of Indian hostility, nor were we in any instance molested by 
them : on the contrary, they furnished us with salmon and game, and rendered us 
valuable assistance for very trifling rewards. From Walla Walla to the Willamette 
Falls occupied about twenty days, and all things considered, was the hardest part 
of the entire journey — what with the drifting sands, rocky cliffs, and rapid streams 
along the Columbia River, and the gorges, torrents, and thickets of the Cascade 
Mountains, it seems incredible how, with our worn-out and emaciated animals, we 
ever reached our destination. 

The members of that little train of 1842, such as were then over 
eighteen years of age, are thus enumerated by Mr. Crawford: — 

The following named men over eighteen years of age composed the emigration 
of 1842: C. T. Arendell, James Brown, William Brown, Gabriel Brown, Barnum, 
Hugh Burns, Geo. W. Bellamy, Bennett, Bennett, Jr., Bailey (killed), Nathaniel 
Crocker, Nathan Coombs, Patrick Clark, Alexander Copeland, A. X. Coates, 
Medorum Crawford, Allen Davy, John Dearnn, John Dobbinbess, Samuel Davis, 
Foster, John Force. James Force, Girtman, Gibbs, L. W. Hastings, J. M. Hudspeath, 
John Hofstetter, Hardin Jones, A. L. Lovejoy, Reuben Lewis, F. X. Matthieu, S. 
W. Moss, J. L. Morrison, Stephen Meek, Alex. McKay, John McKay, Walter 
Pomeroy. Dwight Pomeroy, J. W. Perry, Dutch Paul, J. R. Robb, Owen Summer, 
T. J. Shadden, Andrew Smith, A. D. Smith, Darling Smith, Adam Storn, Aaron 
Towner, Joel Turnham, Elijah White, David Weston, Three Frenchmen. 

The condition of the valley and the settlers, when these emigrants 
arrived, is thus delineated by Mr. Crawford: — 

On the fifth day of October our little party, tired, ragged and hungry, arrived at 
the Falls, now Oregon City, where we found the first habitations west of the Cas- 
cade Mountains. Here several members of the Methodist Mission were located, 
and a saw mill was being erected on the island. Our gratification on arriving 
safely after so long and perilous a journey, was shared by these hospitable people, 
each of whom seemed anxious to give us hearty welcome and render us every assist- 
ance in their power. From the Falls to Vancouver was a trackless wilderness, 
communication being only by the river in small boats and canoes. Toward Salem 
no sign of civilization existed until we reached the French Prairie, where a few 
farms near the river were cultivated by former employees of the Hudson's Bay 
Company. West of the Falls some fifteen miles was Tualitan Plains, where a few 
settlers, mostly from Red River, had located. Within the present limits of Yamhill 
County, the only settlers I can remember were Sidney Smith, Amos Cook, Francis 
Fletcher, James O'Xeil, Joseph McLaughlin, Williams, Louis LaBoute and 



250 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

George Gay. There may have been one or two more, but I think not. South of 
George Gay's on the west end of Salem, on the east side of the Willamette River, 
there were no settlements in the territory. 

There were in the valley some twelve or fifteen Methodist Missionaries, most of 
them having families, under the general superintendence of Rev. Jason Lee. Some 
of them were living at the Falls, some at Salem, and some at the Mission farm, ten 
miles below Salem, opposite the place now known as Wheatland. At these places, 
especially at the Falls and Salem, many improvements were being made, and em- 
ployment w r as given at fair wages to all who desired work. Payment was made in 
lumber and flour from their mills at Salem, cattle and horses from their herds, and 
orders on the mission stores at the Falls, kept by Hon. George Abernethy. There 
was no money in the country, and in fact I do not remember seeing a piece of 
money of any description for more than a year after my arrival. A man's financial 
condition was based upon his cattle, horses, and credit on the Hudson's Bay Com- 
pany's or Abernethy's books. With these he could procure everything that was 
purchaseable in the country. All kinds of tools and implements were scarce and 
generally of the most primitive character. There were no wagons in the country. 
Carts of the rudest manufacture were in general use, which among the French 
were frequently ironed with raw-hide. Ground was plowed with wooden mould- 
boards, grain was threshed in rail pens by the tramping of horses and cleaned by 
winnowing in the wind, and transported in canoes and bateaux to Fort Vancouver 
to market. Most of our clothing came from the Hudson's Bay Company, was all 
of one size, and said to have been made to fit Dr. McLoughlin, who was a very large 
man. Boots and shoes were more difficult to be obtained than any other article of 
clothing ; as for myself I had no covering for my feet for two years, either summer 
or winter, but buckskin moccasins, still I never enjoyed better health in my life. 
* * * * * ■* 

A number of our company, probably one-third, dissatisfied with the winter and 
not willing to wait and see what the summer would bring forth — acting on their 
migratory instincts — determined early in the spring of 1843 to go to California. 
It was said of some of those that they never remained in one place longer than to 
obtain the means to travel ; and of one family in particular, that they had prac- 
tically lived in the wagon for more than twenty years, only remaining in one 
locality long enough to make a crop, which they had done in every State and Ter- 
ritory in the Mississippi Valley. Accordingly, under the lead of L. W. Hastings, 
they set out as soon as the weather would permit, and, after encountering some 
difficulty with the Indians, they reached Sacramento Valley. Among this party 
was Hon. Nathan Coombs, then a mere boy, who afterwards became a large land 
owner and stock raiser in Napa Valley, and founder of the city of that name. 
Uncle Tommy Shadden, who is here to-day, was also of that party. In the spring 
of 1843 those of our party who remained in the country generally located claims in 
different sections of the Willamette Valley, and laid the foundations for homes 
they had traveled so far to obtain. These claims were by common consent recog- 
nized and respected without other protection than public opinion until the pro- 
visional government was established, which provided that non-residents could hold 
claims by having them recorded and paying five dollars annually into the terri- 
torial treasury. 

It was in 1842 that the first regular educational institution in 
Oregon was founded, one which has done noble work for the youth 
of the coast, and which still flourishes under the management of its 
founders, the Methodist Episcopal Church. On the seventeenth of 






AMERICANS ORGANIZE A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. 251 

January, 1842, at the call of Kev. Jason Lee, the people assembled 
at Chemeketa, now North Salem, to consider the question of es- 
tablishing an educational institution capable of meeting the wants of 
the growing community. A committee was appointed and the meet- 
ing adjourned till the first of February, when it convened in the old 
mission building which had been erected in 1834. The Oregon 
Institute was then founded with the following board of trustees: 
Kev. Jason Lee, Rev. David Leslie, Rev. Gustavus Hines, Rev. J. 
L. Parrish, Rev. L. H. Judson, Hon. George Abernethy, Alanson 
Beers, H. Campbell and Dr. J. L. Babcock. A location on French 
Prairie was first selected, but that place being deficient in pure 
water, the institute was finally located on Wallace Prairie, two and 
one -half miles below the present City of Salem. A constitution 
was- adopted on the fifteenth of March, and on the twenty-sixth of 
October the school was formally placed under the charge of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. 

The emigration of 1842, small though it was and diminished by 
the migration of several families to California, served to materially 
strengthen the independent American element. Those who were 
desirous of organizing a government began again to canvass the 
subject, the leading spirit being W. H. Gray, who had left his 
associates — Whitman, Spalding, Eells and Walker — and settled in 
the Willamette Valley. He gathered a few of the trusty ones at 
his house to consult upon the best means of getting the people 
together so as to get a spontaneous action from them before oppos- 
ing influences could have time to work upon them. A simple but 
effective plan was devised — one which worked to a charm. Many 
domestic animals had been destroyed by wild beasts, decimating 
the small herds of the settlers, and how to prevent such ravages had 
become a serious question with every settler. It was decided to 
call a meeting for the ostensible purpose of devising some means 
for the protection of cattle from the ravages of wild beasts, and 
notice was accordingly sent throughout the valley for every settler 
to attend such a meeting at the Oregon Institute on the second day 
of February, 1843. The attendance was very large, Dr. Babcock 
occupying the chair. The presiding officer was unaware of the 
secondary object of the meeting, to the principle of which he was 
unfavorable. A committee of six was appointed to submit a plan 



252 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

of operations to an adjourned meeting to be held on the first Mon- 
day in March, at the cabin of Joseph Gervais. These two gather- 
ings are generally known among the pioneers as " Wolf meetings." 
Prior to the second meeting LeBreton and a Mr. Smith quietly can- 
vassed the sentiment of the people on the subject of a more com- 
plete government, finding that quite a diversity of opinions prevailed. 
There was a lyceum which met occasionally at Willamette Falls, 
before which this question was introduced, and was discussed with 
great animation. The decision there reached was that a government 
at that time was inexpedient. A government was advocated by 
Dr. McLoughlin — one which would be entirely independent of the 
tw T o nations claiming Oregon. L. W. Hastings, as attorney for the 
Doctor, introduced the resolution, "That it is expedient for the 
settlers of the coast to establish an Independent Government," and 
this was the basis of the discussion. The negative side was taken 
by George Abernethy and other Americans, the former introducing 
another resolution for discussion the following week. This was as 
follows: " Resolved, That if the United States extends its jurisdic- 
tion over this country within the next four years, it will not be ex- 
pedient to form an Independent Government." After much earnest 
discussion this was adopted, and the question was placed at rest, 
apparently. Dr. White, the Indian Agent, advocated a government, 
provided he were placed at its head; but the adoption of the last 
resolution did not seem to offer him a certainty of such a happy 
consummation. By these discussions the public mind was some- 
what prepared for a step of some kind to be taken beyond that of 
mere protection from wild beasts, and the consequence was that 
the attendance at the second wolf meeting was even larger than 
it w r ould otherwise have been. James A. O'Neil, who had been 
quietly notified of the ulterior purpose of the meeting, was called 
to the chair, and he carried the proceedings as rapidly as possible 
over the nominal object of the gathering, full provision being made 
for the protection of the herds. William H. Gray then arose and 
made the assembled settlers a little speech. He said that no one 
would for a moment question the propriety and judiciousness of 
their action. It was just and natural to thus seek to protect their 
animals from the ravages of wolves, bears and panthers. Contin- 
uing, he said: — 



AMERICANS ORGANIZE A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. 253 

How is it, fellow citizens, with you and me, and our wives and children? Have 
we any organization on which we can rely for mutual protection ? Is there any 
power or influence in the country sufficient to protect us and all we hold dear from 
the worse than wild beasts that threaten and occasionally destroy our cattle? Who 
in our midst is authorized to call us together to protect our own and the lives of our 
families? True, the alarm may be given, as in a recent case, and we may run who 
feel alarmed, and shoot off our guns, while our enemy may be robbing our property, 
ravishing our wives, and burning our houses over our defenseless families. Com- 
mon sense, prudence and justice to ourselves demand that we act consistent with 
the principles that we have commenced. We have mutually and unitedly agreed 
to defend and protect our cattle and domestic animals; now, fellow citizens, I sub- 
mit and move the adoption of the two following resolutions, that we may have pro- 
tection for our person and lives, as well as our cattle and herds: Resolved, That a 
committee be appointed to take into consideration the propriety of taking measures 
for the civil and military protection of this colony. Resolved, That said committee 
consist of twelve persons. 

The resolutions were unanimously adopted, and Dr. Babcock, 
Dr. \Yhite, O'Xeil, Shortess, Newell, Lucier, Gray, Gervais, Hub- 
bard, M'Roy, Smith and Gay, were appointed to serve on the com- 
mittee. About two weeks later the committee assembled at the 
Falls, many other gentlemen being present and participating in 
their deliberations. Rev. Jason Lee and George Abernethy, as rep- 
resentatives of the Methodist Mission sentiment, made speeches in 
opposition to the proposed action. Unable to come to a definite 
decision, the committee called a general meeting to be held at Cham- 
poeg on the second of May, and then adjourned. A document op- 
posing the proposed action, and styled " An address of the Canadian 
citizens of Oregon to the meeting at Chanipoeg," was prepared by 
the anti- American element, and circulated among the Canadian 
French population for signatures. This element held four meet- 
ings to organize an opposition to the movement — one at Vancouver, 
one at the Falls, and two at Chanipoeg. The Canadians were drilled 
to vote "No" on all questions, and LeBreton, whose previous affili- 
ation with the Catholic element gave him an opportunity to learn 
of these plans, advised that some measure be introduced upon which 
they should properly vote "Yea," to thus throw them into confu- 
sion and expose their tactics. The settlers assembled at Champoeg 
in force on the second day of May, and considerable skirmishing 
was indulged in, the Canadians invariably voting "No" on all 
questions without reference to the bearing they had upon the in- 
terests they represented and becoming much demoralized in conse- 
quence. LeBreton, who had made a careful canvass of those in 



254 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

attendance, finally exclaimed, "We can risk it, let us divide and 
count!" Gray shouted, "I second the motion!" Jo. Meek then 
stepped quickly out of the crowd, and raising his voice to a high 
pitch, shouted, " Who's for a divide? All for the report of the com- 
mittee and organization, follow me?" The Americans quickly 
ranged themselves on his side, and a count developed the fact that 
fifty-two stood in line with him and only fifty on the opposing side. 
"Three cheers for our side!" exclaimed Meek, and as the responsive 
cheers rose in the air, the defeated Canadians withdrew and grad- 
ually left the victors to conduct the remainder of the proceedings to 
suit themselves. 

The Committee of Twelve then reported in favor of the selec- 
tion of a Legislative Committee, and this plan was adopted. Messrs. 
Hill, Shortess, Newell, Beers, Hubbard, Gray, O'Neil, Moore and 
Dougherty, were selected for the committee, and were instructed to 
report a plan of government to a meeting to be held at Champoeg 
on the fifth of July. Their session was limited to six days, and 
their per diem was fixed at $1.25, which was at once contributed 
to the Government by the members. Beers, Parrish and Babcock 
volunteered to provide gratuitously for the board of the committee, 
and the Mission tendered the free use of its old granary for a council 
chamber. The committee assembled at the Falls on the tenth of 
May, in the building mentioned, certainly a most unpretentious 
structure for the deliberations of a legislature. It was a frame 
building, 16x30 feet, and one and one-half stories high, the upper 
portion being used as a sleeping apartment and storage room. The 
lower story was divided into two compartments, one of them doing 
duty as a school room and church, and the other as a warehouse for 
the [storage of wheat. Such were the accommodations enjoyed by 
the first Legislature of Oregon. It was a plain, serviceable struc- 
ture, and they were plain, matter-of-fact men who had met there to 
deliberate for the public good. The Legislature opened its session 
by choosing Robert Moore for Chairman, and George W. LeBreton 
for Secretary. The question of an executive head for the govern- 
ment was first considered; and this was a matter of considerable 
delicacy. The interests represented by the various inhabitants of 
Oregon, as has been shown, were quite distinct, and in some re- 
spects, were inclined to clash with each other. To choose an exec- 



AMERICANS ORGANIZE A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. 255 

utive from any one of these was calculated to array the others in 
either open or covert hostility to the Government. It was finally 
decided that it would, under the circumstances, be judicious to re- 
pose that authority in an Executive Committee of three persons, 
who should represent the strongest and most desirable interests 
among the various classes to be included in their jurisdiction. The 
Legislature adjourned after a session of three days. 

On the fifth of July the people again assembled at Champoeg 
to hear the report of the Legislative Committee, the meeting being 
presided over by Rev. Gustavus Hines. The Canadian citizens who 
signed the address spoken of above were present in force at the 
meeting on the second of May and participated in the proceedings, 
voting against organization, as has been related. Their address 
was not then presented, but later was placed in the hands of a sub- 
committee of three to whom the Legislative Committee had dele- 
gated the task of arranging the laws passed by them for submission 
to the meeting now under discussion. After examining it the com- 
mittee returned it to the Secretary, with instructions to file it among 
the public documents, as a record of the interests and persons op- 
posed to the organization of a government. At the meeting now 
being considered many of them were present and took part, ex- 
pressing themselves as favorably disposed towards the object sought 
to be obtained by the Americans. Others, however, declined to 
attend, and asserted that they would not submit to the authority of 
any government which might be organized. This was also the po- 
sition assumed by the Catholic Missionaries and the representatives 
of the Hudson's Bay Company, the latter even addressing a com- 
munication to the leaders of the organization movement, stating that 
they felt abundantly able to defend both themselves and their po- 
litical rights. This was the status of affairs when Mr. Hines an- 
nounced the meeting as prepared to hear the report of the com- 
mittee. 

The report of the committee was presented by Chairman Moore 
and read by the Secretary, Mr. LeBreton. The debate which fol- 
lowed was exceedingly animated, Mr. Hines vigorously opposing 
the three-fold executive head proposed by the committee. Dr. Bab- 
cock also opposed it on the ground that it looked too much like a 
permanent form of government, instead of the temporary makeshift 



256 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

which he supposed was the object of the gathering. O'Neil and 
Shortess sustained the report, and Mr. Gray made a forcible, and, 
as it appears, a convincing, argument in its favor, using the follow- 
ing language: — 

Mr. President and Fellow Citizens :— The speech which we have just 
listened to, from our presiding officer (G. H. Hines) is in the main correct. It is 
true that the Legislative Committee were not instructed to bring before you an 
executive department in the law and government you proposed to form, when you 
appointed your committee to prepare these laws. It is also true that when that 
committee met they found that they could not advance one step in accomplishing 
the work you instructed them to perform, without some supervising influence some- 
where ; in short, without a head. Their instructions being against a governor, 
they have provided an Executive Committee in place of a single man for governor. 
The executive head is to act in place of a senate council and governor. This pro- 
vision is before you for your approval or rejection. With the Executive Committee 
our organization is complete; without it, we have no head; no one to see that our 
laws are executed, and no one to grant a reprieve or pardon in case the law should 
be enforced against the life or property of any one for the violation of any law, no 
matter what the circumstances connected with the real or supposed violation 

might be. 

****** 

Now, fellow citizens, let us look calmly at our true situation. We are two thou- 
sand five hundred miles from any point from which we can receive the least assist- 
ance by land, and seventeen thousand miles by water. A portion of our community 
are organized and ready to protect themselves, and to defend all their rights and 
interests. Another organization of a religious character is in our midst — I should 
say, two. They each have a head or executive. How is it with us ? Who is our 
head in all that pertains to our civil liberty, rights and property? It is possible the 
gentleman may wish us to remain as unprotected, as helpless and exposed to all the 
dangers that surround us on every hand as we have heretofore been. If he does, 
you, fellow citizens, I am sure do not wish to add to his feebleness by destroying 
the organization you have commenced, .because he is afraid of what some Cassar did 
in Rome. We are acting for ourselves and those immediately dependent upon us 
for protection. In union there is strength. I believe you are fully satisfied your 
committee acted honorably, and, as they thought, for the good of all they repre- 
sented. If such is the case, you will approve of their acts, and our organization 
will be complete as they have prepared it for this meeting. 

A vote was then taken, which resulted in an almost unanimous 
adoption of the report. The next thing in order was the election 
of the necessary officers. Alanson Beers, David Hill and Joseph 
Gale were chosen for the Executive Committee, and thus the first 
regular government in Oregon was provided. That this was a 
movement purely American, and the government of a temporary 
character only, is attested by the preamble to the laws adopted, 
which states that: — 

We, the people of Oregon Territory, for the purpose of mutual protection, and 
to secure peace and prosperity among ourselves, agree to adopt the following laws 



AMERICANS ORGANIZE A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. 257 

and regulations, until such time as the United States of America extend their ju- 
risdiction over us. 

The following certificate was issued to the Executive Committee 
as a warrant of office: — 

This certifies that David Hill, Alanson Beers and Joseph Gale, were chosen the 
Executive Committee of the Territory of Oregon, by the people of said Territory, 
and have taken the oath for the faithful performance of the duties of their offices, 
as required by law. 

GEORGE W. LeBRETON, Becorder. 

Wallamet, Oregon Territory, July 5, 1843. 

Says Mr. Thornton, in speaking of the place where these pro- 
ceedings were taken: — 

It may not be quite uninteresting to say that the State House in which all this 
was done was in several respects different from that in which laws are made at 
Washington City. The Oregon State House was built with posts set upright, one 
end set in the ground, grooved on two sides, and filled in with poles and split tim- 
ber, such as would be suitable for fence rails, with plates and poles across the top. 
Rafters and horizontal poles, instead of iron ribs, held the cedar bark which was 
used instead of thick copper for roofing. It was twenty by forty feet, and did not 
therefore cover three acres and a half. At one end some puncheons were put up for 
a platform for the President ; some poles and slabs were placed around for seats ; 
three planks about one foot wide and twelve feet long, placed upon a sort of stake 
platform for a table, were all that was believed to be necessary for the use of the 
Legislative Committee and the clerks. It is due to the people who met to approve 
or disapprove of the acts of that committee, to say that perfect order and decorum 
characterized all the proceedings of July oth, 1843. 

The following officers, chosen at the meeting on the second of 
May, were continued in office until the election of their successors 
on the second Tuesday in May, 1844, at which time, also, a Legis- 
lative Committee of nine was to be chosen: A. E. Wilson, Supreme 
Judge; G. W. LeBreton, Clerk and Recorder; J. L. Meek, Sheriff; 

W. H. Willson, Treasurer; A. B. Smith, Compo, L. H. Jud- 

son and Hugh Burns, Magistrates; Squire Ebbetts, F. X. Matthieu 
and Reuben Lewis, Constables; John Howard, Major; S. Smith, 
C. McRoy and William McCarty, Captains. 

Having thus related the steps taken for the organization of a 
government, it is in order to consider the great immigration of 
1843, which arrived a few weeks later, and created such a pre- 
ponderance of American sentiment that the stability of the Pro- 
visional Government was assured. There were, however, a few in- 
cidents which occurred prior to that great era in Oregon history, 
whose effect upon the subsequent events was extremely marked, and 
thus renders them of comparative importance. These relate to in- 



258 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

cidents growing out of the intense competition of the opposing mis- 
sionaries for spiritual control of the natives. In 1841 the Catholics 
made proselytes of the Cascades Indians, who had formerly been 
under the influence of the Methodist Mission at The Dalles, com- 
pletely winning them away from Mr. Waller. This greatly in- 
tensified the existing bitterness between the religious factions. The 
Catholics were rapidly growing in power and influence, the Method- 
ists were as rapidly declining, and the missions of the American 
Board were making but feeble progress. Aside from the ascen- 
dency gradually being acquired by the Catholics, there was one 
peculiar reason why the Protestant missionaries lost favor with the 
Indians; and this was their affiliation with the American settlers, 
who were regarded by the natives as intruders. They did not want 
white people to settle here and take possession of the land over which 
they and their fathers had ruled for years. This feeling led the 
Nez Perce chief Ellis, in 1840, to forbid A. B. Smith to cultivate a 
patch of ground on the Alpowa. The Hudson's Bay Company en- 
couraged the idea among the Indians that the missions were but 
stepping-stones to American occupation, and this idea was supported 
by the conduct of those in charge , of the Methodist mission in the 
Willamette, which had become the general headquarters for Amer- 
ican settlers, as well as the energetic and prominent part taken by 
Dr. Whitman in bringing immigrants into Oregon. The fur com- 
pany had been here for years, and had not only not taken their 
lands, but had supplied them with a market for their furs and 
horses; yet the Americans, who were but newcomers, were already 
taking away their lands, and more arrived yearly. The outgrowth 
of this was a feeling of bitterness against the Americans and the 
Protestant missionaries, in which neither the Hudson's Bay Com- 
pany nor the Catholics were included; and this feeling intensified 
from year to year. It was manifested in 1841 by insulting and 
threatening conduct towards the missionaries both at Waiilatpu and 
Lapwai, and in 1842 this became so threatening that an effort was 
made to check it. Dr. Elijah White, whose arrival that fall with 
authority as an Indian Agent has been noted, paid a visit to the 
Nez Perces in November, accompanied by Thomas McKay and Mr. 
Archibald McKinlay, agent at Fort Walla Walla. A treaty was 
concluded, and the tribe adopted a system of laws, in which the 






AMERICANS ORGANIZE A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. 259 

general principles of right and justice were embodied in a form suit- 
able to their customs and condition. The same laws were adopted 
by the Wascopums, at The Dalles, but nothing was accomplished 
with the Cayuses. The next year Baptiste Dorion, a half-breed in- 
terpreter for the Hudson's Bay Company, upon his own responsibil- 
ity, circulated the story that the Americans were coining up in the 
summer to take their lands. This created great excitement anions; the 
tribes along the base of the Blue Mountains, and the young braves 
wanted to go to the Willamette at once and exterminate the settlers. 
They were held in check by the older ones, while Peo-peo-mux- 
mux, the great Walla Walla chief, went to Vancouver to investi- 
gate. He was informed by Dr. McLoughlin that he did not believe 
the Americans entertained such an idea, and his report to the tribes 
allayed the excitement to a certain extent. Dr. White went up in 
April to hold a council with the Cayuses, and they adopted the 
Nez Perce laws, electing Five Crows, who lived on the Umatilla 
not far from the site of Pendleton, as head chief. The result of 
this was to restore the feeling of security for a time. Several French 
Canadians were to have accompanied Dr. White, but were advised 
to remain at home by Dr. McLoughlin. This action of the Chief 
Factor has been severely censured and has served as an argument 
to prove that the Hudson's Bay Company was stirring up the 
Indians to drive the Americans from the country. The Amer- 
ican settlers had but a few days before unanimously signed a 
memorial to Congress, in which Dr. McLoughlin was severely cen- 
sured. About this time, also, Father Deiners arrived from the in- 
terior and informed him that the Indians were only incensed against 
the Boston people, and had nothing against the French and King 
George people; but they were determined the Bostons should not 
have their lands and take away their liberties. Learning that his 
people were in no danger, and smarting under the undeserved 
charges in the memorial, it is not at all unnatural that he should 
say: " Let the Americans take care of themselves. 1 ' It was thus 
matters stood when the great immigration of 1843 arrived, demon- 
strating to the Indians that their fears were far from groundless. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

DR. WHITMAN AND THE EMIGRATION OF 1843. 

What Induced the m Emigration of 181^3 — Steps Taken to Organize the 
Movement — Dr. Whitmans Character — His anxiety to Americanize 
Oregon — The Ashhurton Treaty and the Cod Fishery — Whitman's 
Decision to Visit Washington — The Waiilaptu Meeting — The Un- 
fortunate Controversy over the Services of Dr. Whitman — Gray's 
Walla Walla Romance — Its Absurdity Pointed Out — The Facts — 
Whitman and Lovejoy's Journey — Extent of Whitman's Influence 
in Inducing Emigration — His Visit to Washington and Boston — 
Organization and Journey of the Emigrants — List of Emigrants 
and Population of Oregon in 18^3 — Fremont's Exploring Party. 

IN nearly all previous writings upon this subject the emigra- 
tion of 1843 has been considered from the wrong end — from 
the Oregon end — the destination of the emigrants, instead of the 
Mississippi Valley, their starting point. It should be viewed from 
the place where the movement had its inception, to obtain a correct 
and adequate understanding of the subject. The great emigra- 
tion to Oregon that year was the result of causes which had been 
at work for a number of years, and was not a hasty and ill-consid- 
ered action of people suddenly aroused by the voice of one man, as 
it has too often been represented. 

With the diplomatic negotiations which terminated in a treaty 
of joint occupation; with the efforts of Hall J. Kelley and others to 
induce emigration to Oregon, and with the struggle made by Bon- 
neville, Wyeth and others to enjoy practically the theoretical bene- 
fits of the compromise treaty, the previous pages have dealt at 
length. All these had a tendency to turn the attention of the peo- 
ple towards this far-off land, and especially of those hardy, self-re- 
liant and adventuresome men who were then building up those 



DR. WHITMAN AND THE EMIGRATION OF FORTY-THREE. 261 

powerful States which lie in the Valley of the Mississippi. They 
received better, more direct and more reliable information of the 
character and accessibility of Oregon than did the residents of the 
Atlantic slope, whose ideas of this region were largely formed from 
the depreciatory writings of English authors. As has before been 
said, Irving's "Astoria" and " Bonne v ill e, v Dr. Parkeifs book, the 
letter written in 1839 by Robert Shortess, Congressional reports 
and debates, and other brief publications had given those who 
cared to read them pretty correct ideas of Oregon. The trappers 
who had in person visited this region in some of their numerous 
journeys through the mountainous West, or had learned them from 
the lips of such of their companions as had done so, sang the 
praises of Oregon's mild climate and the beautiful Valley of the 
Willamette, along the whole frontier. Oregon became a familiar 
word in St. Louis and throughout the region bordering on the Mis- 
sissippi and tributary to that great center of the fur trade. The 
" Oregon Bills "' introduced into Congress in the fall of 1842 by 
Senator Linn, of Missouri, have been referred to, as well as their 
consignment to temporary oblivion by his death the following year. 
These attracted much attention along the frontier, and hundreds 
who had previously been deterred from following their inclination 
to emigrate to this land of dispute, becoming convinced that it was 
the intention of the Government to assert in earnest its claim to 
this region, and that the bill donating to each emigrant one section 
of land would be passed, resolved to make the hazardous journey. 
Said one of these, Gen. E. L. Applegate, in a recent speech: — 

This proposition deeply touched the heart of the western pioneer. He had 
probably crossed the Blue Ridge or the Cumberland Mountains when a boy, and 
was now in his prime. Rugged, hardy and powerful of frame, he was full to over- 
flowing with the love of adventure, and animated by a brave soul that scorned the 
very idea of fear. All had heard of the perpetually green hills and plains of West- 
ern Oregon, and how that the warm breath of the vast Pacific tempered the air to 
the genial degree and drove winter far back towards the north. Many of them 
contrasted in the imagination the open stretch of a mile square of rich, green and 
grassy land, where the strawberry plant bloomed through every winter month, 
with their circumscribed clearings in the Missouri Bottom. Of long winter evenings 
neighbors visited each other, and before the big shell-bark hickory fire, the seasoned 
walnut fire, the dry black jack fire, or the roaring dead elm fire, they talked these 
things over; and, as a natural consequence, under these favorable circumstances, 
the spirit of emigration warmed up ; and the "Oregon fever" became as a house- 
hold expression. Thus originated the vast cavalcade, or emigrant train, stretch- 
ing its serpentine length for miles, enveloped in the vast pillars of dust, patiently 



262 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

wending its toilsome way across the American Continent. How familiar these 
scenes and experiences with the old pioneers ! The vast plains ; the uncountable 
herds of buffalo ; the swift-footed antelope; the bands of mounted, painted warriors; 
the rugged snow-capped mountain ranges ; the deep, swift and dangerous rivers ; 
the lonesome howl of the wild wolf; the midnight yell of the assaulting savage; 
the awful panic and stampede; the solemn and silent funeral at the dead hour 
of night, and the lonely and hidden graves of departed friends— what memories 
are associated with the "plains across ! " 

The first united effort was a meeting held in Alton, 111., on the 
eighth of November, 1842, at which were passed resolutions urging 
the importance of a speedy occupation of Oregon. These resolu- 
tions were introduced by General Semple, a prominent citizen of 
that State who had taken great interest in this region, and were 
supported by him in an eloquent speech. Another meeting was 
held at Springfield, the State Capital, on the fifth of the following 
February, which was participated in by many distinguished men 
of Illinois, and similar resolutions were passed. One of those 
present was the gifted and eloquent Col. E. D. Baker, who after- 
wards became a United States Senator from Oregon, and, strange 
to say, he was one of two gentlemen who spoke in opposition to the 
resolutions. The following July, several weeks after the emigra- 
tion had taken up its toilsome march, " a Convention of Delegates 
from the States and Territories of the West and Southwest" as- 
sembled in Cincinnati, and passed resolutions urging Congress to 
assei't the claim of the ' United States as far north as " fifty-four - 
forty "" immediately. How this became a political question the fol- 
lowing year, will be made clear in the next chapter. 

In these various ways quite an interest was stirred up in the 
Mississippi States, during the winter, and it became generally un- 
derstood, and was so announced by the few papers printed along 
the border, that a large emigration would start for Oregon the fol- 
lowing spring, rendezvousing at Independence, Missouri. 

It is now that Dr. Whitman appears upon the scene, and to ex- 
plain his sudden entre it is necessary to relate incidents occurring in 
Oregon the summer and fall previous. Although, for geographical 
reasons, he did not participate in the various efforts of the settlers 
in the Willamette Valley to form a Provisional Government, his 
heart was in the movement. He was the most keenly alive to the 
necessities of the hour, and more watchful of the true interests of 
the Americans than even the most prominent actors in the govern- 



DR. WHITMAN AND THE EMIGRATION OF FORTY-THREE. 263 

mental agitation. He was a true American, jealous of his country's 
honor and zealous to promote her interests. His faith in the future 
— the American future — of Oregon was unbounded, and his mind 
penetrated the misty veil with prophetic power. As early as 
1838 an incident occurred which revealed his abiding faith in the 
destiny of Oregon. Dr. William C. McKay relates an anecdote 
which is of importance to show Whitman's ideas on this subject at 
that early day. His father, Thomas McKay, decided to send him 
to Scotland to be educated, and with this end in view they started 
up the Columbia. Whitman and McKay being w r arm friends, they 
decided to spend a few days at Waiilatpu, where they were to 
separate, William to accompany the annual Montreal express by 
the Manitoba route, and his father to proceed to Fort Hall, where 
he was the company's agent. Dr. Whitman urged McKay to send 
his son to the United States to be educated. "Make an American 
of him," said he, "for this country will surely belong to the Ameri- 
cans." McKay was convinced, and William's route was changed 
from Manitoba to the Fcrt Hall trail. He went to Fairfield, N. 
Y., and entered the same school at which Dr. Whitman was edu- 
cated, returning to Oregon a few years later as a medical practi- 
tioner. Several other incidents, the details of which it is needless 
to relate, confirm the statement that the Doctor was a true, zealous, 
watchful and energetic guardian of American interests in Oregon. 
When Governor Simpson visited this region in the fall of 1841, 
followed a few days later by the immigrants from Red River, whose 
arrival has been previously noted, Dr. Whitman, with his acute per- 
ceptive qualities, in a measure defined the intentions of the company. 
He realized with the convincing force of a revelation, that nothing 
but a great and unexpected influx of American immigrants could 
thwart the deep-laid plans of the great corporation. He became 
restless and anxious. It seemed to him that it was necessary for 
some one to return to the States and arouse the people and the 
Government to the exigencies of the hour. Procrastination was 
dangerous and supine inaction was fatal; yet his missionary work 
was a charge upon his mind which could not be lightly shaken off. 
When the immigration of 1842 arrived, as has been related, many 
of them camped for a time in the vicinity of the mission. Among 
these was A. Lawrence Lovejoy, with whom Whitman frequently 



264 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

and earnestly conversed on the subject of Oregon and events and 
opinions in the East affecting it. He learned that Lord Ashburton, 
an embassador of Great Britain, was even then in Washington ne- 
gotiating for a settlement of the boundary line between Canada and 
the United States; and naturally supposing that in this the Oregon 
Question was involved, he became convinced that it was his duty to 
proceed to Washington with all dispatch possible, and enlighten the 
Government upon the subject, knowing full well that the value of 
this magnificent region was not in the least realized by the author- 
ities or the people generally. It has been frequently stated that the 
Government was considering a proposition made by Lord Ashbur- 
ton to abandon all claim to Oregon, in consideration of certain fish- 
ing privileges on the Atlantic coast of British America, and that this 
intelligence was conveyed to Whitman by Love joy. How this took 
its rise it is impossible to ascertain, as all efforts to trace it to a source 
have been futile. Lovejoy does not say so in his account of these 
events; no one has testified that Whitman ever made such an asser- 
tion, and it seems utterly without foundation. The records of the 
State Department do not disclose any such negotiations; they were 
publically and emphatically denied by Daniel Webster, through 
whom, as Secretary of State, the negotiations were conducted, and, 
finally, the Oregon Question was not included in the negotiations 
at all, which had sole reference to the unsettled boundary line 
further east. To be sure it is now claimed — and it was not so at 
first — that this portion of the negotiations was secret and confiden- 
tial; but if such was the case it becomes still more incumbent upon 
those who make the assertion to produce some kind of evidence 
which will weigh against the positive denial of one of the principal 
actors. No such evidence has ever been produced, and it rests solely 
upon unsupported assertion. It is evident that the cod fishery 
episode, with all the changes that have been rung upon it by dra- 
matically disposed writers and enthusiastic speakers, is utterly with- 
out foundation. 

As it was, however, Whitman decided that his duty to his 
country was paramount to his duty to the American Board, and he 
determined to return East. About this time, probably at the hands 
of the emigrants, Whitman received notice from the Board that it 
had decided to discontinue the missions, which were very expensive 



DR. WHITMAN AND THE EMIGRATION OF FORTY-THREE. 265 

and were making unsatisfactory progress, and though this, proba- 
bly, had something to do with his determination to go East, his 
conduct while there shows this consideration to have been a second- 
ary one. He summoned his associates from the Lapwai and Tshiin- 
akain missions, to consult in regard to the matter. Spalding, Gray, 
Eells and Walker promptly responded to the call, and when the 
Doctor laid before them the plan he had formed, they opposed it 
unanimously. To their objection that politics should not be per- 
mitted to interfere with missionary work, he replied that his first 
duty was to his country, and if necessary to choose between the two 
he would resign his mission. Knowing his inflexible character and 
deep convictions of duty, they dared no longer oppose him for fear 
of losing the master spirit of then mission. Says Mr. Eells: "We 
yielded only when it became evident that he would go, even if he 
had to become disconnected with the mission in order to do so." 
Whitman was accordingly officially delegated to proceed to Boston 
to transact business pertaining to the missions, and the various mis- 
sionaries departed to their several stations to prepare reports and 
letters for him to take, the date of his departure being fixed at the 
fifth of October. This was done in order to conceal the real object 
of such an unprecedented undertaking — a winter journey across the 
mountains. An official record of this meeting was kept, upon the 
face of which appeared only the proceedings which had reference to 
missionary work. This was destroyed at the time of the Whitman 
Massacre, but its loss is immaterial, except that it would determine 
the date of the meeting. As to the nature of the proceedings, there 
is sufficient reliable oral testimony to settle that beyond dispute. 
Mr. Eells, whose word no one who knew him would ever question, 
says the meeting was held in September. He adds: "After an 
extended discussion, it was voted unanimouslv that Dr. Whitman 
have the approval of the mission to attempt to make the journey as 
hereinbefore indicated. The controlling object was to make a des- 
perate attempt to save the country to the United States. It was 
also expected that the opportunity would be improved for the 
transaction of business relating to the mission. The fifth of the 
the following October was set as the day on which Dr. Whitman 
would start. Letters were to be prepared and forwarded accord- 



266 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

ingly. Probably events transpiring in the intervening time hastened 
his departure, so that he left on the third of October." 

This feature of Oregon history has been the subject of much lit- 
erary controversy. No one can have read the preceding pages with- 
out having become convinced of the sterling integrity, firmness of 
purpose and energy of action of Dr. Whitman. His character and 
services to the American cause entitle him to the first place among 
those whose memory the citizens of Oregon should ever revere, and 
whom all true Americans should honor; yet zealous friends have in 
their eagerness to place laurels on his brow, claimed for him more 
than he ever would have sanctioned or permitted had he not fallen 
before the treacherous blows of ungrateful savages. In their zeal 
they have allowed their imaginations to take too lofty flights and 
have wandered too far into the realms of romance. That most of 
these have been absolutely sincere, their sympathies, perhaps, being 
somewhat too deeply stirred by denominational influences, is beyond 
question; yet so much can not be said of the author of the ques- 
tionable story upon which has been laid the foundation of their 
claims, who, apparently, was actuated by the desire to shine in 
the reflected light which would naturally fall upon him as an asso- 
ciate with the martyred missionary in his early labors among the 
Indians. In this he overshot the mark, and drew down upon him- 
self the vigorous criticism of those who, wishing not to in the least 
detract from the just merits of Dr. Whitman, earnestly desired that 
the actual facts only should find a place in recorded history. It is 
to be regretted that certain writers have been led by their disbelief 
in this romance to take the negative throughout, and not only deny 
Dr. Whitman any honor whatever, but even accuse him of deceit- 
ful, treacherous and selfish conduct. Such writers are open to the 
same charge of prejudice and unfairness which they lay at the door 
of the author of this unfortunate controversy. Well might Dr. 
Whitman exclaim — with others whose reputation has been jeopard- 
ized by mistaken zeal — "Save me from my friends!" The contro- 
versy has not been without its benefits. It has settled beyond dispute 
in the minds of those who have given the subject a just and careful 
consideration, the permanent and exalted position Dr. Whitman 
must ever occupy in the annals of Oregon. To establish this the 
romance was unnecessary, yet as it has been widely circulated, and 



DR. WHITMAN AND THE EMIGRATION OF FORTY-THREE. 267 

finds a place in a number of historical sketches and ostensible 
histories of Oregon, it becomes necessary to relate it, together 
with the few simple, undeniable facts which refute it. This ro- 
mance was not the production of Mr. Eells. That gentleman 
never unchained his fancy when relating facts. He would not un- 
dertake the hazardous feat of reproducing the exact language used 
by several people in a conversation occurring thirty years before, 
at which he was not present, and with the bare substance of which 
he could alone be acquainted. That such was attempted indicates 
how little the necessity of adhering to the exact facts weighed upon 
the mind of the author of the romance. It was first given to the 
world in Gray's " History of Oregon," published a number of years 
ago by William H. Gray, whose intense Americanism and bitter 
antagonism to the Hudson's Bay Company led him to take the 
prominent and leading part we have just seen he acted in the or- 
ganization of the Provisional Government, and which, becoming in- 
tensified and more firmly settled as the years rolled by, rendered 
him incompetent to form an unprejudiced opinion or do justice 
to those to whom he was instinctively opposed. The work referred 
to contains the following paragraph: — 

In September, 1842, Dr. Whitman was called to visit a patient at old Fort Walla 
Walla. While there a number of boats of the Hudson's Bay Company, with sev- 
eral chief traders and Jesuit priests, on their way to the interior of the country, 
arrived. While at dinner, the overland express from Canada arrived, bringing news 
that the emigration from the Red River settlement was at Colville. This news 
excited universal joy among the guests. One of them, a young priest, sang out: 
"Hurrah for Oregon, America is too late; we have got the country !" "Now the 
Americans may whistle; the country is ours!" said another. Whitman learned 
that the company had arranged for these Red River English settlers to £onie on to 
settle in Oregon, and at the same time Governor Simpson was to go to Washington 
and secure the settlement of the question as to the boundaries, on the ground of the 
most numerous and permanent settlement in the country. The Doctor was taunted 
with the idea that no power could prevent this result, as no information could 
reach Washington in time to prevent it. " It shall be prevented, 11 said the Doctor, 
"if I have to go to Washington myself." " But you can not go there to do it," was 
the taunting reply of the Briton. ''I will see, 11 was the Doctor's reply. The reader 
is sufficiently acquainted with the history of this man's toil and labor in bringing 
his first wagon through to Fort Boise, to understand what he meant when he said, 
"I will see. 11 Two hours after this conversation at, the fort, he dismounted from his 
horse at Lis door at Waiilatpu. I saw in a moment that he was fixed on some im- 
portant object or errand. He soon explained that a special effort must be made to 
save the country from becoming British territory. Everything was in the best of 
order about the station, and there seemed to be no important reason why he should 
not go. A. L. Lovejoy, Esq., had a few days before arrived with the immigration. 



268 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

It was proposed that he should accompany the Doctor, which he consented to do, 
and in twenty-four hours' time they were well mounted and on their way to the 
States. 

Though its melodramatic style at once stamps it as a piece of 
fiction, it is as well to point out the certain evidences of its inac- 
curacy. First — The Red 'River emigration came in the year be- 
fore, as has already been related, and there were no emigrants from 
that region in 1842. Second — Archibald McKinlay, the gentleman 
in charge of Fort Walla Walla and a warm personal friend of Dr. 
Whitman, not only indignantly denies the imputation that he would 
permit him to be thus insulted while his guest, but states that there 
was no one at the fort at the time of the visit referred to except the 
half dozen regular attaches, and that the Montreal express did not 
arrive until two weeks after Whitman's departure for the East, 
during which time Mrs. Whitman was a guest at the fort, proceed- 
ing to Vancouver under the protection of the express brigade. 
Third — Whitman's resolution to go East, as has been amply shown 
above, was not a suddenly conceived one, as Gray asserts, but was 
the result of long consideration and deliberate decision, the exact 
day having been fixed for his departure prior to this visit to Walla 
Walla, as Gray must have known, since he had participated in the 
meeting at Waiilaptu. No news had come overland from the East 
except such as the American emigrants had brought, and of this 
Whitman was thoroughly informed before he went to Walla Walla. 
To meet this objection the adherents to Gray's version have of late 
dropped the Canada express, and put the intelligence which created 
such a scene of joy in the mouths of the brigade referred to as going 
up the river; but they omit to state from what source this party 
derived its gratifying information. Some of them are also equally 
as reckless as the author of the fiction in the line of attempting to 
relate the exact language employed by Whitman and the enthusi- 
siastic Briton. It is needless to remark that they all succeed in 
placing different words in the mouths of the principal actors in the 
scene portrayed. Let us return to the domain of facts. Whitman 
did pay a visit to Fort Walla Walla, his object in doing so being 
variously stated by persons then at Waiilatpu. Some say that he 
went as a physician to render professional service to a sick person; 
but Dr. Geiger, who, at the request of Whitman, had consented to 



DR. WHITMAN AND THE EMIGRATION OF FORTY-THREE. 269 

remain in charge of the mission during the Doctor's absence in the 
East, states that it was to interview his friend McKinlay in regard 
to the situation. Nothing remarkable occurred, but the visit whet- 
ted Whitman's anxiety to depart, and as the papers from Lapwai 
and Tshimikain had been received, he decided to start at once and 
not wait until the day previously decided upon, thus saving two 
days at the beginning of his journey. On the third of October, 
1842, Whitman and Lovejoy turned their backs upon Oregon and 
entered boldly upon a journey they knew would be attended with 
hardships and suffering such as they had never before experienced. 
The only records of this memorable journey are a letter by Mr. Love- 
joy detailing the incidents of the trip across the mountains, and de- 
tached and fragmentary statements by several gentlemen who claim 
to have conversed with Whitman on the subject, by emigrants who 
saw him in the train in 1843, and by several parties who saw him 
in the East, at St. Louis, Washington and Boston. From the noble 
martyr himself there comes no word, save a letter written while at 
St. Louis the following spring, which incontestably establishes the 
fact that he was doing his utmost to promote a large emigration 
and to be of personal assistance to the emigrants. From these are 
gleaned the following facts, ones which no reasonable person will 
dispute. Of that memorable journey Lovejoy's letter says: — 

We left Waiilatpu October 3, 1842, traveled rapidly, reached Fort Hall in eleven 
days, remained two days to recruit and make a few purchases. The Doctor engaged 
a guide and we left for Fort Wintee. We changed from a direct route to one more 
southern, through the Spanish country via Salt Lake, Taos and Santa Fe. On our 
way from Fort Hall to Fort Wintee we had terribly severe weather. The snows 
retarded our progress and blinded the trail so we lost much time. After arriving at 
Fort Wintee and making some purchases for our trip, we took a new guide and 
started for Fort Uncumpagra, situated on the waters of Grand River, in the Spanish 
country. Here our stay was very short. We took a new guide and started for Taos. 
After being out some four or five days we encountered a terrific snow storm, which 
forced us to take shelter in a deep ravine, where we remained snowed in for four 
days, at which time the storm had somewhat abated, and we attempted to make 
our way out upon high lands, but the snow was so deep and the winds so piercing 
and cold we were compelled to return to camp and wait a few days for a change of 
weather. Our next effort to reach the high lands was more successful ; but after 
spending several days wandering around in the snow without making much head- 
way, our guide told us that the deep snow had so changed the face of the country 
that he was completely lost and could take us no further. This was a terrible blow 
to the Doctor, but he was determined not to give it up without another effort. We 
at once agreed that the Doctor should take the guide and return to Fort Uncumpagra 
and get a new guide, and I remain in camp with the animals until he could return ; 
which he did in seven days with our new guide, and we were now on our route 



270 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

again. Nothing of much import occurred but hard and slow traveling through 
deep snow until we reached Grand River, which was frozen on either side about 
one-third across. Although so intensely cold, the current was so very rapid about 
one-third of the river in the center was not frozen. Our guide thought it would be 
dangorous to attempt to cross the river in its present condition, but the Doctor, 
nothing daunted, was the first to take the water. He mounted his horse; the guide 
and myself shoved the Doctor and his horse off the ice into the foaming stream. 
Away he went, completely under water, horse and all, but directly came up, and 
after buffeting the rapid, foaming current, he reached the ice on the opposite shore, 
a long way down the stream. He leaped from his horse upon the ice and soon had 
his noble animal by his side. The guide and myself forced in the pack animals 
and followed the Doctor's example, and were soon on the opposite shore drying 
our frozen clothes by a comfortable fire. We reached Taos in about thirty days, 
suffering greatly from cold and scarcity of provisions. We were compelled to use mule 
meat, dogs, and such other animals as came in our reach. We remained at Taos a few 
days only, and started for Bent's and Savery's Fort, on the head waters of the 
Arkansas River. When we had been out some fifteen or twenty days, we met 
George Bent, a brother of Governor Bent, on his way to Taos. He told us that a 
party of mountain men would leave Bent's Fort in a few days for St. Louis, but 
said we would not reach the fort with our pack animals in time to join the party. 
The Doctor being very anxious to join the party so he could push on as rapidly as 
possible to Washington, concluded to leave myself and the guide with the animals, 
and he himself takjpg the best animal with some bedding and a small allowance 
of provisions, started alone, hoping by rapid traveling to reach the fort in time to 
join the St. Louis party, but to do so he would have to travel on the Sabbath, some- 
thing he had not done before. Myself and the guide traveled on slowly, and reached 
the fort in four days, but imagine our astonishment when on making inquiry about 
the Doctor we were told that he had not arrived nor had he been heard of. I 
learned that the party for St. Louis was camped at the Big Cottonwood, forty miles 
from the fort, and at my request Mr. Savery sent an express, telling the party not 
to proceed any further until we learned something of Dr. Whitman's whereabouts, 
as he wished to accompany them to St. Louis. Being furnished by the gentlemen 
of the fort with a suitable guide, I started in search of the Doctor, and traveled 
up the river about one hundred miles. I learned from the Indians that a man had 
been there who was lost and was trying to find Bent's Fort. They said they had 
directed him to go down the river and how to find the fort. I knew fronl their 
description it was the Doctor. I returned to the fort as rapidly as possible, but the 
Doctor had not arrived. We had all become very anxious about him. Late in the 
afternoon he came in very much fatigued and desponding; said that he knew that 
God had bewildered him to punish him for traveling on the Sabbath. During the 
whole trip he was very regular in his morning and evening devotions, and that 
was the only time I ever knew him to travel on the Sabbath. 

Whitman at once pushed on with the mountaineers, leaving 
Lovejoy at Bent's Fort, and reached St. Louis in February. There 
he inquired eagerly about the status of negotiations on the Oregon 
Question, and learned that the Ash burton- Webster treaty had been 
signed on the ninth of the preceding August, been ratified by the 
Senate, and had been proclaimed by the President on the tenth of 
November. He was too late by more than three months to have 
prevented the treaty; but his journey was not in vain, for the 



DR. WHITMAN AND THE EMIGRATION OF FORTY-THREE. 27l 

Oregon boundary had not been included in the treaty, had not even 
been discussed, in fact, as appears from Mr. Webster's speeches and 
correspondence. This intelligence brought relief to the Doctor's 
overwrought feelings. There was still an opportunity for him to 
accomplish his purpose He found great preparations being made all 
along the frontier to emigrate to the Willamette Valley, as has been 
previously shown, notwithstanding the prevailing opinion that 
wagons could not proceed beyond Fort Hall. He immediately 
wrote a small pamphlet describing Oregon and the nature of the 
route thither, urging the people to emigrate and assuring them that 
wagons could o-o through, and that he would ioin them and be their 
pilot. This pamphlet and his earnest personal appeals were effica- 
cious in adding somewhat to the number of emigrants, though it is 
a fact that probably the greater portion of those who started from 
the border of Missouri in May never heard of Dr. Whitman until 
he joined them on the route. That Whitman's efforts added some- 
what to the number of emigrants is true, but that he initiated the 
movement, or even contributed largely to it, does not appear. He 
was too late for that ; the movement w r as well under way before his 
arrival. 

After writing, his pamphlet his next anxiety was to reach Wash- 
ington before Congress adjourned, so that he might have an oppor- 
tunity to meet Congressmen and urge upon them the claims of 
Oregon. He did not undertake to change his apparel, which is 
thus described by Dr. William Barrows, who met him in St. Louis: 
" The Doctor was in coarse fur garments and vesting, and buckskin 
breeches. He wore a buffalo coat, with a head-hood for emergen- 
cies in taking a storm or a bivouac nap. What with heavy fur 
leggins and boot moccasins, his legs filled up well his Mexican stir- 
rups. With all this warmth and almost burden of skin and fur 
clothing, he bore the marks of the irresistible cold and merciless 
storms of his journey. His fingers, ears, nose and feet had been 
frost-bitten, and were giving him much trouble." 

Such was Whitman in St. Louis, and such was he on the third 
of March when he appeared in Washington, having previously 
visited Ithica, New York, to obtain the co-operation of Dr. Samuel 
Parker, his first missionary associate, and still later in Boston, where 
he treated the rebukes of the officials of the American Board with 



272 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

a quiet contempt that astonished them. He found the ideas of 
Oregon prevailing at Washington to be far different from those ex- 
isting on the frontier. Public men possessed but a faint idea of the 
extent and nature of the vast area beyond the Rocky Mountains, 
deeming it a region of sterile soil and inhospitable climate. Since 
Lewis and Clarke had subsisted upon dog meat, and Hunt's party 
had endured such terrible privations in passing through it, the 
country lying between the Cascades and Rocky Mountains had been 
known as the " Great American Desert," and deemed fit only for 
the abode of migratory trappers and famine -afflicted savages. A 
year later, during a discussion of the Oregon Question in Congress, 
a speaker advanced this idea in the following language: "With 
the exception of the land along the Willamette and along a few of 
the water courses, the whole country is among the most irreclaima- 
ble, barren wastes of which we have read, except the desert of Sa- 
hara. Nor is this the worst of it — the climate is so unfriendly to 
human life that the native population has dwindled away under 
the ravages of its malaria to a degree which defies all history to 
furnish a parallel in so wide a range of country." To demonstrate 
the error of this idea, and that Oregon could be populated by emi- 
gration from the East, was Whitman's task. He had numerous in- 
terviews with public men, including President Tyler and Secretary 
Webster, in which he urged upon them the importance of securing 
as much of that indefinite region known as " Oregon " as possible, 
declaring that, so far was it from being a sterile waste, its agricul- 
tural and timber resources were unbounded. He called their atten- 
tion to the large emigration already preparing, and confidently de- 
clared that he was able to, and would, guide them through by a 
route over which wagons could travel to the Willamette. His 
earnest protestations made a deep impression upon many, especially 
President Tyler, and he was assured that if he could thus demon- 
strate the practicability of colonizing Oregon by emigration across 
the Rocky Mountains, it would have a powerful effect upon the 
solution of the vexed Oregon Question. The same writers, whose 
tendency toward romancing has been pointed out above, have 
allowed their imaginations too much liberty in their relation of the 
incidents connected with Whitman's visit to Washington. Nothing 
more is known of what occurred there than the crude facts just re- 



DR. WHITMAN AND THE EMIGRATION OF FORTY- THREE. 273 

lated ; and yet these writers undertake to state the exact language 
employed by Dr. Whitman, President Tyler, Secretary Webster, 
and others. Those words were never recorded, nor do these writers 
lay claim to direct information from the men who uttered them, and 
common regard for the purity of historical statements should cause 
them to refrain from any such clairvoyant efforts. 

When Whitman had accomplished the main object of his journey 
at Washington, he proceeded to Boston to attend to the official 
business which had been the ostensible cause of his visit. This was 
so unimportant that the officers of the Board rebuked him for leav- 
ing his mission upon such a trivial pretext; but he shamed them 
into silence by treating their officious chidings with lofty contempt. 
He then proceeded to his home, and, after spending a few days 
there, hastened to the frontier to join the emigrants, some of whom 
had already started and whom he did not overtake until they had 
reached the Platte, his appearance among them at that time being 
the first knowledge a majority of them had that such a man as Dr. 
Whitman was in existence. The circumstances attending the final 
starting of the emigrants, are thus related by Gen. J. W. Nesmith: — 

Without orders from any quarter, and without preconcert, promptly as the grass 
began to start, the emigrants began to assemble near Independence, at a place 
called Fitzhugh's Mill. On the seventeenth day of May, 1843. notices were circulated 
through the different encampments that on the succeeding day, those who contem- 
plated emigrating to Oregon, would meet at a designated point to organize. 
Promptly at the appointed hour the motley groups assembled. They consisted of peo- 
ple from all the States and Territories, and nearly all nationalities ; the most, how- 
ever, from Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri and Iowa, and all strangers to one another, 
but impressed with some crude idea that there existed an imperative necessity for 
some kind of an organization for mutual protection against the hostile Indians 
inhabiting the great unknown wilderness stretching away to the shores of the 
Pacific, and which they were about to traverse with their wives and children, 
household goods, and all their earthly possessions. 

Many of the emigrants were from the western tier of counties of Missouri, 
known as the Platte Purchase, and among them was Peter H. Burnett, a former 
merchant, who had abandoned the yard-stick and become a lawyer of some celeb- 
rity for his ability as a smooth-tongued advocate. He subsequently emigrated to 
California, and was elected the first Governor of the Golden State, was afterward 
Chief Justice, and still an honored resident of that State. Mr. Burnett, or as he 
was familiarly designated, "Pete," was called upon for a speech. Mounting a log, 
the glib-tongued orator delivered a glowing, florid address. He commenced by 
showing his audience that the then western tier of States and Territories was over- 
crowded with a redundant population, who had not sufficient elbow room for the 
expansion of their enterprise and genius, and it was a duty they owed to them- 
selves and posterity to strike out in search of a more expanded field and more 
genial climate, where the soil yielded the richest return for the slightest amount of 



274 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

cultivation, where the trees were loaded with perennial fruit, and where a good sub- 
stitute for bread, called La Camash, grew in the ground, salmon and other fish 
crowded the streams, and where the principal labor of the settler would be confined 
to keeping their gardens free from the inroads of buffalo, elk, deer and wild turkeys. 
He appealed to our patriotism by picturing forth the glorious empire we would 
establish on the shores of the Pacific. How, with our trusty rifles, we would drive 
out the British usurpers who claimed the soil, and defend the country from the 
avarice and pretensions of the British lion, and how posterity would honor us for 
placing the fairest portion of our land under the dominion of the stars and stripes. 
He concluded with a slight allusion to the trials and hardships incident to the trip, 
and dangers to be encountered from hostile Indians on the route, and those inhabit- 
ing the country whither we were bound. He furthermore intimated a desire to 
look upon the tribe of noble "red men" that the valiant and well-armed crowd 
around him could not vanquish in a single encounter. 

Other speeches were made, full of glowing descriptions of the fair land of prom- 
ise, the far-away Oregon, which no one in the assemblage had ever seen, and of 
which not more than half a dozen had ever read any account. After the election of 
Mr. Burnett as captain, and other necessary officers, the meeting, as motley and 
primitive a one as ever assembled, adjourned, with "three cheers" for Captain 
Burnett and Oregon. On the 20th day of May, 1843, after a pretty thorough mili- 
tary organization, we took up our line of march, with Captain John Gantt, an old 
army officer, who combined the character of trapper and mountaineer, as our guide. 
Gantt had in his wanderings been as far as Green River, and assured us of the 
practicability of a wagon road thus far. Green River, the extent of our guide's 
knowledge in that direction, was not half-way to the Willamette Valley, the then 
only inhabited portion of Oregon. Beyond that we had not the slightest conject- 
ure of the condition of the country. We went forth trusting to the future, and 
would doubtless have encountered more difficulties than we experienced had not 
Dr. Whitman overtaken us before we reached the terminus of our guide's knowl- 
edge. He was familiar with the whole route and was confident that wagons could 
pass through the canyons and gorges of Snake River and over the Blue Mountains, 
which the mountaineers in the vicinity of Fort Hall declared to be a physical 
impossibility. 

Captain Grant, then in charge of the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Hall, 
endeavored to dissuade us from proceeding further with our wagons, and showed 
us the wagons that the emigrants of the preceding year had abandoned, as an evi- 
dence of the impracticability of our determination. Dr. Whitman was persistent 
in his assertions that wagons could proceed as far as the Grand Dalles of the Colum- 
bia River, from which point he asserted they could be taken down by rafts or 
batteaux to the Willamette Valley, while our stock could be driven by an Indian 
trail over the Cascade Mountains, near Mount Hood. Happily Whitman's ad- 
vice prevailed, and a large number of the wagons with a portion of the stock, 
did reach Walla Walla and The Dalles, from which points they were taken to the 
Willamette the following year. Had we followed Grant's advice and abandoned 
the cattle and wagons at Fort Hall, much suffering must have ensued, as a sufficient 
number of horses to carry the women and children of the party could not have 
been obtained, besides wagons and cattle were indispensable to men expecting to 
live by farming in a country destitute of such articles. 

At Fort Hall we fell in with some Cayuse and Nez Perce Indians returning 
from the buffalo country, and as it was necessary for Dr. Whitman to precede us to 
Walla Walla, he recommended to us a guide in the person of an old Cayuse Indian 
called " Sticcus." He was a faithful old fellow, perfectly familiar with all the trails 
and topography of the country from Fort Hall to The Dalles, and although not 



DR. WHITMAN AND THE EMIGKATION OF FORTY -THREE. 275 



speaking a word of English, and no one in our party a word of Cayuse, he suc- 
ceeded by pantomime in taking us over the roughest wagon route I ever saw. 

This is a glowing tribute to the energy, determination and patri- 
otic zeal of the one man to whom is due the honor of clearly demon- 
strating to the world the often -denied fact that there was a practicable 
route into Oregon for the white -topped wagon of the emigrant. A 
score of other intelligent gentlemen have testified to the same effect, 
but it is obviously unnecessary to give more than a bare mention 
of the fact. 

The following list contains the names of every male member of 
that great train over the age of sixteen years. It was prepared by 
J. W. Nesmith when the train was organized, and was preserved 
among his papers for a third of a century before given for publica- 
tion. All reached the Willamette Valley, except a few, the excep- 
tions being designated by marks and foot notes: — 



Applegate, Jesse 
Applegate, Charles 
Applegate, Lindsay 
Athey, James 
Athey, William 
Atkinson, John* 
Arthur, Wm. 
Arthur, Robert 
Arthur, David 
Butler, Anion 
Brooke, George 
Burnett. Peter H. 
Bird, David 
Brown, Thomas A. 
Blevins, Alexander 
Brooks, John P. 
Brown, Martin 
Brawn. Oris 
Black, J. P. 
Bane, Lay ton 
Baker, Andrew 
Baker, John G. 
Beagle, William 
Boyd, Levy 
Baker, William 
Biddle, Nicholasj 
Beale, George 
Braidy, James 
Beadle, George 



Boardman, * 

Baldridge, Wm. 
Cason, F. C. 
Cason, James 
Chapman, Wm. 
Cox, John 
Champ, Jacob 
Cooper, L. C. 
Cone, James 
Childers, Moses 
Carey, Miles 
Cochran, Thomas 
Clymour, L. 
Copenhaver, John 
Caton, J. H. 
Chappel, Alfred 
Cronin, Daniel 
Cozine, Samuel 
Costable, Benedict 
Childs, Joseph* 
Clark, Ransom 
Campbell, John G. 

Chapman, 

Chase, James 
Dodd, Solomon 
Dement, Wm. C. 
Dougherty, W. P. 
Day, Williamf 
Duncan, James 



Dorin, Jacob 
Davis, Thomas 
Delany, Daniel 
Delany, Daniel, Jr. 
Delany, William 
Doke, W T illiarn 
Davis, J. H. 
Davis, Burrell 
Dailey, George 
Doherty, John 

Dawson, * 

Eaton, Charles 
Eaton, Nathan 
Etchell, James 
Emerick, Solomon 
Eaker, John W. 
Edson, E. G. 
Eyres, Milesf 
East, John W. 
Evermah, Niniwon 
Ford, Nineveh 
Ford, Ephriam 
Ford, Nimrod 
Ford, John 
Francis, Alexander} 
Frazier, Abner 
Frazier, Wm. 
Fowler, Wm. 
Fowler, Wm. J. 



Fowler, Henry 
Fairly, Stephen 
Fendall, Charles 
Gantt, John* 
Gray, Chiley B. 
Garrison, Enoch 
Garrison, J. W. 
Garrison, W. J. 
Gardner, Samuel 
Gardner, Wm. 
Gilmore, Mat, 
Goodman, Richard. 
Gilpin, Major J* 

Gray, i* 

Haggard, B. 
Hide, H. H. 
Holmes, Wm. 
Holmes, Riley A. 
Hobson, John 
Hobson, Wm. 
Hembree, Andrew 
Hembree, J. J. 
Hembree, James 
Hembree, A. J. 
Hall, Samuel B. 
Houk, James 
Hughes, Wm. P. 
Hendrick, Abijah 
Hays, James 



* Turned off at Fort Hall and went to California. 

t Died on the route. 

J Turned back at the Platte. 



276 



HISTOET OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 



Hensley, Thomas J. 
Holley, B. 
Hunt, Henry 
Holderness, S. M. 
Hutchins, Isaac 
Husted, A. 
Hess, Joseph 
Haun, Jacob 
Howell, John 
Howell, Wm. 
Howell, Wesley 
Howell, G. W. 
Howell, Thomas E. 
Hill, Henry 
Hill, William 
Hill, Almoran 
Hewett Henry 
Hargrove, Wm. 
Hoyt, A. 
Holman, John 
Holman, Daniel 
Harrigas, B. 
James, Calvin 
Jackson, John B. 
Jones, John 
Johnson, Overton 
Keyser, Thomas 
Keyser, J. B. 
Keyser, Plasant 

Kelley, 

Kelsey, 

Lovejoy, A. L. 
Lenox, Edward 
Lenox, E. 
Layson, Aaron 
Looney, Jesse 
Long, John E. 
Lee, H. A. G. 
Lugur, F.J 
Linebarger, Lew 
Linebarger, John 
Las well, Isaac 
Loughborough, J.J 
Little, Milton* 
Luther, 



*Lauderdale, John 

McGee, * 

Martin, Wm. J.* 
Martin, James 
Martin, Julius* 
McClelland, — * 
McClelland, F * 
Mills, John B. 
Mills, Isaac 
Mills, Wm. A. 
Mills, Owen 
McGarey, G. W. 
Mondon, Gilbert 
Matheny, Daniel 
Matheny, Adam 
Matheny, J. N. 
Matheny, Josiah 
Matheny, Henry 
Mastire, A. J. 
McHaley, John 
Myers, Jacob 
Manning, John 
Manning, James 
McCarver, M. M. 
McCorcle, George 
Mays, William 
Millican, Elijah 
McDaniel, William 
McKissic, D. 
Malone, Madison 
McClane, John B. 
Mauzee, William 
Mclntire, John* 
Moore, JacksonJ 
Matney, W. J. 
Nesmith, J. W. 
Newby, W. T. 
Newman, Noah 
Naylor, Thomas 
Osborn, Neil 
O'Brien, Hugh D. 
O'Brien, Humphrey 
Owen, Thomas A. 
Owen, Thomas 
Otie, E. W. 



Otie, M. B. 
O'Neil, Bennett 
dinger, A. 
Parker, Jesse 
Parker, William 
Pennington, J. B. 
Poe, R H. 
Paynter, Samuel 
Patterson, J. R. 
Pickett, Charles E. 
Prigg, Frederick 
Paine, Claybornf 
Reading, P. B.* 
Rodgers, S. P. 
Rodgers, G. W. 
Russell, William 
Roberts, James 
Rice, G. W. 
Richardson, John 



Stevenson, 

Story, James 
Swift, _ _ 
Shively, John M. 
Shirly, Samuel 
Stoughton, Alex. 
Spencer, Chancey 
Strait, Hiram 
Summers, George 
Stringer, Cornelius 
Stringer, C. W.f 
Tharp, Lindsey 
Thompson, John 
Trainor, D. 
Teller, Jeremiah 
Tar box, Stephen 
Umnicker, John 
Vance, Samuel 
Vaughn, William 



Richardson, Danielf Vernon, George 



Ruby, Philip 
Ricord, John 
Reid, Jacob 
Roe, John 
Roberts, Solomon 
Roberts, Emseley 
Rossin, Joseph 
Rivers, Thomas 
Smith, Thomas H. 
Smith, Thomas 
Smith, Isaac W. 
Smith, Anderson 
Smith, Ahi 
Smith, Robert 
Smith, Eli 
Sheldon, William 
Stewart, P. G. 



Wilmont, James 
Wilson, Wm. H. 
Wair, J. W. 
Winkle, Archibald 
Williams, Edward 
Wheeler, H. 
Wagoner, John 
Williams, Benjamin 
Williams, David 
Wilson, Wm. 
Williams, John* 
Williams, James* 
Williams, Squire* 
Williams, Isaac* 
Ward, T. B. 
White, James 
Watson, Jno. (Betty) 



Sutton, Dr. Nathan '1 Waters, James 



Stimmerman, C. 
Sharp, C. 
Summers, W. C. 
Sewell, Henry 
Stout, Henry 
Sterling, George 
Stout, 



Winter, Wm. 
Waldo, Daniel 
Waldo, David 
Waldo, William 
Zachary, Alexander 
Zachary, John 



There were in Oregon at the time the train arrived, the follow- 
ing individuals, a few names, possibly, having been omitted from 
the list: — 



* Turned off at Fort Hall and went to California. 

f Died on the route. 

i Turned back at the Platte. 



AMERICANS ORGANIZE A PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. 



277 



Armstrong, Pleasant 
Burns, Hugh 

Brown, 

Brown, William 

Brown, 

Black, J. M. 

Baldro, 

Balis, James 
Bailey, Dr. 

Brainard, 

Crawford, Medorem 
Carter, David 
Campbell, Samuel 
Campbell, Jack 
Craig, Wni. 
Cook, Amos 
Cook, Aaron 

Connor, 

Cannon, William 
Davy, Allen 
Doty, William 
Eakin, Richard 



Ebbetts, Squire 
Edwards, John 
Foster, Philip 
Force, John 
Force, James 
Fletcher, Francis 
Gay, George 
Gale Joseph 

Girtman, 

Hathaway, Felix 
Hatch, Peter H. 
Hubbard, Thomas J 
Hewitt, Adam 
Horegon, Jeremiah 
Holman, Joseph 
Hall, David 
Hoxhurst, Weberly 

Hutchinson, 

Johnson, William 

King, 

Kelsey, 

Lewis, Reuben 



LeBreton, G, W. 
Larrison, Jack 
Meek, Joseph L. 
Matthieu, F. X. 
McClure, John 
Moss, S. W. 
Moore, Robert 

McFadden, 

McCarty, William 
McKay, Charles 
McKay, Thomas 
McKay, William C 

Morrison, 

Mack, J. W. 

Newbanks, 

Newell, Robert 
O'Xeil, James A. 
Pettygrove, F. W. 
Pomeroy, Dwight 
Pomeroy, Walter 

Perry, 

Rimmick, 



Russell, Osborn 
Robb, J. R. 
Shortess, Robert 
Smith, Sidney 

Smith, 

Smith, Andrew 
Smith, Andrew, Jr. 
Smith, Darling 

Spence, 

Sailor, Jack 
Turnham, Joel 
Turner, John 
Taylor, Hiram 
Tibbetts, Calvin 

Trask, 

Walker, C. M. 
Warner, Jack 
Wilson, A. E. 
Winslow, David 
Wilkins, Caleb 
Wood, Henry 
Williams, B. 



In addition to the above were the following gentlemen con- 
nected with the various Protestant missions: — 



Abernethy, George 
Babcock, Dr. J. L. 
Beers, Alanson 
Brewer, 



Eells, C. 
Gray, W. H. 
Hines, Gustavus 
Judson, L. H. 



Leslie, David 
Parrish, J. L. 
Perkins, H. K. W. 
Raymond, H. W. 
Spalding, W. H. 



Waller, A. F. 
Walker, E. 
Whitman, Dr. M. 
White, Dr. Elijah 
W T illson, Wm. H. 



Campbell, Hamilton Lee, Jason 
Clark, Harvey 

In addition to these were some fifty former employees of the 
Hudson's Bay Company, nearly all of whom had settled on French 
Prairie, and a number of priests connected with the Catholic 
mission, making a total male population at the close of the year 
1843 of about four hundred and thirty, exclusive of the officers and 
actual servants of the Hudson's Bay Company. 

Following in the wake of the emigrants came the party of Lieu- 
tenant John C. Fremont, who had explored the Rocky Mountains 
the year before, and who had been this season dispatched by the 
Government upon an official tour of exploration to the Pacific. 
After spending a few days at Vancouver, he passed south, crossed 
the Cascades to Eastern Oregon, continued south into Nevada, and 
in January, 1844, crossed the snowy summit of the Sierra Nevadas 
to Sutter's Fort in Sacramento Valley. The title of u Pathfinder " 
was bestowed upon him, though he was guided nearly everywhere 



278 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

by mountain men who were familiar with the country, and found 
the route to Oregon plainly marked by the emigrants' wagon 
wheels. On this subject Mr. Nesmith says: — 

In the Eastern States, I have often been asked how long it was after Fremont 
discovered Oregon that I emigrated there. It is true that in the year 1843, Fre- 
mont, then a Lieutenant in the Engineer Corps, did cross the plains, and brought 
his party to The Dalles, and visited Vancouver to procure supplies. I saw him on 
the plains, though he reached The Dalles in the rear of our emigration. His outfit 
contained all of the conveniences and luxuries that a Government appropriation 
could procure, while he "roughed it " in a covered carriage, surrounded by servants 
paid from the public purse. He returned to the States and was afterward rewarded 
with a Presidential nomination as the " Pathfinder." The path he found was made 
by the hardy frontiersmen who preceded him to the Pacific, and who stood by their 
rifles here and held the country against hostile Indians and British threats, without 
Government aid or recognition until 1849, when the first Government troops came 
to our relief. Yet Fremont, with many people, has the credit of "finding" every- 
thing west of the Rocky Mountains, and I suppose his pretensions will be recog- 
nized by the future historian, while the deserving men who made the path, unaided 
by Government, will be forgotten. "And such is history." 

Thus close the events of 1843, leaving Oregon with a Provisional 
Government and a population of intelligent, earnest, hardy Ameri- 
can pioneers sufficiently great to determine its future as a party of 
the great Kepublic whose institutions they had thus planted in these 
remote regions. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



1844 TO 1849. 



Indian Difficulty at Oregon City — First Military Company — Methodist 
Missions Abandoned — Increase of the Catholic Workers — Election 
of 18Jf.lt — Abstract of Votes — Proceedings of the Legislative Com- 
mittee — Emigration of 181+1+ — List of Emigrants — Election of 181+5 
— George Abernethy Chosen First Governor of Oregon — Abstract of 
Votes — Oath of Office — Br. White and the Memorial to Congress — 
Wheat a Legal Tender — Census of 181+5 — Emigration of 181+5 — 
Meek Takes the Emigrants by a New Route and Loses Them in the 
Mountains — The Eventful Year of 183+6 — Mr. Blaine's Account of 
the Settlement of the Oregon Question — Election of 181+6 — Emigra- 
tion of 181+6 — The Applegate Trail — Flags of the Schooner u Shark " 
— Emigration of 181+7 — The Traveling Nursery — Elections of 181+1 
and 181+8 — Emigration of 181+8. 

THERE was trouble in the Willamette Valley in 1844, which 
served to still more embitter the Indians against the Americans. 
There was a sub-chief of the Molallas named " Cockstock," a man 
of independent nature and belligerent disposition. He had a few 
followers who partook somewhat of his spirit, and they were gen- 
erally the prime movers in such small hostile acts as the natives of 
the Willamette indulged in. He was rebellious of restraint, and 
not friendly to the encroachment of the white settlers. A relative 
of his having mistreated Mr. Perkins at The Dalles Mission, was 
sentenced by the Wasco tribe to be punished according to Dr. 
White's laws. The sub -chief was enraged at the whipping his 
kinsman had received, and set out to revenge the insult upon the 



280 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Indian Agent. Reaching the Agent's Willamette home during his 
absence, he proceeded to break every window-pane in the house. 
He was pursued, but not caught, and became an object of terror to 
the Doctor. All depredations committed in the country were 
charged to this chief, and it finally resulted in the offer by Dr. 
White of one hundred dollars' reward for the arrest of the formid- 
able Indian. Learning that he was being accused of acts commit- 
ted by others, the chief visited Oregon City March 4, accompanied 
by four of his band, with the avowed purpose of having a talk with 
the whites for the purpose of exculpating himself. He entered the 
town, staid for about an hour, and then crossed the river to visit an 
Indian village to procure an Indian interpreter. He then re- crossed 
the Willamette, when several men undertook to arrest him, and a 
desperate fight ensued. Cockstock was killed, and his followers, 
after fighting valiantly until the odds became too great, made good 
their escape. On the other side George W. LeBreton was killed 
by Cockstock, and Mr. Rogers, who was working quietly near by, 
was wounded in the arm by a poisoned arrow, which caused his 
death. It has been asserted that the Molalla chief attacked the 
town, but it requires too much credulity to believe that five Indians 
would in broad daylight attack a town containing ten times their 
number. The whole affair is chargeable to the rash conduct of a 
few men who were too eager to gain the paltry reward offered by 
Dr. White, one of whom paid for his cupidity with his life. Fear- 
ing that trouble might follow, the Executive Committee of the 
Provisional Government issued a proclamation for the organization 
of a military company. A company was organized on the tenth 
of March by citizens who assembled " at Champoeg. Nineteen 
names were enrolled ; T. D. Keizer being elected Captain, and J. 
L. Morrison and Mr. F. C. (or James) Cason, Lieutenants. Their 
services were not required. 

In May, 1844, Rev. George Gary arrived by sea to supersede 
Jason Lee in charge of the Methodist missions, the latter being 
already on his way East. The mission property was immediately 
sold and the missionary work, which had amounted to little for 
several years, so far as accomplishments were concerned, was dis- 
continued, except at The Dalles. While the Methodists were thus 
withdrawing from the field, the Catholics were largely increasing 




WILLAMETTE FALLS AT OREGON CITY. 



EIGHTEEN FORTY-FOUR TO EIGHTEEN FORTY-NINE. 281 

their force. Among other arrivals for that purpose were six sisters 
of the order of Notre Dame, who came to found a convent in the 
Willamette. Father P. J. DeSmet, who had previously founded a 
mission among the Flatheads, brought the sisters to Oregon by sea, 
being also accompanied by four priests and several laymen. Three 
other priests came overland from St. Louis. As Father Blanchet 
expresses it : " The schemes of the Protestant ministers had been 
fought and nearly annihilated, especially at Nesqually, Vancouver, 
Cascades, Clackamas and Willamette Falls, so that a visitor came 
in 1844 and disbanded the whole Methodist Mission, and sold its 
property." 

On the fourteenth of May, 1844, an election was held for officers 
of the Provisional Government, at which some two hundred votes 
were cast. P. G. Stewart, Osborn Eussell and W. J. Bailey were 
chosen Executive Committee ; Dr. J. L. Babcock, Supreme Judge ; 
Dr. John E. Long, Clerk and Recorder ; Philip Foster, Treasurer ; 
Joseph L. Meek, Sheriff. The Territory had been partitioned into 
three Legislative Districts. Tualatin District included what is now 
Washington, Multnomah, Columbia, Clatsop, Tillamook, Yamhill 
and Polk Counties. Champoeg District has since been divided into 
Linn, Marion, Lane, Josephine, Coos, Curry, Benton, Douglas and 
Jackson Counties. In the Clackamas District were Clackamas 
County and the eastern part of Oregon, a portion of Montana, and 
all of Idaho and Washington Territories. On the following page 
are the tabulated returns of this first popular election held in 
Oregon : — 



282 



HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 
ELECTION OF MAY 14, 1844. 





DISTRICTS. 




CLACKAMAS. 


TUALATIN. 


CIAMPOEG. 


TOTALS. 


Executive Committee. 
P G Stewart* - - 


41 

40 

21 

11 

10 

6 

6 

3 

3 

2 

2 

I 


15 

22 
10 


84 

182 

18 


140 


Osborn Russell* - -- - 


244 


Alanson Beers - _ - 


49 


Jesse Applegate - - - 


11 


Peter H. Burnett _ 






10 


Hugh Burns - - 






6 


David Hill- — 






6 


W. J. Bailey*- _ _ 




67 


70 


William Dougherty __ __ 


23 


26 


A. Lawrence Lovejoy _. 




2 


Robert Newell _ _ _ 


10 




12 


A. J. Hembree _ 




1 


William Geiger _ 


7 
7 

26 




7 


Spencer. _ _ _ _ 






7 


Territorial Recorder or Clerk. 
Dr. John E. Long* _ _ __ 


33 

24 

8 

1 


14 


73 


O. Johnson __ __ __ ~ 


24 


C. M. Walker 






8 


J. G. Campbell 






1 


A.E.Wilson __ _. __ 


2 




2 


F. X. Matthieu _ _ 




65 

88 


65 


Supreme Court Judge. 
James L. Babcock f * 






88 


J. W. Nesmith .. 


39 
16 

2 
4 




39 


Peter H. Burnett __ 






16 


P. G. Stewart 






2 


Osborn Russell _ 


1 

2 




5 


O. Johnson _ _ 




2 


Territorial Treasurer. 
Phil. Foster* :_ _ 


40 
4 
4 
2 
1 
1 

64 
2 
1 


8 


48 


Nineveh Ford - __ 


6 


10 


P. H. Hatch 




4 


A. E. Wilson 






2 


John E. Long 






1 


W. C: Remick 






1 


Territorial Sheriff. 
Joseph L. Meek* 




79 


143 


B. Harragus _ 




2 


William Holmes . _ __ _ 






1 


Legislative Committee. 
M. Gilmore* _ ______ 


27 
32 
24 

20 
8 




27 


Peter H. Burnett* — 






32 


David Hill* _ __ __ 






24 


M. M. McCarver*— _ 






20 


W.T.Perry _ _ 






8 


T. D. Reiser* . 




67 

75 
75 
20 
11 

18 


67 


Daniel Waldo* 






75 


Robert Newell* 






75 


W. H. Gray __ ___ 






20 


W.J.Bailey 






11 


F. C. Cason . 






18 


A. Lawrence Lovejoy J 



















* Elected. 

f Resigned November 11, 1844. 

X Elected from Clackamas District. 



EIGHTEEN FORTY-FOUR TO EIGHTEEN FORTY-NINE. 



283 



The Legislative Committee elected met at Willamette Falls, 
in the house of Felix Hathaway, June 18, 1844, and chose M. M. 
McCarver Speaker. A nine days' session followed, when they ad- 
journed until December of the same year. On the sixteenth of 
December the Legislative Committee met again, this time at the 
house of J. E. Long, in Oregon City, when a message was submitted 
to them from the Executive Committee, in which an amendment of 
the organic law was recommended. A seven days' session followed, 
during which an act was passed calling for a committee to frame 
a constitution. Several acts were framed requiring submission to a 
popular vote to render them valid, among which was a change from 
the triumvirate to gubernatorial executive, and from a Legislative 
Committee to a Legislature, which was adopted by the people. 

The emigration of 1844 was nearly as great as that of the pre- 
vious year, adding some eight hundred to the American population, 
two hundred and thirty-four of them able-bodied men. " They were," 
says Hon. John Minto, "self-reliant, determined men; devoted, 
loyal, bravely- enduring women. They started from different points 
under different leaders, and never united, but, on the contrary, 
divided up still more as they traveled, a single man sometimes 
separating himself from an entire company, under the settled con- 
viction that they were all too contrary for him to keep company 
with any longer." The main companies had three starting points 
— one from Independence, one from near the mouth of the Platte, 
and one from Caplers Landing, twelve miles above St. Joseph. 
The last was commanded by Cornelius Gilliam, the first by Nathan- 
iel Ford, and the other by Major Thorp. The following nearly 
correct list was made in later years by Joseph Watt, Willard H. 
Eees, William M. Case and J. Henry Brown, and read by John 
Minto in his address before the Pioneer Association in 1877: — 



Alderman, 

Bird, 

Buzzard, Nathan 
Burch, Charles 
Boyd, Robert 
Black, William 

Blakely, 

Bush, George W. 
Boggs, Thomas 
Bowman, Wm., Sr. 



Bowman, Wm., Jr. 
Bowman, Ira 
Bunton, Elijah 
Bunton, Joseph 
Bunton, Wm. 
Buich, Charles 
Bennett, Capt. C. 
Bordran, Francis 
Bartrough, Joseph 
Bray, Wm. 



Bayard, Nathan 
Brown, Adam 
Bonnin, Peter 
Crawford, David 
Crawford, Lewis 
Clark, Daniel 
Clark, Dennis 

Clemens, 

Cave, James 
Crisman, Joel 



Crisman, Gabriel 
Crisman, Wm. 
Chamberlain, Aaron 
Conner, Patrick 
Crockett, Samuel B ■ 
Case, Wm. M. 
Clemens, Wm. 

Dougherty, 

Doty, 

Davenport, James 



284 



HISTOKY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 



Dagon, Dr. 
Durbin, Daniel 
Dupuis, Edward 
Emery, C. 
Edes, Moses 
Everman, C. 
Eades, John 
Eades, Abr. 
Eades, Henry 
Eades, Clark 
Eades, Solomon 
Evans, David 
Evans, N. D. 
Eddy, Robert 
Ellick, John 
Fleming, John 
Ford, Nathaniel 
Ford, Mark 
Fruit, James 
Fruit, "Doc." 
Fuller, Jenny 
Gilbert, I. N. 
Goff, David 
Gotf, Samuel 
Goff, Marion 
Grant, David 
Gilliam, Mitchell 
Gilliam, Cornelius 
Gilliam, Smith 
Gilliam, William 
Gilliam, Porter 
Gage, William 
Gage, Jesse 
Goodwin, W. H. 

Gillespie, 

Gerrish, James 
Gerrish, John 
Gillahan, Martin 
Gillahan, William 
Gilmore, Charles 
Hinman, Alanson 
Hedges, A. F. 
Hutton, Jacob 
Hill, Fleming 
Hawley, J. C. 
Hoover, Jacob 
Holt, T. 
Harper, James - 
Holman, Joseph 



Howard, John 
Hunt, James 
Humphrey, Norris 
Hammer, Jacob 
Higgins, Herman 
Higgins Williams 
Hibler, George 
Inyard, John 
Inyard, Abr. 
Inyard, Peter 
Johnson, William 
Johnson, James 
Johnson, David 
Johnson, Daniel 
Johnson, James 
Jackson, John 
Jenkins, David 
Jenkins, William 
Jenkins, Henry 
Kindred, David 
Kindred, Bart 
Kindred, John 
Kinney, Daniel 
Lee, Barton 
Lousenaute, John 
Lewis, Charles 
Morgan, William 
McGruder, Theo. 
McGruder, Ed. 
Minto, John 
McDaniel, Joshua 
McDaniel, Elisha 
McDaniel, Mrs. 

McMahan, 

Martin, Nehemiah 
McSwain, Samuel 
McAllister, James 
Morrison, R. W. 
Moore, Michael 



Neal, Calvin 
Neal, Robert 
Neal, Alex. 
Neal, Peter 
Nelson, George 
Nelson, Cyrus 
Nichols, John 
Nichols, Frank 
Nichols, Benjamin 
Owless, Ruel 
Owens, Henry 
Owens, James 
Owens, John 
Owens, John 
Perkins, Joel, Sr. 
Perkins, Joel, Jr. 
Perkins, John 
Parker, David 

Priest, 

Parrot, Joseph 
Packwood, S. 
Packwood, T. 
Payne, R. K. 
Prather, William 
Prather, Theodore 
Pettie, Eaben 
Pettie, Amab 
Rowland, J. 



Smith, William 
Smith, Noyes 
Smith, Texas 
Saffron, Henry 
Sis, Big 
Stewart, James 
Saunders, William 
Shaw, Joshua 
Shaw,A.C.R.(Sheep) 
Shaw, Wash. 
Shaw, Thomas 
Shaw, B. F. 
Shaw, Capt. Wm. 
Stephens, James 
Sager, , died on 

the way at Green 

River. 
Saxton, Charles 
Snelling, Vincent 
Snelling, Benjamin 

Snooks, 

Teller, Jerry 
Thornton, Sebrin 
Thomas, O. S. 
Thorp, John 
Thorp, Alvin 
Thorp, Theodore 
Thorp, Mortimer 



Robinson, E.(Moun- Thorp, Milton 

tain.) Trues, Cooper Y. 

Robinson, T.G. (Fat- Tucker, Benjamin 



ty.) 
Robinson, Ben 
Rees, Willard H. 
Rice, Parton 
Rice, Mac 
Rice, (Old Man.) 

Ramsey, 

Ramsdell, 



Marshall, James, the Sears, Franklin 
discoverer of gold Shelton, Jackson 
at Sutter's Mill. Sebring, William 



Moreland, Lafe 
Mulky, Westley 
Mulkey, Luke 

Murray, 

Mudgett, 

Neal, George 
Neal, Attey 



Scott, John 
Scott, Levi 
Simmons, M. T. 

Springer, 

Smith, J. S. 
Smith, Charles 
Smith, Peter 



Tucker, Long 
Vance, Thos., died 

on the Platte. 
Waunch, George 
Williams, Poe 

Williams, 

Wright, Harrison 
Woodcock, Richard 
Welsh, James 
Walker, James, Sr. 
Walker, James, Jr. 
Walker, Robert 
Williamson, Henry 
Watt, Joseph 

Warmbough, 

Werner, Thomas 



The following turned off and went to California : — 

Calvin, Foster, Joseph Greenwood, G. Hitchcock, 

Flomboy, John Greenwood, John Greenwood, Britain son. 



and 



EIGHTEEN FORTY-FOUR TO EIGHTEEN FORTY -NINE. 



285 



Jackson, Montgomery, Allen Schallenberger, M. Townsend, Dr. 

Martin, Patrick Montgomery, James Stephens, Captain Scott and Bobbin, 

Martin, Dennis Murphy, Martin, and Sullivan, John, and colored men with 

Martin, William five sons. brother. Col. Ford. 
Miller, James 

Mrs. Win. M. Case furnishes the following list of ladies who 
came in Major Thorp's company : — 

Case, Mrs. Wni. M. Higgins, Mrs. Her- Snelling, Mrs. Vin- Horace Holden and 
Eliza, a mulatto girl man cent May, his wife, ar- 

Hammer, Mrs. Jac'b Johnson, Mrs. D. Tucker, Mrs. Benj. rived in April of 
Hannah, Aunt, ane- Shaw, Mrs. Joshua Thorp,Miss Amanda this year from the 
gress Snelling, Miss Eliza Sandwich Islands. 

Of this emigration Michael T. Simmons and a few others located 
on Puget Sound, making the first American settlement north of 
the Columbia. 

GENERAL ELECTION, JUNE 3, 1845. 
The first annual election was held on the third of June, 1845. The following 
tabular statement will prove interesting and of historical value :— 



C-A^SraiZD-ATIES - 



Governor. 

George Abernethy* 

Osborn Russell 

William J. Bailey 

A. Lawrence Lovejoy 



Total vote cast 

Secretary. 

John E. Long 1* 

Noyes Smith 

Treasurer. 

Phil. Foster 

Francis Ermatinger 2* 

Judge. 

J. W. Nesmith 3* 

District- A ttorney. 

Marcus Ford 4* 

Assessor. 

S. W. Moss* 

Jacob Reed 

Sheriff, j 

Joseph L. Meek 5* 

A. J. Hembree 



DISTRICTS. 



46 

22 

2 

44 



114 

65 
48 

62 
51 

111 

100 

53 
52 

59 
42 



58 

54 

6 

5 



123 

70 
47 

49 
50 

115 

78 

39 
48 

77 
43 



o 

1 

O 



51 

47 

60 

9 



167 

117 

53 

47 
118 

166 

168 

119 

48 

111 
54 



22 



23 

6 
12 

1 

12 

17 
10 



51 

7 

7 

12 



77 

25 
35 

38 
20 

64 

53 

5 

56 

15 
61 



228 

130 

75 

71 



504 

283 
195 

197 
251 

473 

409 

216 
204 

267 
215 



* Officers 6lect6cl. 

1. Deceased. Frederick Prigg appointed to fill vacancy June 26, 1846. 

2. Resigned. John H. Couch appointed to vacancy March 4, 1846. 

3. Succeeded by Alonzo A. Skinner. , , .,«.__« M 

4. Resigned February 4, l>,4t>, W. G. T'Vault appointed to vacancy; he resigned March 10, 

1816, and was succeeded by A. L. Lovejoy. 

5. Resigned, and was succeeded by H. M. Knighton. 



286 



HISTOKY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 
GENERAL ELECTION, JUNE 3, 1855- Continued. 



C-A-^sTIDIID-A-TES- 



Representa tives. 



H. A. J. Lee* 

Hiram Straight* 

W. H. Gray* 

C. E. Pickett 

N. Ford 

M. M. McCarver* 

D. Lenox 

D. Hill* 

C. Satton 

V. W. Dawson 

Joseph Gale 

J. W. Smith* 

C. M. Walker 

J. M. Garrison* 

M. G. Foiry* 

Joseph Gervais 

Barton Lee* 

W. H. Willson- . 

Robert Newell* 

A. Chamberlain 

F. X. Mathieu 

John McClure*---! 

George Simmons 

Jesse Applegate* 

A. Hendrick* 

S. Smith 

J. Richardson 

R. Clark 

Convention (to frame constitution) __. 
No Convention (to frame constitution' 



DISTRICTS. 



99 

82 
54 
50 
23 



51 
39 
53 

2R 
22 
43 
51 
47 



bo 

o 
& 

I 



128 
131 
68 
90 
49 
79 
74 
14 



-1-3 

3 



11 

10 



38 
34 
31 
29 
10 



82 
54 
50 
23 
51 
39 
53 
28 
22 
43 
51 
47 
128 
131 
68 
90 
49 
79 
74 
14 
11 
10 
38 
34 
31 
29 
10 
190 
283 



* Officers elected. 

Note— Theophilus McGruder was appointed Recorder December 8, 1846. Wm. G. T'Vault 
was appointed Postmaster-General of Oregon in December, 1816. G. W. Bell was ap- 
pointed Auditor. 

Two new districts — Yamhill and Clatsop — had been formed out 
of Tualatin, making five in all. In most of these were held nomi- 
nating conventions, where, also, were chosen delegates to a general 
convention at Champoeg. A. L. Lovejoy was the successful aspi- 
rant for the gubernatorial nomination, defeating Dr. William J. 
Bailey, Osborn Russell and George Abernethy. The convention 
was not satisfactory, and all these gentlemen appeared before the 
people as candidates. By a combination of the friends of Russell 
and Abernethy, the latter, who was then in the Sandwich Islands, 
was elected. 



EIGHTEEN FOETT-FOUE TO EIGHTEEN FOETT-NINE. 287 

The Legislature chosen assembled at Oregon City, June 24th, 
elected M. M. McCarver Speaker, and remained in session two 
weeks. The following oath of office was proposed by Jesse Apple- 
gate, in view of the character of the people and their divided alle- 
giance, and was administered to the members: — 

Oath of Office— I do solemnly swear that I will support the organic laws of 
the Provisional Government of Oregon, so far as the said organic laws are consist- 
ent with my duties as a citizen of the United States, or a subject of Great Britain, 
and faithfully demean nryself in office. So help me God. 

The most important business transacted was the drafting of a 
memorial to Congress, asking for a territorial government, and the 
framing of a new organic law. On the twenty -eighth of June the 
memorial was signed by Russell and Stewart, of the Executive Com- 
mittee (Abernethy not having yet returned), Judge Nesmith, and 
members of the Legislature. Dr. Elijah White was delegated all the 
to convey the memorial to Washington. The Legislature then ad- 
journed to await the result of the constitutional election, which was 
held on the twenty-fifth of July. This resulted in two hundred 
and fifty-five votes for the new law and only fifty-two for the old. 
The Legislature again assembled, according to the provisions of the 
new law, on the fifth of August. It was then that the memorial 
was placed in the hands of Dr. White for transmission to Congress. 
After he had departed they became dissatisfied with their messenger, 
deeming that he intended using it for his personal advancement at 
Washington, and they sent a courier to overtake him and demand 
its return. The Doctor received the demand coolly and refused to 
comply. His answer, which showed how correct was their opinion 
that he proposed making the memorial serve his personal ends, was 

as follows: — 

August 17, 1845. 
To the Hon., Etc.: 

Gentlemen — Being on my way, and having but a moment to reflect, I have been 
at much of a loss which of your two resolutions most to respect, or which to obey; 
but at length have become satisfied that the first was taken most soberly, and as it 
answers my purpose best, I x>ledge myself to adhere strictly to that. Sincerely 
wishing you good luck in legislating, 

I am, dear sirs, very respectfully yours, 

E. WHITE. 

This letter, with a statement of the circumstances surrounding 
it, was sent by another messenger to Washington, and arrived just 
in time to foil the scheming Doctor's chances for an important 



288 



HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 



appointment which he was about to receive. Among other acts 
the Legislature passed a law making wheat a legal tender at market 
price, owing to the scarcity of a circulating medium. The body 
adjourned sine die on the twentieth of August. On the second of 
December, the day set for the assembling of the Legislature by the 
new law, and no election having been held, the same gentlemen 
again assembled, and organized by electing Robert Newell Speaker. 
A session of seventeen days was then held, during which Polk and 
Lewis counties were created, the latter embracing all of Washing- 
ton Territory west of the Cascades. This had been designated 
" Vancouver District " the year before, but had not sent a repre- 
sentative to the Legislature. Sheriff Meek, in pursuance of an act 
of the Legislature, took a census of the population. This did not 
include those living north of the Columbia or east of the mount- 
ains, consequently, except the ninety-one reported for Clatsop, 
represents only the population of the Willamette "Valley. The 
table, which does not include the immigration of 1845, is as 
follows : — 

CENSUS RETURNS OF OREGON IN 1845. 





i 

ft 

o 0> 
<D 1/ 

So 


02 

fi 

** © 
6 


Under 

12 years 

ofage. 


12 and 

under 18 

years. 


18 and 

under 45 

years. 


45 and 
over. 


Whole 
Number 


d 
o 

-0 
eg 


COUNTIES. 


02 


02 

a 

ft 


02 

i— t 

3 


02 

s 

ft 


02 


02 
<X> 

"oS 

B 
ft 

53 
114 

8 
90 
57 

322 


02 
O 

15 

42 

4 

26 
23 

110 


02 

§ 

ft 

7 
18 
1 
6 
9 

41 


02 

234 


02 

a 

ft 


i— i 


ft 
O 

$ 

o 


Clackamas - _ 


18 
24 
17 
14 
16 

89 


57 

85 

29 

127 

109 

405 


69 
142 

14 
115 

79 

419 


54 

136 
18 

109 
65 

382 


12 

45 

1 

28 
31 

117 


15 

37 

3 

24 

24 

103 


136 
171 
42 
142 
124 

615 


129 361 


Champoeg - 


400 305 705 


Clatsop _ _ 


61 
309 
257 

1259 


30 91 


Tualatin - - - 


229 538 


Yamhill 


158 415 


Total 


851 2110 



The immigration of 1845 consisted of some three thousand souls, 
about one-third of whom, under William B. Ide, of Bear Flag 
notoriety, and guided by Greenwood, the trapper, turned off at 
Fort Hall and went to California. There has never been prepared 
a register of the half dozen trains into which it was divided, and it 
is impossible to give a list of the pioneers of 1845. A few might 
be mentioned — names familiar in Oregon annals — such as Col. W. 
G. T'Vault, J. C. Avery, John Waymire, Frederick Waymire, John 
Flemming, Captain English, James B. Riggs, Rufus A. Riggs, 



EIGHTEEN FOKTY-FOTTR TO EIGHTEEN FORTY-NINE. 289 

Stephen Staats, John Durbin, William J. Herren, General Joel 
Palmer, Simeon Smith, David Carson, John M. Forrest, Dr. Ralph 
Wilcox, Solomon Fetherous, James Allen. They brought the 
cheering intelligence that James K. Polk had been elected Presi- 
dent of the United States on the party cry of " Fifty-four-forty, or 
fight," and had been duly inaugurated, and that the prospects for 
an immediate favorable settlement of the mooted Oregon Question 
were favorable. Their numbers, too, added so materially to the 
strength of the American element that they then outnumbered the 
representatives of Great Britain ten to one. 

When the emigrants reached Fort Boise, Stephen H. Meek, 
the same man who had served as guide in 1842, offered to show a 
shorter and easier route across the Blue and Cascade mountains 
— one to the south of the old trail. A great many of them followed 
him, while others refused to depart from the regular route. Meek 
had never passed through the country he was now entering, but 
had heard of it from others when he had, as a free American 
trapper, been for a time in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Com- 
pany. The route had never been used, but it was known that the 
country through what is now Southeastern Oregon, was less mount- 
ainous than that further north, and Meek naturally expected to find 
a passable route and a good pass through the Cascades. In this he 
failed, and as soon as the emigrants became satisfied that he was 
traveling by guess, they became so indignant that he only saved 
his neck by using his feet. They then undertook to pass down 
John Day Biver, and finally reached the Columbia after almost 
superhuman exertion. Had they trusted to Meek it is possible, 
and even probable, that he would, by taking them further south, 
have found them a comparatively easy route. This episode is thus 
described by Hon. Stephen Staats, one of the immigrants of that 
year : — 

When nearing Fort Boise, much discussion was had relative to the route to be 
followed after leaving that point. Stephen Meek had met the emigrants and pro- 
posed to pilot them over a new route by which to bring them into the valley, assert- 
ing that it was much shorter and better than the route to The Dalles. I recollect 
one old gentleman, John M. Forrest by name, who, when the subject was warmly 
discussed, declared he would follow the old route, even if he had to travel alone. 
Says he: "When I left the States, after reading the letters of Burnett and others 
from Oregon, I determined I would not be led off on any new route claimed to have 
been discovered by any adventurer, but would travel where others had traveled, 



290 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

and thus be sure of arriving at the desired point to which we are all looking." But 
now the time had come for action. One morning, after a night spent in spirited 
discussion, Mr. Forrest broke camp and started on the old trail; others, with much 
warmth, attempted to restrain him, but he persisted, and about twenty-five other 
wagons followed his; others, under the leadership of Meek, struck off' on the route 
declared by him the best and shortest ; but well would it have been for all those so 
doing, had they persevered in following the old route, for experience proved to them 
that had they so done, much suffering, in almost every conceivable form, would 
have been avoided, and that they would have arrived at their destination much 
sooner and their condition more hopeful as to future resources to provide for their 
wants during the approaching winter. 

It was but a few days after Meek left Fort Boise, that he became hopelessly lost, 
and had it not been for the good judgment and determined energy of some of the 
emigrants, and their hiring an Indian to pilot them through to The Dalles, many 
would have perished and suffered a most torturing death, that now survive and 
to-day can recount the many sad incidents and afflictive events of their wearisome 
travel to that point. It has been positively asserted that while Meek was thus lost, 
he suffered to such an extent for the want of water to satisfy his thirst, that he 
opened a vein in the neck of his mule, and thus, in all probability, secured his own 
life by quaffing the life blood of that most noble and docile quadruped. But be 
that as it may, whether true or not, there were moments when the sufferings of 
husband, wife and children, became so unbearable, and so intensely torturing to 
the mental vision of those having others depending upon them for support and pro_ 
tection, that had be who counseled them to take an unknown and trackless route 
when almost out of provisions, and energies already nearly exhausted, made his 
appearance among them, he might have been made a sacrifice to appease the angry 
passions with which they were inflamed. 

The anti-Hudson's Bay Company fanatics absurdly charge that 
Meek was employed by the company to lead this train of emigrants 
to their destruction in the mountains, the only evidence being the 
fact that Meek — as did also a number of Americans who were known 
as " free trappers," men who were somewhat independent of the 
fur traders — had engaged himself for two or three seasons to the 
company. The charge is too ridiculous to be considered. 

The year 1846 was a momentous one for the United States. It 
saw the settling of the Oregon Question, which confirmed to the 
United States all that portion of Montana lying west of the Eocky 
Mountains, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. It saw, also, the 
beginning of the Mexican War, which gave us Texas, and the 
wresting of California from Mexican rule by Lieutenant Fremont 
and Commodores Sloat and Stockton. It was an exciting period, 
and the country was held in suspense for months over the contro- 
versy with England, during which war with that great power 
seemed almost unavoidable. The incidents attending the settlement 
of this great question are clearly and graphically described by 






EIGHTEEN FORTY-FOUK TO EIGHTEEN FORTY -NINE. 291 

James G. Blaine in his " Twenty Years of Congress," in which he 
displays a profundity of knowledge of the political intricacies of 
that period which carries the weight of authority with his language. 
To improve upon it would be impossible, and to epitomize it would 
destroy its force and perspicuity ; nothing but a complete and 
liberal quotation will suffice. Mr. Blaine says: — 

The convention which nominated Mr. Polk took bold ground lor the immediate 
re-annexation of Texas and re-occupation of Oregon. This peculiar form of ex- 
pression was used to indicate that Texas had already belonged to us under the 
Louisiana purchase, and that Oregon had been wholly ours prior to the treaty of 
joint occupancy with Great Britain. It further declared, that our title to the whole 
of Oregon, up to 54° 40' north latitude, was "clear and indisputable"; thus carry- 
ing our claim to the borders of the Russian possessions, and utterly denying and 
defying the pretension of Great Britain to the ownership of any territory bordering 

on the Pacific. 

****** 

The election of Mr. Polk was an unquestionable verdict from the people in favor 
of the annexation of Texas. Mr. Clay and Mr. Van Buren had been able to defeat 
the treaty negotiated by Mr. Calhoun ; but the popular vote overruled them, and 
pronounced in favor of the Democratic position after full and fair hearing. Mr. 
Tyler was anxious that the scheme so energetically initiated by him should be 
fully accomplished during his term. The short method of joint resolution was 
therefore devised by the ever fertile brain of Mr. Calhoun, and its passage through 
Cougress intrusted to the skillful management of Robert J. Walker, then a senator 
from Mississippi, and already indicated for the portfolio of the Treasury in the new 
administration. Mr. Polk was in consultation with Mr. Tyler during the closing 
weeks of the latter's administration, and the annexation by joint resolution had his 
full concurrence. It was passed in season to receive the approval of President Tyler 
on the first day of March, three days before the eventful administration of Mr. Polk 
was installed in power. Its terms were promptly accepted by Texas, and at the 
next session of Congress, beginning December, 1845, the constitution of the new 
State was approved. Historic interest attached to the appearance of Sam Houston 
and Thomas J. Rusk as the first senators from the great State which they had torn 
from Mexico and added to the Union. 

****** 

The policy of maintaining an equality of slave States with free States was to be 
pursued, as it had already been from the foundation of the government, with un- 
ceasing vigilance and untiring energy. The balancing of forces between new States 
added to the Union had been so skillfully arranged, that for a long period two States 
were admitted at nearly the same time— one from the South, and one from the 
North. Thus Kentucky and Vermont, Tennessee and Ohio, Mississippi and 
Indiana, Alabama and Illinois, Missouri and Maine, Arkansas and Michigan, 
Florida and Iowa, came into the Union in pairs, not indeed at precisely the same 
moment in every case, but always with reference each to the other in the order 
named. On the admission of Florida and Iowa, Colonel Benton remarked that 
"it seemed strange that two territories so different in age, so distant from each 
other, so antagonistic in natural features and political institutions, should ripen 
into States at the same time, and come into the Union by a single Act; but these 
very antagonisms — that is, the antagonistic provisions on the subject of slavery- 
made the conjunction, and gave to the two young States an inseparable admission." 



292 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

During the entire period from the formation of the Federal Government to the 
inauguration of Mr. Polk, the only variation from this twin birth of States— the 
one free, the other slave — was in the case of Louisiana, which was admitted in 1812, 
with no corresponding State from the North. Of the original Thirteen States, 
seven had become free, and six maintained slavery. Of the fifteen that were added 
to the Union, prior to the annexation of Texas, eight were slave, and seven were 
free; so that when Mr. Polk took the oath of office, the Union consisted of twenty- 
eight States, equally divided between slave-holding. and free. So nice an adjust- 
ment had certainly required constant watchfulness and the closest calculation of 
political forces. It was in pursuit of this adjustment that the admission of Louisiana 
was secured, as an evident compensation for the loss which had accrued to the 
slave-holding interests in the uuequal though voluntary partition of the Old Thir- 
teen between North and South. 

■K * * # •* * 

Looking into the future, the Southern men took alarm lest the equality of their 
section should be lost in the Senate, and their long control of the Federal Govern- 
ment ended. Even with Texas added to the Union, this equality was barely main- 
tained, for Wisconsin was already seeking admission ; and the clause in the articles 
of annexation providing that four new States might be carved out of the territory 
of Texas whenever she asked it, gave no promise of speedy help to the South. Its 
operation would, in any event, be distant, and subject to contingencies which could 
not be accurately measured. There was not another foot of territory south of 36° 30', 
save that which was devoted to the Indians by solemn compact, from which another 
slave State could be formed. North of 36° 30' the Missouri Compromise had dedi- 
cated the entire country to freedom. In extent it was, to the Southern view, alarm- 
ingly great, including at least a million square miles of territory. Except along its 
river boundaries it was little known. Its value was underrated, and a large portion 
was designated upon our maps as the Great American Desert. At the time Texas 
was annexed, and for several years afterwards, not a single foot of that vast area 
was organized under any form of civil government. Had the Southern statesmen 
foreseen the immense wealth, population, and value of this imperial domain in the 
five great States and four territories into which it is to-day divided, they would 
have abandoned the struggle for equality. But the most that was hoped, even in 
the North, within any near period, was one State north of Iowa, one west of Mis- 
souri, and one from the Oregon country. The remainder, in the popular judgment, 
was divided among mountain gorges, the arid plains of the middle, and the unin- 
viting region in the north, which the French voyageurs had classed under the com- 
prehensive and significant title of mauvaises terres. With only three States 
anticipated from the great area in the north-west, it was the evident expectation of 
the Southern men who then had control of the government, that, if war with 
Mexico should ensue, the result would inevitably be the acquisition of sufficient 
territory to form slave States south of the line of the Missouri Compromise as rap- 
idly as free States could be formed north of it ; and that in this way the ancient 
equality between North and South could be maintained. 

The Oregon Question, which now became associated, if not complicated, with 
the Texas Question, originated many years before. By our treaty with Spain in 
1819, the southern boundary of our possessions on the Pacific had been accurately 
defined. Our northern boundary was still unadjusted, and had been matter of dis- 
pute with Great Britain ever since we acquired the country. By the treaty of Octo- 
ber 20, 1818, the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude was established as the bound- 
ary between the United States and British America, from the Lake of the Woods 
to the Stony Mountains, as the Rocky Mountains were then termed. In the same 



EIGHTEEN FORTY-FOUR TO EIGHTEEN FORTY-NINE. 293 

treaty it was agreed that any country claimed by either the United States or Great 
Britain westward of the Stony Mountains should, with its harbors, bays, and rivers, 
be open for the term of ten years to the vessels, citizens, and subjects of either 
power. This agreement was entered into solely for the purpose of preventing 
disputes pending final settlement, and was not to be construed to the prejudice of 
either party. This was the beginning of the joint occupancy of the Oregon country, 
England having with prompt and characteristic enterprise forced her way across 
the continent after she had acquired Canada in 1763. Stimulated by certain alleged 
discoveries of her navigators on the north-west coast, Great Britain urged and main- 
tained her title to a frontage on the Pacific, and made a bold claim to sovereignty 
as far south as the mouth of the Columbia River, nearly, indeed, to the northern 
border of California. 

Xothing had been done towards an adjustment during the ten years of joint 
occupancy, and when the term was about to expire, the arrangement was renewed 
by special convention in 1827, for an indefinite period — each power reserving the 
right to terminate the convention by giving twelve-months' notice to the other. 
The President, John Quincy Adams, made the briefest possible reference to the 
subject in his message to Congress, December, 1827 ; speaking of it as a temporary 
compromise of the respective rights and claims of Great Britain and the United 
States to territory westward of the Rocky Mountains. For many years thereafter, 
the subject, though languidly pursued in our diplomatic correspondence, was not 
alluded to in a President's message, or discussed in Congress. The contracting 
parties rested content with the power to join issue and try titles at any time by 
simply giving the required notice. The subject was also overshadowed by more 
urgent disputes between Great Britain and the United States, especially that relat- 
ing to the Xorth-eastern boundary, and that touching the suppression of the African 
slave-trade. The latter involved the old question of the right of search. The two 
governments came to an agreement on these differences in 1842 by the negotiation 
of the convention known as the Ashburton Treaty. In transmitting the treaty to 
Congress, President Tyler made, for the first time since the agreement for a joint 
occupancy was renewed in 1827, a specific reference to the Oregon Question. He 
informed Congress, that the territory of the United States commonly called the 
Oregon country was beginning to attract the attention of our fellow-citizens, and 
that "the tide of our population, having reclaimed from the wilderness the more 
contiguous regions, was preparing to flow over those vast districts which stretch 
from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean ;" that Great Britain "laid claim 
to a portion of the country and that the question could not be well included in the 
recent treaty without postponing other more pressing matters." He significantly 
added, that though the difficulty might not for several years involve the peace of 
the two countries, yet he should urge upon Great Britain the importance of its early 
settlement. 

As this paragraph was undoubtedly suggested and probably written by Mr. 
Webster, it attracted wide attention on both sides of the Atlantic ; and from that 
moment, in varying degrees of interest and urgency, the Oregon Question became 
an active political issue. Before the next annual meeting of Congress, Mr. Upshur 
had succeeded Mr. Webster in the State Department ; and the message of the Presi- 
dent took still more advanced ground respecting Oregon. For political reasons, 
there was an obvious desire to keep the action of the government on this issue well 
abreast of its aggressive movements in the matter of acquiring Texas. Emboldened 
by Mr. Webster's position of the preceding year, Mr. Upshur, with younger blood, 
and with more reason for a demonstrative course, was evidently disposed to force 
the discussion of the question with British Government. Under his influence and 
advice, President Tyler declared, in his message of December, 1843, that "after the 



294 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

most rigid, and, as far as practicable, unbiased, examination of the subject, the 
United States have always contended that their rights appertain to the entire region 
of country lying on the Pacific, and embraced between latitude 42° and 54° 40V 
Mr. Edward Everett, at that time our minister in London, was instructed to present 
these views to the British Government. 

Before the President could send another annual message to Congress, Mr. Cal- 
houn had been for several months at the head of the State Department, engaged in 
promoting, with singular skill and ability, his scheme for the annexation of Texas. 
With his quick perception, he discerned that if the policy apparently indicated by 
Mr. Webster and aggressively proclaimed by Mr. Upshur, on the Oregon Question? 
should be followed, and that issue sharply pressed upon Great Britain, complications 
of a most embarrassing nature might arise, involving in their sweep the plans, 
already well matured, for acquiring Texas. In order to avert all danger of that 
kind, Mr. Calhoun opened a negotiation with the British minister in Washington, 
conducting it himself, for the settlement of the Oregon Question ; and at the very 
moment when the Democratic National Convention which nominated Mr. Polk 
was declaring our title to the whole of Oregon as far as 54° 40' to be "clear and un- 
questionable," the Democratic Secretary of State was proposing to Her Majesty's 
representative to settle the entire controversy by the adoption of the forty-ninth 
parallel as the boundary ! 

The negotiation was very nearly completed, and was suspended only by some 
dispute in regard to the right of navigating the Columbia River. It is not improb- 
able that Mr. Calhoun, after disclosing to the British Government his willingness to 
accept the forty-ninth parallel as our northern boundary, was anxious; to have the 
negotiation temporarily postponed. If the treaty had been concluded at that time, 
it would have seriously interfered with the success of Mr. Polk's candidacy by 
destroying the prestige of the " Fifty-four forties," as Colonel Benton termed them. 
In Mr. Polk's election, Mr.' Calhoun was deeply and indeed doubly interested : first, 
because of his earnest desire to defeat Mr. Clay, with whom he was at swords' 
points on all public issues ; and again, because having assumed the responsibility of 
defeating the nomination of Mr. Van Buren, he was naturally desirous that his 
judgment should be vindicated by the election of the candidate whom his Southern 
friends had put forward. Urgently solicitous for the annexation of Texas, those 
friends were indifferent to the fate of the Oregon Question, though willing that it 
should be made a leading issue in the North, where it was presented with popular 
effect. The patriotic spirit of the country was appealed to, and to a considerable 
extent aroused and inflamed by the ardent and energetic declaration of our title to 
the whole of Oregon. " Fifty-four forty or fight " became a Democratic watchword ; 
and the Whigs who attempted to argue against the extravagance or inexpediency of 
the claim continually lost ground, and were branded as cowards who were awed 
into silence by the fear of British power. All the prejudice against the British 
Government which had descended from the Revolution and from the war of 1812 
was successfully evoked by the Democratic party, and they gained immeasurably 
by keeping a measure before the people which many of their leaders knew would 
be abandoned when the pressure of actual negotiation should be felt by our gov- 
ernment. 

Mr. Polk, however, in his Inaugural address, carefully re-affirmed the position 
respecting Oregon which his party had taken in the national canvass, and quoted 
part of the phrase used in the platform put forth by the convention which nomi- 
nated him- The issue had been made so broadly, that it must be squarely met, and 
finally adjusted. The Democrats in their eagerness had left no road for honorable 
retreat, and had cut themselves off from the resources and convenient postpone- 
ments of diplomacy. Dangerous as it was to the new administration to coniront 



EIGHTEEN FORTY-FOUR TO EIGHTEEN FORTY-NINE. 295 

the issue, it would have been still more dangerous to attempt to avoid it. The 
decisive step, in the policy to which the administration was committed, was to give 
formal notice to Great Britain that the joint occupation of the Oregon country 
under the treaty of 1827 must cease. A certain degree of moral strength was unex- 
pectedly imparted to the Democratic position by the fact that the venerable John 
Quincy Adams was decidedly in favor of the notice, and ably supported, in a unique 
and powerful speech in the House of Representatives, our title to the country up to 
54° 40'. The first convention for joint occupancy had been negotiated while Mr. 
Adams was Secretary of State, and the second while he was President ; so that, in 
addition to the weight of authority with which he always spoke, his words seemed 
entitled to special confidence on a question with which he was necessarily so famil- 
iar. His great influence brought many Whigs to the support of the resolution ; and 
on the 9th of February, 1S46, the House, by the large vote of 163 to 54, declared in 
favor of giving the treaty notice to Great Britain. 

The country at once became alarmed by the growing rumors that the resolution 
of the House was a direct challenge to Great Britain for a trial of strength as to the 
superior title to the Oregon country, and it was soon apparent that the Senate would 
proceed with more circumspection and conservatism. Events were rapidly tending 
towards hostilities with Mexico, and the aggrandizement of territory likely to result 
from a war with that country was not viewed with a friendly eye, either by Great 
Britain or France. Indeed, the annexation of Texas, which had been accomplished 
the preceding year, was known to be distasteful to those governments. They de- 
sired that Texas might remain an independent republic, under more liberal trade 
relations than could be secured from the United States with its steady policy of 
fostering and advancing its own manufacturing interests. The directors of the 
administration saw therefore more and more clearly that, if a war with Mexico 
were impending, it would be sheer madness to open a quarrel with Great Britain, 
and force her into an alliance against us. Mr. Adams and those who voted with 
him did not believe that the notice to the British Government would provoke a 
war, but that firmness on our part, in the negotiation which should ensue, would 
induce England to yield her pretensions to any part of Oregon ; to which Mr. 
Adams maintained, with elaboration of argument and demonstration, she had no 
shadow of right. 

Mr. Adams was opposed to war with Mexico, and therefore did not draw his 
conclusions from the premises laid down by those who were charged with the policy 
of the administration. They naturally argued that a war with Great Britain might 
end in our losing the whole of Oregon, without acquiring any territory on our 
south-western border. The bare possibility of such a result would defeat the policy 
which they were seeking to uphold, and would at the same time destroy their party. 
In short, it became apparent that what might be termed the Texas policy of the 
administration, and what might be termed its Oregon policy, could not both be 
carried out. It required no prophet to foresee which would be maintained and 
which would be abandoned. "Fifty-four forty or fight," had been a good cry for 
the political campaign; but, when the fight was to be with Great Britain, the issue 
became too serious to be settled by such international law as is dispensed on the 
stump. 

A very bitter controversy over the question began in the Senate as soon as the 
House resolution was received. But from the outset it was apparent that those who 
adhered to the 54° 40" policy, on which Mr. Polk had been elected, were in a small 
minority. That minority was led by General Cass; but its most brilliant advocate 
in debate was Edward A. Hannegan, Democatic Senator from Indiana, who 
angrily reproached his party for playing false to the pledges on which it had won a 
victory over the greatest political leader of the country. He measured the situation 



296 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

accurately, read with discrimination the motives which underlay the change of 
policy on the part of the administration and its Southern supporters, and stated the 
whole case in a quick and curt reply to an interruption from a pro-slavery Senator, 
— "If Oregon were good for the production of sugar and cotton, it would not have 
encountered this opposition. Its possession would have been at once secured." The 
change in the Democratic position was greatly aided by the attitude of the Whig 
senators, who almost unanimously opposed the resolution of notice to Great Britain 
as passed by the House. Mr. Webster, for the first if not the only time in his sena- 
torial career, read a carefully prepared speech, in which he did not argue the ques- 
tion of rightful boundary, but urged that a settlement on the forty-ninth parallel 
would be honorable to both countries, would avert hostile feeling, and restore amity 
and harmony. Mr. Berrien of Georgia made an exhaustive speech, inquiring into 
the rightfulness of title, and urged the line of 49°. Mr. Crittenden followed in the 
same vein, and in a reply to Senator William Allen of Ohio, chairman of Foreign 
Affairs, made a speech abounding in sarcasm and ridicule. The Whigs having in 
the campaign taken no part in the boastful demand for 54° 40', were not subjected 
to the humiliation of retracing imprudent steps and retracting unwise declarations. 

Under the influences at work in the Senate, events developed rapidly. The 
House resolution of notice was defeated ; and the Senate passed a substitute of a 
less aggressive type, in which the House, through the instrumentality of a confer- 
ence committee, substantially concurred. The resolution as finally adopted author- 
ized the President "at his discretion" to give the notice for the termination of the 
treaty to Great Britain. The preamble further softened the action of Congress by 
declaring that the notice was given in order that "the attention of the governments 
of both countries may be the more earnestly directed to the adoption of all proper 
measures for a speedy and amicable adjustment of the differences and disputes in 
regard to said territory." 

The Southern Democrats in the House receded from their action, and the modi- 
fied resolution was carried by nearly as large a vote as had been the previous one 
for decided and peremptory notice. In short, the great mass of the Southern Demo- 
crats in both Houses precipitately threw the Oregon issue aside. They had not 
failed to perceive that the hesitation in the administration in forcing an issue with 
Mexico was due to the apprehension of trouble with Great Britain, and they made 
haste to promote schemes of territorial acquisition in the South-West by withdraw- 
ing the pretensions so imprudently put forth in regard to our claims in the North- 
west. Only forty-six votes were given in the House against what was termed a 
disgraceful surrender. These were almost entirely from Northern Democrats, 
though a few Southern Democrats refused to recede. Among those who thus 
remained firm were Andrew Johnson, Stephen A. Douglas, Howell Cobb, Preston 
King, and Allen G. Thurman. 

The passage of the modified and friendly resolution of notice dispelled all 
danger of trouble with Great Britain, and restored a sense of security in the United 
States. Immediately after its adoption, Mr. Buchanan, Secretary of State, under 
direction of the President, concluded a treaty with the British minister on the 
basis discussed by Mr. Calhoun two years before. The forty-ninth parallel was 
agreed upon as the boundary between the two countries, with certain concessions 
for a defined period, touching the rights of the Hudson's Bay Company, and the 
navigation of the Columbia River by the British. This treaty was promptly con- 
firmed by the Senate, and the long controversy over the Oregon Question was at 
rest. It had created a deep and wide-spread excitement in the country, and came 
very near precipitating hostilities with Great Britain. There is no doubt whatever 
that the English Government would have gone to war rather than surrender the 
territory north of the forty-ninth parallel. This fact had made the winter and early 



EIGHTEEN FORTY-FOUR TO EIGHTEEN FORTY-NINE. 297 

spring of 1846 one of profound anxiety to all the people of the United States, and 
more especially those who were interested in the large mercantile marine which 
sailed under the American flag. 

Iu simple truth, the country was not prepared to go to war with Great Britain 
in support of "our clear and unquestionable title" to the whole of Oregon. With 
her strong naval force on the Pacific, and her military force in Australasia, Great 
Britain could more readily and more easily take possession of the country in dispute 
than could the United States. We had no way of reaching Oregon except by 
doubling Cape Horn, and making a dangerous sea-voyage of many thousand miles. 
We could communicate across the continent only by the emigrant trail over rugged 
mountains and almost trackless plains. Our railway system was in its infancy in 
1846. New York City did not have a continuous road to Buffalo. Philadelphia 
was not connected with Pittsburg. Baltimore's projected line to the Ohio had only 
reached Cumberland, among the eastern foot-hills of the Alleghanies. The entire 
Union had but five thousand miles of railway. There was scarcely a spot on the 
globe, outside of the United Kingdom, where we could not have fought England 
with greater advantage than on the north-west coast of America at that time. The 
war-cry of the Presidential campaign of 1844 was, therefore, in any event, absurd ; 
and it proved to be mischievous. It is not improbable, that, if the Oregon Question 
had been allowed to rest for the time under the provisions of the treaty of 1827, 
the whole country would ultimately have fallen into our hands, and the American 
flag might to-day be waving over British Columbia. The course of events and the 
lapse of time were working steadily to our advantage. In 1826 Great Britain de- 
clined to accept the forty-ninth parallel, but demanded the Columbia River as the 
boundary. Twenty years afterwards* she accepted the line previously rejected. 
American settlers had forced her back. W T ith the sweep of our emigration and 
civilization to the Pacific Coast two years after the the treaty of 1846, when gold 
was discovered in California, the tendency would have been still more strongly in 
our favor. Time, as Mr. Calhoun said, " would have effected every thing for us" 
if we could only have been patient and peaceful. 

Taking the question, however, as it stood in 1846, the settlement must, upon 
full consideration and review, be adjudged honorable to both countries. Wise 
statesmen of that day felt, as wise statesmen of subsequent years have more and 
more realized, that a war between Great Britain and the United States would not 
only be a terrible calamity to both nations, but that it would stay the progress of 
civilization throughout the world. Future generations would hold the governing 
power in both countries guilty of a crime if war should ever be permitted except 
upon the failure of every other arbitrament. The harmless laugh of one political 
party at the expense of another forty years ago, the somewhat awkward receding 
from pretensions which could not be maintained by the Executive of the nation, 
have passed into oblivion. But a striking and useful lesson would be lost if it 
should be forgotten that the country was brought to the verge of war by the 
proclamation of a policy w T hich could not be, and was not intended to be, enforced. 
It was originated as a cry to catch votes; and except with the ignorant, and the 
few whose judgment was carried away by enthusiasm, it was from the first 
thoroughly insincere. If the punishment could have fallen only upon those who 
raised the cry, perfect justice would have been done. But the entire country suf- 
fered, and probably endured a serious and permanent loss, from the false step taken 
by men who claimed what they could not defend and what they did not mean to 
defend. 

The emigration of 1846 consisted of some two thousand souls, 
bringing with them four hundred and seventy wagons, and one 



298 HIST0KY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

thousand and fifty cattle. At Fort Hall about one-half turned off 
and followed the Humboldt River route to California, among whom 
were the Donner Party, whose dreadful sufferings in the Sierra 
Nevada Mountains form one of the saddest pages of Pacific Coast 
history. The emigration was divided into a number of independ- 
ent trains, each having its own leader and guide. Of those whose 
destination was the Willamette Valley, the greater portion pursued 
the old route down Snake River, and reached Oregon City without 
any unusual incident. Not so with all of them, for one hundred 
and fifty people, with forty-two wagons, were induced at Fort Hall 
to attempt a new route. At Fort Hall, Fort Boise and Fort Walla 
Walla, the Hudson's Bay Company was doing a thriving trade 
with the immigrants, selling them supplies and buying for a song 
their worn-out cattle, or giving in exchange for them an order on 
the Chief Factor at Vancouver for a like number of the wild cattle 
belonging to the company. The general feeling against the com- 
pany was very bitter, and in the spring of 1846 a number of men 
who had settled in the extreme southern end of the valley, decided to 
explore for a new route that would miss the company's posts and 
present less obstacles to the passage of wagons than the old one 
down Snake River. They believed that further south it was less 
mountainous, and that Meek's idea of the year before was correct, 
his error consisting in not keeping far enough to the south. If this 
new route could be found they would accomplish the two -fold 
object of drawing the immigrants away from the trading posts and 
bringing them first into the upper end of the valley, where, prob- 
ably, the majority of them would settle — a result earnestly desired 
by the few who had already made their homes in that region. 
These men have been charged with having the latter result as their 
sole object, and that to accomplish it they deceived the immigrants 
as to the character of the route; but the allegation requires to sus- 
tain it far more proof than has yet been adduced, especially when 
made against such men as the Applegates. 

The road party was composed of Captain Levi Scott, Jesse and 
Lindsay Applegate, John Jones, John Owens, Henry Boggus, Wil- 
liam Sportsman, Samuel Goodhue, Robert Smith, Moses Harris, 
John Scott, William G. Parker, David Goff, and Benjamin F. 
Burch. They passed through Umpqua Valley and Rogue River 



EIGHTEEN FORTY-FOUR TO EIGHTEEN FORTY-NINE. 299 

Valley, crossed the Cascades to Klamath, Tule and Goose lakes, 
and thence over the arid hills and valleys of Nevada to Fort Hall. 
They found the route to present far less obstacles to the passage of 
wagons than the old one, and were of the opinion that water and 
grass existed at sufficiently short intervals to render it a practicable 
one for emigrant trains. In this latter opinion they were not cor- 
rect, though a few years later, the route having been remodeled and 
new watering places found, it was quite extensively used by emi- 
grants to Northern California and Southern Oregon. The trouble 
lay chiefly in the fact that they were mounted, and traveled much 
more rapidly than the slow- moving emigrant wagon, and were thus 
easily led into a mistake in judgment. The consequence was, that 
those who were led by their representations at Fort Hall to try the 
new route, found it almost devoid of water and grass until Goose 
Lake was reached. They suffered severely, and their cattle became 
so feeble that they could scarcely pull the wagons along, many of 
them lying down in the endless sea of sage brush to die. From 
Goose Lake to L^mpqua Canyon, water and grass were plentiful, 
but the work kept the cattle from recuperating fully, so that they 
reached the canyon in very poor condition. Here was reached the 
climax. The feeble cattle, such of them as remained alive, were 
unequal to the task of }:>ulling the wagons through. Added to this 
their great loss of time had caused the exhaustion of their s applies, 
which they had not the opportunity to replenish offered by the 
trading posts along the old route. Their hardships were great ; 
and many of them, abandoning everything in the canyon, reached 
the valley in a deplorable condition. Among these were Hon. J. 
Quinn Thornton and wife, who experienced exceptionally severe 
hardships. The impression then received by Mr. Thornton, that those 
who had induced him to depart from the old route had done so by 
means of willful falsehood and for unworthy and selfish motives, 
has never faded away. It has given rise to much acrimonious discus- 
sion and bitter feeling, and is the more to be regretted because the two 
leaders of the controversy — Mr. Thornton and Jesse Applegate — 
are both gentlemen of great natural and acquired attainments, of 
sterling integrity, and receive the universal respect and honor of 
their fellow pioneers. A roster of the emigrant trains of 1846 has 
never been prepared. 



300 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

The immigrants brought with them intelligence that the bound- 
ary question was again being negotiated, and was in a fair way to 
be settled, giving the country, as far north, at least, as the forty- 
ninth parallel, to the United States ; and this had a most cheering 
effect upon this small self-governed community. The annual elec- 
tion for representatives and county officers occurred June 4, 1846. 
The following gentlemen were chosen members of the Legislature : 
Hiram Straight, A. L. Lovejoy, W. G. T'Vault, from Clackamas ; 
J. L. Meek, Lawrence Hall, D. H. Lownsdale, from Tualatin; Jesse 
Looney, Angus McDonald, Robert Newell, A. Chamberlain^ from 
Champoeg; Governor Simmons, from Clatsop; Thomas Jeffreys, 
A. J. Hembree, from Yamhill; J. E. Williams, John D. Boon, 
from Polk; Henry Peers, from Vancouver; W. F. Tolmie, from 
Lewis. Lewis had been cut from Vancouver (now Clarke) by the 
previous Legislature, both lying on the north side of the Columbia. 

Another event of 1846 was the founding of the Oregon Spectator 
at Oregon City, printed upon the press brought in 1839 from the 
Sandwich Islands. The first number was issued in February, and it 
was the first newspaper upon the Pacific Coast, since the initial 
number of the Californian was not printed at Monterey until the 
fifteenth of the following August. On the tenth of September the 
United States schooner Shark was lost on the bar of the Columbia 
while endeavoring to put to sea, and her stand of colors was a 1 ! 
the crew saved from the wreck. Lieutenant Howison, her com- 
mander, enjoyed the hospitalities of the pioneers for several months, 
and upon taking his departure presented the colors to the people 
through Governor Abernethy, accompanied by the following letter: — 

One of the few articles preserved from the ship-wreck of the late United States 
schooner Shark, was her stand of colors. To display the national emblem, and cheer 
our citizens in this distant territory by its presence, was a principal object of the 
Shark's visit to the Columbia ; and it appears to me, therefore, highly proper that it 
should henceforth remain with you, as a memento of parental regard from the 
General Government. With the fullest confidence that it will be received and duly 
appreciated as such by our countrymen here, I do myself the honor of transmitting 
the flags (an Ensign and Union Jack) to your address ; nor can I omit the occasion to 
express my gratification and pride that this relic of my late command should be 
emphatically the first United States flag to wave over the undisputed and purely 
American territory of Oregon. 

The flags still, on proper occasions, flutter in the Oregon breezes. 
Lieutenant Howison, upon his return, wrote a report of Oregon 



EIGHTEEN FOETY-FOUR TO EIGHTEEN FORTY-NINE. 301 

and the struggles of her loyal citizens, which did much to open 
the eyes of the Government to the condition of this region and 
the necessity of doing something for the protection of those hardy 
people who had carried the picket line of republican institutions 
so far into the wilderness. 

The immigration of 1847 has been estimated at five thousand 
souls, fully two-thirds of whom came to Oregon, the remainder 
adding their strength to the Americans who were struggling to 
hold possession of California against the defeated Mexicans, from 
whose grasp it had been wrested. Many most valuable things 
were brought by them, things which added largely to the means 
the people possessed to increase their comfort and wealth. As one 
of them (Hon. Ralph C. Greer) expressed it in a recent speech, they 
" brought everything nearly, from a paper of pins to a four-foot 
buhr." The mill-stones were brought by a Mr. Haun, a Missouri 
miller of considerable notoriety. Another important item was a 
herd of pure Durham cattle, brought by John Wilson, of Illinois, 
who also had among his effects some splendid brood mares. Cap- 
tain Benser and J. C. Geer, Sr., also brought some fine cattle, and 
M. L. Savage, the well known race horse " Old George.'' In a few 
years the cattle and horses of the Willamette Valley showed the 
effects of this introduction of blooded stock among them. Mr. 
Fields contributed a flock of fine sheep from Missouri, whose 
descendants have always been held in high esteem by the farmers 
of the valley. " Uncle " Headrick, William Turpin, Johnson Mulkey 
and R. Patton also brought flocks of fine sheep. Thomas and Wil- 
liam Cox brought a stock of goods and opened at Salem the first 
store south of Champoeg. They also brought peach pits and 
planted them. A. R. Dimick brought potato seeds, which he 
planted in the northern part of Marion County, raising the famous 
" Dimick " potatoes. Mr. Geer brought a bushel of apple seeds 
and a half bushel of pear seeds, which went far toward supplying 
the coast with fruit trees. But by far the most important under- 
taking of all is thus related by Mr. Geer: — 

But the greatest undertaking, and one that was crowned with success, and one 
that contributed the most to the name and fame of Oregon, was the "Traveling 
Nursery," brought across the plains by the late Henderson Luelling, in 1847. If a 
man is a benefactor to his race who makes two spears of grass grow where only one 
grew before, what is he to his State who makes luscious pears, cherries, plums and 



302 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

apples grow, where only poor seedlings, or none, grew before ! Mr. Henderson 
Luelling, by bringing that splendid assortment of apples, pears, plums, cherries, 
quinces, grapes, berries and flowers in his "Traveling Nursery" to Oregon in 1847, 
gave to Oregon the name of "God's Country, or the Land of Big Red Apples," a 
name that every pioneer of Oregon feels proud of. I never thought Mr. Luelling 
received the reward that his enterprise merited. I have dealt with him to the 
extent of thousands of dollars, from one dollar to two thousand dollar transactions, 
and always found him honest. Being honest himself he trusted too much, and 
consequently was victimized to a fearful extent. The conception and carrying out 
of that enterprise was not the sudden conviction as to the importance of the fruit 
business, but was the result of a train of circumstances, the most controlling of 
which was his long and successful engagement in the nursery business. 

In the fall of 1845 he began to prepare to start to Oregon, but could not dispose 
of his land in time to start until it would be quite late, so he concluded to wait 
another year and bring the "Traveling Nursery." He planted his nursery thus: 
He made two boxes twelve inches deep, and just wide and long enough to fill the 
wagon bed, and filled them with a compost consisting principally of charcoal and 
earth, into which he planted about seven hundred trees and shrubs, from twenty 
inches to four feet high, and protected them from the stock by a light though strong 
frame fastened to the wagon bed. He left the Missouri River the seventeenth of 
May. 

On the Platte Mr. Luelling took charge of the nursery wagon and team to bring 
it through in his own way and time, for it was already pronounced by some of his 
friends as a very hazardous undertaking to draw such a heavy load all the way 
over the Rocky Mountains; but every discouraging proposition he invariably 
answered, that so long as he could take it without endangering the safety of his 
family, he would stick to it. The last time that any one tried to discourage him 
about the nursery wagon was on the North Platte. Rev. Mr. White suggested that 
he had better leave it, as the cattle were becoming weary and foot-sore, and that 
owing to the continued weight of that load, it would kill all his cattle and prevent 
his getting through ; but his answer was such an emphatic "no," that he was 
allowed to follow his own course after that without remonstrance. 

The nursery reached The Dalles about the first of October, and the trees were 
there taken out of the boxes and securely wrapped in cloths to protect them from 
frosty nights and the various handlings that they had to undergo in the transit 
down the Columbia. That load of trees contained health, wealth and comfort for 
the old pioneers of Oregon. It was the mother of all our early nurseries and 
orchards, and gave Oregon a name and fame that she never would have had with- 
out it. The load of living trees and shrubs brought more wealth to Oregon than 
any ship that ever entered the Columbia River. Then I say hail, all hail, to the 
" Traveling Nursery " that crossed the plains in 1847! 

Besides those already mentioned the immigration of 1847 con- 
tained many who subsequently became prominent in the political, 
professional and industrial life of Oregon, one of them being Hon. 
Samuel R. Thurston, who first represented the Territory in Con- 
gress, and in whose honor Thurston County, now in Washington 
Territory, was named. 

A portion of the immigration of 1847 came down the Humboldt 
and over the Applegate trail to Southern Oregon, the route which 



EIGHTEEN FORTY-FOUR TO EIGHTEEN FORTY-NINE. 303 

had been found such a disastrous one the year before. They were 
guided by Captain Levi Scott, the man who had been the leader of 
the road exploring party, and who accompanied the first of the four 
trains which this year followed that route. They experienced no un- 
usual difficulty, and accomplished the whole distance from Snake 
River, at the mouth of Raft River, to the head of Willamette Val- 
ley, in sixty-three days, a much shorter time than it took the unfortu- 
nate party with Mr. Thornton. One of them, Hon. Thomas Smith, 
says: "We got through ' the Canyon ' with but little trouble, although 
it was such a bug-a-boo to the emigration the year before." The 
easy passage of these trains in 1847 is conclusive evidence that the 
disasters of 1846 can not be wholly charged up to the unfavorable 
character of the route, and that the gentlemen who persuaded the 
immigrants to attempt its passage were not guilty of so much mis- 
representation of it as has been charged against them. Of the 
members of these trains — one of which attempted to reach the Sac- 
ramento Valley from near Lost River, but failed and came to Ore- 
gon — Mr. Smith remembers the following, many of whom still re- 
side in the State : John Grimsby, wife and six children ; Abraham 
Coryell and two grown sons, Lewis and George; Benjamin Davis, 
wife and six children; Ira Wells, wife and one child; David Wells 
and wife; William Wyatt, wife and two or three children; William 
Aldrich, Sr., and wife; William Aldrich, Jr., and wife; Andrew 
Welsh, wife and two or three children ; William Johnson ; William 
Risk; John Benson; David Cook; Thomas Smith; Mr. Davidson; 
John Lebo; David D. Davis and family; Briggs, Sr., and wife; 
Briggs, Jr., and wife; Prior F. Blair and family; James Frederick 
and family; John Aiken and family; James Chapin; Cornelius 
Hills; Charnell Mulligan; Wilkeson Gouldy; Joseph Downer; 
John Gilliam; George Gilliam. 

On the third of June, 1847, was held the annual election for of- 
ficers, both territorial and county. There were 1,074 votes cast, 
of which George Abernethy received 536, A. Lawrence Lovejoy 520, 
A. Husted 11, and scattering 7; thus continuing Mr. Abernethy as 
the Chief Executive of the Provisional Government. The follow- 
ing gentlemen were chosen members of the Legislature : Medorum 
Crawford, J. W. Wair, S. S. White, from Clackamas; Ralph Wil- 
cox, Joseph L. Meek, David Hill, from Tualatin ; Willard H. Rees, 



304 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

A. Chamberlain, Robert Newell, Anderson Cox, W. H. Rector, 
from Champoeg; L. A. Rice, Lewis Rogers, A. J. Hembree, from 
Yamhill; J. W. Nesmith, N. A. Ford, W. St. Clare, from Polk; 
Henry Peers, William Ryan, from Vancouver; S. Plamonden, from 
Lewis; J. Robinson, from Clatsop. 

The next and last election under the Provisional Government 
was held June 12, 1848. The usual county officers were chosen 
and the following members of the Legislature: A. L. Lovejoy,* 
George L. Curry, J. S. Snook,* from Clackamas; William J. Bailey, 
Robert Newell, A. Gaines, William Portius, from Champoeg; 
Ralph Wilcox, Samuel R. Thurston, Peter H. Burnett, from Tual- 
atin; William Martin, A. J. Hembree, L. A. Rice, from Yamhill; 
H. Linnville, J. W. Nesmith, Osborn Russell, from Polk. 

The emigration of 1848 was quite large, though statistics in re- 
lation to it have never been gathered. Many who had originally 
started for Oregon changed their destination for California when 
learning while en route of the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill. 

* Resigned, and Medorum Crawford and A. F. Hedges chosen at special election Nov. 27, 1848. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



THE WHITMAN MASSACRE AND THE CAYUSE WAR. 

Condition of Protestant and Catholic Missions in 181^7 — Situation of 
Affairs at Waiilatjpu — Tom Hill and Joe Lewis — Whitman Buys 
The Dalles Mission and Prepares to Abandon Waiilatpu — Catholics 
Establish a Mission on the Umatilla — Sickness among the Cayuses 
— Joe Lewis' Poison Story — Evidence of Colonel Craig and the 
Whitman Indians — Details of the Massacre — Charges Against the 
Catholics — Ransom of the Captives — Action of the Provisional 
Government — Oregon Rifles Take Possession of The Dalles — A Regi- 
ment Organized — Campaign in the Cay use Country — End of the 
War — Five Cayuses Executed at Oregon City. 

THE condition of the various missions has been noted from time 
to time, showing that the Catholics were making rapid pro- 
gress, the missions of the American Board east of the mountains 
advancing but slowly, and the Methodists losing ground so rapidly 
that work was discontinued everywhere but at The Dalles in 1844. 
The mission property at that point was sold to Dr. Whitman in the 
fall of 1847. The Catholics at that time numbered in their con- 
gregations fifteen hundred whites and half-breeds of Canadian 
descent, and six thousand Indian neophytes. Bishop F. N. Blanchet 
was at the head of the diocese, which included not only Oregon, 
Washington, Idaho and . Montana, but British Columbia, then 
known as u New Caledonia.'' Bishop Blanchet was in personal 
charge of the field west of the Cascades, Father A. M. A. Blanchet 
east of the mountains, and Father Modest Demers in New Caledonia. 
There were twenty-six clergymen employed, among whom were 
Fathers Michael Occolti, Peter J. DeSmet, Peter DeVos, Audrian 
Hoecken, Joseph Joset, Gregory Mengarini, John Nobili, Nicholas 



306 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Point, Anthony Kavalli, Aloysius Vercruysse, Anthony Sandlois, 
John Baptist Balduc. In the Willamette Valley there had been 
built St. Paul's Cathedral, St. Mary's Convent, St. Francis Xave- 
rius' Chapel, St. John's, in Oregon City, and a new church in 
French Prairie; there were also churches at Vancouver, Cowlitz 
and Whidby in Western Washington, four in New Caledonia, St. 
Mary's among the Flat Heads, Sacred Heart at Cceur d'Alene, St. 
Ignatius at Lake Pend d'Oreille, and St. Paul near Fort Colville. 
There were also half a dozen other stations where chapels or 
churches were contemplated. In the way of institutions of learning 
St. Paul's College and an academy for girls had been founded in the 
Willamette Valley, and other schools were maintained at some of the 
older missions. This array of strength is a startling comparison 
with the feebleness of the Protestant Missions. The leading causes 
have been pointed out— T the powerful influence of the Hudson's 
Bay Company, the methods, ceremonies and discipline of the 
Catholic Church, and the fact that they were not, like the Protest- 
ants, held responsible by the Indians for the great influx of Ameri- 
can settlers. 

Of the missions of the American Board, that at Lapwai was 
making slight progress, Tshimikain was holding its own, and 
Waiilatpu was retrograding. At each station there were a few 
who seemed to be in full accord with the missionaries, but the 
majority were indifferent, and some were even hostile. At 
Waiilatpu things had been going wrong for some time. From the 
time Whitman first went among them there was a small portion of 
the Cayuses who were opposed to him and his work, Tam-su-ky, 
an influential chief who resided on the Walla Walla, being at the 
head of this turbulent faction. When Whitman returned with the 
great train of emigrants in 1843, these Indians pointed to it as an 
evidence that his missionary pretensions were but a cloak to cover 
his design upon their liberties, that he was bringing Americans into 
the country to take away their lands. This feeling of hostility 
spread from year to year* , especially among the Cayuses, through 
whose country the emigrants nearly all passed, and who were thus 
better able than the other tribes to see in what great numbers they 
came and what a cordial welcome they received from Dr. Whitman 
and his associates. In 1845 a Delaware Indian, called a Tom Hill," 



THE WHITMAN MASSACRE AND THE CAYUSE WAR. 307 

lived among the Nez Perces and told them how American mission- 
aries visited his people to teach them religion, and were soon fol- 
lowed by other Americans who took away their lands; and he 
warned them to drive Mr. Spalding away, unless they would invite 
a similar misfortune. This Indian visited Whitman's Mission and 
related to the Cayuses the story of the ruin of his tribe which had 
followed the advent of American missionaries among them. 

In the latter part of 1847 another Indian came among the Cay- 
uses, about whose pedigree there has been so much dispute that it 
is as well to pass it by. He had spent much time among the whites, 
and being serviceable as an interpreter, and being possessed of much 
intelligence, the doctor gave him employment about the mission. 
He seemed to be possessed of a fiendish disposition and to harbor a 
special malignity against the Americans. Joe Lewis, for such was 
his name, reaffirmed the statements of Tom Hill, and said that it 
was the American plan to first send missionaries, and then a few 
settlers every year, until they had taken all the land and made the 
Indians slaves. Tam-su-ky and his followers were now triumphant, 
and boasted of their superior wisdom in opposing the mission from 
the first. Besides this faction there were now many who desired to 
exchange to the Catholic religion, of which they heard favorable 
reports from other tribes. The long black gowns and imposing 
ceremonies had captured them. Whitman was warned of the 
danger he ran by Um-howlish and Stick -us, but though he per- 
ceived the gathering storm he thought it could be averted. Thomas 
McKay, between whom and the doctor there existed a warm friend- 
ship, also warned him that it was. unsafe to live longer among the 
Cayuses, and Whitman offered to sell the property to him, an offer 
which he agreed to accept if he could dispose of his claim in the 
Willamette Valley. With this sale in view, Whitman went to The 
Dalles in the fall of 1847, and purchased the disused Methodist 
Mission, and placing his nephew, P. B. Whitman, in charge, re- 
turned to spend the winter at Waiilatpu, preparatory to moving to 
his new location in the spring. This was the condition of affairs 
when the Catholics decided to take advantage of the desire of a 
number of the Cayuses to embrace that faith and establish a mission 
among them. On September 5, 1847, Father A. M. A. Blanchet 
reached Walla Walla with three associate priests, and the fort be- 



308 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

came their headquarters for a number of weeks while they were seek- 
ing a place suitable for a permanent location. There Whitman found 
them upon his return from The Dalles, and quite a stormy interview 
ensued, though it must be confessed that the storming was chiefly 
done by the indignant doctor; and no wonder. He had just made 
arrangements to abandon all he had accomplished by eleven years of 
self-denial and labor, and here he found those to whom he attributed 
his misfortunes ready to take his place even before he had left it. 
He made known his displeasure in strong terms, but his rebuke was 
received with an unruffled coolness that served but to increase his 
aggravation. They finally located on the Umatilla at the home of 
Five Crows, the head chief, two days before the massacre, Father 
J. B. A. Brouillet being in charge. 

That year immigrants from the States brought with them dysen- 
tery and the measles, which soon became epidemic among the Cay- 
uses. Many Indians died in spite of the remedies administered by 
the doctor and the careful attention of his noble wife. This was 
Joe Lewis' opportunity. He told the Cayuses that Whitman 
intended to kill them all; that for this purpose he had sent home 
for poison two years before, but they had not forwarded a good 
kind; this year the immigrants had brought him some good poison, 
and he was now using it to kill off the Cayuses; that when they 
were all dead the Americans would come and take their lands. He 
even went so far as to declare that he overheard a conversation 
between Mr. Spalding and Doctor and Mrs. Whitman, in which the 
former complained because the doctor was not killing them fast 
enough, and then the trio began to count up the wealth they would 
acquire when the Indians were all disposed of. He also asserted 
that the priest (Father Brouillet) had told him the Doctor was giv- 
ing them poison. A number of years before an American trapper 
and renegade had purposely spread small-pox among the Blackfeet, 
and killed hundreds of that tribe. This was well known by all 
the Indian tribes from the Cascades to the Missouri, and had its 
effect in leading the Cayuses to believe the Doctor was poisoning 
them. These statements are made upon the authority of the written 
statement of Colonel William Craig, a well-known American trapper 
and trader, who happened to be at Lapwai when a Cayuse messenger 
arrived there nine days after the massacre, for the purpose of 



THE WHITMAN MASSACRE AND THE CAYTJSE WAR. 309 

informing the powerful Nez Perces of what had taken place and 
securing their support. Colonel Craig was present at the council, 
and heard these reasons given by the Cayuse courier. They are 
also based upon an interview held by the writer with three of these 
Indians at Pendleton, one of them, Um-howlish, being a chief at 
the time of the massacre and a warm supporter of Whitman, and 
still an adherent of the simple faith 'taught him by the Doctor. On 
the point of the priest telling that Whitman was giving them poison, 
they unanimously agreed that they never heard him say so, but 
that Joe Lewis had told them the priest said it; that it was gener- 
ally believed at the time that the priest had thus stated, but after- 
wards, in canvassing the question among themselves, no one could 
be found to whom the priest had said anything of the kind, and 
that it all came through Joe Lewis. One thing the Roman mis- 
sionary did say, and this helped to confirm them in the belief that 
he had said the other — that Dr. Whitman was a bad man, and if 
they believed what he told them they would all go to hell, for he 
was telling them lies. Even such a statement as that, coming from 
such a source, and made to unreasoning and passionate savages, 
already unduly excited by the loss of so many of their number, was 
enough, in case they believed it true, to have caused the bloody 
scene which followed, even had not the poison theory been so* 
industriously circulated by the scheming Lewis. Without knowing 
of the perfidious conduct of Joe Lewis, Whitman recognized the 
impending danger, and requested McKay to spend the winter with 
him ; but he was unable to comply. 

The followers of Tani-su-ky determined to put the poison theory 
to a practical test. The wife of that chief was sick; and they 
agreed among themselves that they would get some medicine from 
the Doctor and give it to her; if she recovered, good; if not, then 
they would kill the missionaries. They made the experiment, and 
the woman died. Waiilatpu was centrally located, since the Cay- 
uses occupied the country from the Umatilla to the Tukannon. 
Every Sunday large numbers gathered at the Mission, some of them 
to actually participate in the services, and others because of the 
large crowd they knew would be assembled. On week days, how- 
ever, it was seldom that a dozen could be found there at a time. 
For this reason Tam-su-ky and his followers chose a week day for 



310 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

their bloody deed — a time when they thought none of the Whitman 
Indians would be present to interfere. They were careful to con- 
ceal their designs from the Christian Indians and from Five Crows, 
for fear its execution would be prevented. On November 29, 1847 7 
about fifty Indians assembled at the Mission, chiefly the relatives 
and friends of Tani-su-ky. Of these, only five actually participated 
in the bloody work, the others simply looking on and preventing 
the interference of any outsiders, and especially of the one or two 
Whitman Indians who happened to be present. The horrible de- 
tails of the massacre it is needless to relate. Mr. Spalding has 
given them with a minuteness that is strongly suggestive of a liberal 
use of the imagination, yet his narrative is, in the main, probably 
as correct as could be gathered from the incoherent stories of fright- 
ened women and children. It is only when he carries the melodra- 
matic too far, and when he is endeavoring to make it appear that 
the massacre was committed at the instigation of Father Brouillet, 
and was sanctioned by the Hudson's Bay Company, that his state- 
ments become positively unreliable; though throughout the whole 
account they closely border upon the line of uncertainty and doubt- 
ful authenticity, and the deductions drawn are often extremely un- 
charitable and illogical. He uses such expressions as " multitudes 
•of Indians," "cutting down their victims everywhere," "the roar of 
guns,' 7 " crash of warclubs and tomahawks" "shocks like terrific 
peals of thunder " (referring to the desultory discharge of a few 
guns), " crash of the clubs and the knives" and yet, when the 
whole is summed up, but thirteen were killed in all — nine that day, 
two the next, and two eight days later. He is equally reckless in 
his language when making charges against Father Brouillet, whom 
he accuses of coming up from the Umatilla the day after the mas- 
sacre and " baptizing the murderers." The facts are, that he came 
upon an invitation given him by the Missionary several days before, 
only learning of the horrible tragedy upon his arrival; and the 
" murderers " whom he baptized were three sick children, two of 
whom expired immediately after the ceremony. He also accuses 
him of pretending to find the poison and burying it so that it could 
have no more influence. On this point the Whitman Indians state 
positively that this performance was done by Joe Lewis, and not 
the Priest. The only interference the Priest dared to make openly 



THE WHITMAN MASSACRE AND THE CAYUSE WAR. 311 

was when he successfully interposed to save Spalding's life, and 
gave him food upon which to subsist during his flight to Lapwai. 

The bloody excesses into which religious zealots were led in 
times past suggest the possibility of the truth of these charges, yet 
they are entirely unsupported by evidence which would appeal to 
the intelligence of any one unbiased by denominational prejudice; 
and common charity should demand convincing proof to sustain 
such an accusation. The Catholics can not, however, escape a large 
measure of moral responsibility. Thev went among the Cayuses 
for the purpose of driving Whitman away and obtaining control of 
the tribe; and to accomplish this they told the Indians that Doctor 
Whitman was a bad man and was telling them lies, and if they did 
as he said they would surely go to hell. Father Brouillet ought by 
that time to have become sufficiently acquainted with the Indian 
character to know that such assertions, if they were credited, were 
calculated to bring about just such a tragedy as was enacted. The 
massacre was the result of four distinct causes — the dislike of 
Americans, the ravages of the epidemic, the poison intrigue of Joe 
Lewis, and the Priest's denunciation of Doctor Whitman, and where 
the responsibility for one of these rests is easily seen. The victims 
of Cayuse ignorance and passion were: Doctor Marcus Whitman, 
Mrs. Xarcissa Whitman, John Sager, Francis Sager, Crocket 
Bewley, Mr. Eogers, Mr. Kimball, Mr. Sales, Mr. Marsh, Mr. 
Saunders, James Young, Jr., Mr. Hoffman and Isaac Gillen. 

Intelligence of the massacre reached Fort Vancouver by special 
messenger from William McBean to James Douglas, the Chief 
Factor. The courier did not warn the people at The Dalles of 
their danger as he passed, and when questioned about his conduct 
replied that he obeyed the instructions of Mr. McBean. This and 
McBean's conduct at Fort Walla Walla in displaying an unwilling- 
ness to give shelter to fugitives from Waiilatpu, have been cited as 
conclusive evidence that the Hudson's Bay Company connived at 
the massacre; but nothing in the conduct of other officers of the 
company sustains such an opinion, while much is to the contrary, 
and it simply shows that McBean, knowing the general feeling of 
the Indians against the Americans, was afraid he would compro- 
mise the company by defending them. He had not soul enough to 
rise to the emergency. Mr. Douglas sent a messenger to Governor 



312 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Abernethy, apprising him of what had taken place; and without 
waiting to see what steps the Americans would take, Peter Skeen 
Ogden, an old and influential factor of the company, departed from 
Vancouver with an armed force to the scene of the tragedy. He 
held a council with the Cayuses at Fort Walla Walla, and offered to 
ransom the captives, assuring the Indians that the company was 
exceedingly displeased with their conduct, and they would much 
regret it if they provoked the Americans to war. The conference 
resulted in the surrender of forty-seven prisoners, chiefly women 
and children, and on January 1, fifty Nez Perces arrived with Mr. 
Spalding and ten others, who were also ransomed. On the tenth 
they all reached Oregon City, and great was the joy of the people. 
For his humane conduct and prompt action Peter Ogden should 
always occupy a warm place in the heart of Americans; yet there 
are those who ungratefully accuse him of attempting to arm the 
Cayuses against the Americans, simply because a few guns and a 
little ammunition formed a portion of the ransom paid to deliver 
these helpless women from a captivity which was worse than death. 
The pen fails utterly to depict the terrible sufferings inflicted upon 
them, including even girls of a tender age, bordering upon infancy. 
No ransom was too great for their release. 

The first intelligence received by the settlers in the Willamette 
Valley of the tragedy at Waiilatpu, was the note sent to Governor 
Abernethy by Dr. McLoughlin. The Governor immediately com- 
municated it to the Legislature, then in session, and called for vol- 
unteers. A public meeting was held in Oregon City that night, 
the eighth of December, and a company was organized for the 
purpose of taking possession of The Dalles. As winter had set in, 
there was no danger of an invasion from east of the mountains 
except by way of The Dalles. How much of a combination there 
was among the Cayuses and their neighbors was not known. Con- 
sequently it was necessary to provide against the worst that might 
be expected. It w^as evident that a force at The Dalles was neces- 
sary as a protection to the settlements in the valley. Of this com- 
pany Henry A. G. Lee was elected Captain, and Joseph Magone 
and John E. Koss Lieutenants. The credit of the Provisional 
Government was pledged by the Legislature to secure equipments 
for the command, but the committee which visited Vancouver found 



THE WHITMAN MASSACRE, AND THE CATUSE WAR. 313 

that the Chief Factor preferred their individual responsibility. 
Upon giving this, arms were issued to the " Oregon Rifles," who 
reached Vancouver on the tenth to receive them. On the twenty - 
first they reached The Dalles and went into camp. In the mean- 
time the Legislature entered with energy upon a series of resolutions 
and enactments with a view to a military organization of magnitude 
sufficient to chastise the Indians, and the citizens by subscriptions 
and enlistments seconded cordially the efforts of their Provisional 
Government. Many were for pushing forward into the enemy's 
country at once with a formidable force, but wiser counsels pre- 
vailed, and nothing was done likely to prevent the Indians from 
surrendering their white captives to Mr. Ogden. 

In pursuance of the act of December 9, a regiment of fourteen 
companies of volunteers was raised and equipped upon the credit of 
the Provisional Government. It speaks volumes for the brave pio- 
neers of the Willamette that they thus responded to the call of duty, 
supplying, in most cases, their own arms, equipments and horses, 
without a mercenary thought entering their minds. It was no specu- 
lation either by the volunteers or the men who furnished supplies — 
something which can not be said of certain subsequent campaigns. 
The following is a roster of the officers: — 

FIELD AND STAFF OFFICERS. 

Colonel, Cornelius Gilliam (accidentally killed). 

Lieutenant-Colonel, James Waters (promoted to Colonel). 

Major, H. A. G. Lee. 

Adjutant, B. F. Burch. 

Surgeon, W. M. Carpenter. 

Assistant Surgeons, F. Snider and H. SafTarans. 

Commissary, Joel Palmer. 

Quartermaster, B. Jennings. 

Paymaster, L. B. Knox. 

Judge Advocate, Jacob S. Rinearson. 

LIXE OFFICERS. 

Company A— 55 men— Captain, Lawrence Hall; First Lieutenant, H. D. O'Bryant; 

Second Lieutenant, John Engent. 
Company B— 43 men— Captain, John W. Owens; First Lieutenant, A. F. Rogers; 

Second Lieutenant, T. C. Shaw. 
Company C— 84 men— Captain, H. J. G. Maxon; First Lieutenant, I. X. Gilbert; 

Second Lieutenant, Wm. P. Pugh. 
Company D— 36 men— Captain, Thomas McKay; First Lieutenant, Charles McKay; 

Second Lieutenant, Alex. McKay. 



314 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Company D— 52 men— Captain, Phil. F. Thompson ; First Lieutenant, *Jas. Brown; 
Second Lieutenant, J. M. Garrison. 

Company E— 44 men— Captain, Levi N. English ; First Lieutenant, Wm. Shaw ; 
Second Lieutenant, F. M. Munkers. 

Company E— 36 men— Captain, William Martin ; First Lieutenant, A. E. Garrison ; 
Second Lieutenant, David Waters. 

Company E— 63 men— Captain, W. P. Pugh ; First Lieutenant, N. B. Doty ; Second 
Lieutenant, M. Ramsely. 

Company G — 66 men — Captain, James W. Nesmith; First Lieutenant, J. S. Snook? 
Second Lieutenant, M. Gilliam. 

Company H — 49 men— Captain, George W. Bennett; First Lieutenant, J. R. Bevin; 
Second Lieutenant, J. R. Payne. 

fCompany 1—36 men— Captain, William Shaw ; First Lieutenant, D. Crawford ; 
Second Lieutenant, B. Dario. 

Company No. 7—27 men— Captain, J. M. Garrison; First Lieutenant, A. E. Garri- 
son ; Second Lieutenant, John Hersen. 

F. S. Water's Guard— 57 men— Captain, Wm. Martin ; First Lieutenant, D. Wes- 
ton; Second Lieutenant, B. Taylor. 

Reorganized Company— Captain, John E. Ross; First Lieutenant, D. P. Barnes; 
Second Lieutenant, W. W. Porter. 

Colonel Gilliam reached The Dalles on the twenty -third of 
February, with fifty men, followed a few days later by the re- 
mainder of the regiment. On the twenty -seventh he moved to the 
Des Chutes with one hundred and thirty men, crossed to the east 
bank, and sent Major Lee up that stream about twenty miles on a 
reconnoisance, where he found the enemy, engaged them, killed 
one, lost some of his horses and returned to report progress. On 
the twenty-ninth Colonel Gilliam moved up the Des Chutes to 
Meek's Crossing, at the mouth of the cay on in which Major Lee had 
met the Indians. The next morning, on entering the canyon, a 
skirmish followed, in which were captured from the hostiles, forty 
horses, four head of cattle and $300 worth of personal property, 
all of which was sold by the Quartermaster for $1^400. The loss 
of the Indians in killed and wounded was not known. There was 
one white man wounded. The result was a treaty of peace with 
the Des Chutes Indians. The command pushed immediately for- 
ward to the Walla Walla country and reached the Mission prior to 
March 4. On the way to that place a battle occurred at Sand 
Hollows, on the emigrant road, eight miles east of the Well Springs. 
It commenced on the plain where washes in the sand make natural 
hiding places for a foe, and lasted until towards night. The volun- 

" * Died at Vancouver, February 30, 1848. 
f Organized at Walla Walla, June 7, 1848; mustered out September 28, 1848. 
Companies E and No. 7 Were consolidated as Company K, April 17, 1848. 



THE WHITMAN MASSACRE AND THE CAYUSE WAR. 315 

teer force was arranged with the train in the road, protected by 
Captain Hall's company. The companies of Captains Thompson 
and Maxon, forming the left flank, were on the north side of the 
road, and those of Captains English and McKay, as the right flank, 
were on the south or right of the command. Upon McKay's com- 
pany at the extreme right the first demonstration was made. Five 
Crows, the head chief of the Cayuses, made some pretensions to the 
possession of wizard powers, and declared to his people that no ball 
from the white man's mm could kill him. Another chief of that 
tribe named "War Eagle," or "Swallow Ball," made similar pro- 
fessions, and stated that he could swallow all the bullets from the 
guns of the invading army if they were fired at him. The two 
chiefs promised their people that Gilliam's command should never 
reach the Umatilla River, and to demonstrate their invulnerability 
and power as medicine chiefs, they dashed out from concealment, 
rode down close to the volunteers and shot a little dog that came 
out to bark at them. Captain McKay, although the order was not 
to fire, could hold back no longer, and bringing his rifle to bear, 
took deliberate aim and shot War Eagle through the head, killing 
him instantly. Lieutenant Charles McKay brought his shot gun 
down to the hollow of his arm, and firing without sighting it, so 
severely wounded Five Crows that he gave up the command of his 
warriors. This was a serious, chilling opening for the Indians — 
two chiefs gone at the first onset and their medicine proved worth- 
less — but they continued the battle in a skirmishing way, making 
dashing attacks and masterly retreats until late in the afternoon. 
At one time during the engagement, Captain Maxon's company 
followed the enemy so far that it was surrounded, and a sharp en- 
counter followed, in which a number of volunteers were disabled. 
In fact, eight of the eleven soldiers wounded that day were of 
Maxon's company. Two Indians were known to have been killed, 
but the enemy's loss could not be known as they removed all of 
their wounded and dead except two. 

That night the regiment camped on the battlefield without 
water, and the Indians built large and numerous fires along the 
bluffs, or high lands, some two miles in advance. The next day 
Colonel Gilliam moved on, and without incident worthy of note, 
reached Whitman's Mission the third day after the battle. The 



316 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

main body of Indians fell back towards Snake River, and a fruit- 
less attempt followed to induce them to give up the parties who 
had committed the murders at Waiilatpu. Colonel Gilliam at last 
determined upon making a raid into the Snake River country, and 
in carrying out this programme surprised a camp of Cayuses near 
that stream, among whom were some of the murderers. The cap- 
tured camp professed friendship, however, and pointed out the 
horses of Indians on the hill, which, they said, belonged to the 
parties whom the Colonel was anxious to kill or capture, stating 
that their owners were on the north side of Snake River, and be- 
yond reach. So well was their part acted that the officers believed 
their statements, proceeded to drive off the stock indicated, and 
started on their return. They soon found that a grievous error had 
been committed in releasing the village, whose male population 
were soon mounted upon war horses, and assailed the volunteers on 
all sides, forcing them to fight their way as they fell back to the 
Touchet River. Through the whole day and even into the night 
after their arrival at the latter stream, the contest was maintained 
— a constant, harassing skirmish. The soldiers drove the Indians 
back again and again, but as soon as the retreat was resumed, the 
enemy were upon them once more. Finally, after going into camp 
on the Touchet, Colonel Gilliam ordered the captured stock turned 
loose; and when the Indians got possession of it, they returned to 
Snake River without molesting the command any further. In the 
struggle on the Touchet, when the retreating soldiers first reached 
that stream, William Taylor was mortally wounded by an Indian, 
who sprang up in the bushes by the stream and fired with but a 
few yards between them. Nathan Olney, afterwards Indian Agent, 
seeing the act, rushed upon the savage, snatched from his hand a 
war club in which was fastened a piece of iron, and dealt him a 
blow on the head with it with such force as to cause the iron to 
split the club, and yet failed to kill him. He then closed with his 
antagonist in a hand-to-hand struggle, and soon ended the contest 
with a knife. There were no other casualties reported. 

Colonel Gilliam started from the Mission on the twentieth of 
March, with a small force destined to return from The Dalles with 
supplies, while he was to continue to the Willamette and report to 
the Governor. While camped at Well Springs he was killed by 



THE WHITMAN MASSACRE AND THE CAYUSE WAR. 317 

an accidental discharge of a gun, and his remains were taken to his 
friends west of the Cascades by Major Lee. This officer soon re- 
turned to his regiment with a commission as Colonel, but finding 
Lieutenant -Colonel Waters had been elected by the regiment to 
that position in his absence, he resigned and filled a subordinate 
office for the remainder of his term of enlistment. The attempt by 
commissioners, who had been sent with the volunteers, as requested 
by the Indians in a memorial to the Americans at the time the 
captives were ransomed, to negotiate a peaceful solution of the 
difficult problem, failed. They wanted the Indians to deliver up 
for execution all those who had imbued their hands in blood at 
Waiilatpu ; they wished the Cayuses to pay all damages to emi- 
grants caused by their being robbed or attacked while passing 
through the Cayuse country. The Indians wished nothing of the 
kind. They wanted peace and to be let alone; for the Americans 
to call the account balanced and drop the matter. The failure to 
agree had resulted in two or three skirmishes, one of them at least 
a severe test of strength, in which the Indians had received the 
worst of it, and in the other the volunteers had accomplished noth- 
ing that could be counted a success. The Cayuses, finding that no 
compromise could be effected, abandoned their country, and most of 
them passed east of the Rocky Mountains. Nothing was left for the 
volunteers but to leave the country also, which they did, and the 
Cayuse War had practically ended. 

The Cayuses, as a tribe, had no heart in the war. Joe Lewis 
told them immediately after the massacre that now they must fight, 
and advised them to send him to Salt Lake with a band of horses, 
to trade for ammunition with the Mormons. He started with a 
select band of animals, accompanied by two young braves; and a 
few days later one of them returned with the intelligence that Joe 
Lewis had killed his companion and decamped with the horses; and 
this was the last the Cavuses saw of the scheming villain. Thus 
matters stood until the spring of 1850, when the Cayuses were given 
to understand that peace could be procured by delivering up the 
murderers for punishment. At that time Tam-su-ky and his sup- 
porter's, including many relatives who had not in any manner par- 
ticipated in the massacre, were hiding in the mountains at the head 
of John Day River. The Indians who desired peace went after 



318 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

them, and a fight ensued, ending in the capture of nearly all of the 
outlawed band. In this fight " Cutmouth John," an Indian well 
known in Umatilla, while endeavoring to capture one of the mur- 
derers, received the wound which gave rise to his peculiar appella- 
tion. Only one of the five actually engaged in the bloody work at 
Waiilatpu (so the Whitman Indians assert) was captured, and he 
was Ta-ma-has, an ugly villain whom his countrymen called " The 
Murderer." It was he who commenced the work of death at 
Waiilatpu by burying a hatchet in Dr. Whitman's brain. Taking 
him and four others, several of the older men and chiefs went to 
Oregon City to deliver them up as hostages. They were at once 
thrown into prison, condemned and executed at Oregon City on 
June 3, 1850; and even the ones who had escorted them, in view 
of this summary proceeding, congratulated themselves upon their 
safe return. They believed that Ta-ma-has should have been 
hanged, but not the others; and to this opinion the few survivors 
of the tribe cling to the present day. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



OREGON BECOMES AX ORGANIZED TERRITORY. 



News Brought by Emigrants in 184-7 very Disheartening — Letter of 
Senator Benton — J. Quinn Thornton Sent to Washington to Urge 
Legislation — Incidents of his Journey — Joseph L. Meek sent to 
Washington after the Whitman Massacre — His Mid- Winter Journey 
■ — Interesting Account of the Contest in the Senate over the Oregon 
Bill — General Joseph Lane Appointed Governor — His Trip Over- 
land — Organization of the Goverment — Officers of the Old and New 
Governments — Census of 18^9 — Discovery of Gold in California — 
Beaver Money. 



ALTHOUGH the treaty settling the boundary line was signed 
and proclaimed in the summer of 1846, Congress, the follow- 
ing winter, failed to pass any act creating a government for the 
people of Oregon, notwithstanding the fact that more than ten 
thousand Americans were thus denied the protection of the General 
Government. An appropriation, however, was made for mail ser- 
vice to Oregon via Panama; an Indian Agent was appointed, also 
a postmaster each for Astoria and Oregon City. One of these 
officials, Mr. Shively, brought with him two letters for the people 
of Oregon. One was from James Buchannan, Secretary of State, 
expressing the deep regret of President Polk that Congress had 
neglected them, and assuring them that he would do all in his 
power to aid them, including occasional visits from vessels of war 
and the presence of a regiment of dragoons to protect the emigrants. 
The other was from Thomas H. Benton, explaining the situation of 
affairs at Washington, where it was dated in March, 1847. Senator 
Benton's letter ran as follows: — 



320 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Washington City, March, 1847. 

My friends (for such I may call many of you from personal acquaintance, all of 
you from my thirty years' devotion to the interests of your country) — I think it 
right to make this communication to you at the present moment when the adjourn- 
ment of Congress, without passing the bill for your government and protection, 
seems to have left you in a state of abandonment by your mother country. But 
such is not the case. You are not abandoned ! Nor will you be denied protection 
unless you agree to admit slavery. I, a man of the South, and a slaveholder, tell 
you this. 

The House of Representatives, as early as the middle of January, had passed 
the bill to give you a territorial government ; and in that bill had sanctioned and 
legalized your Provisional Organic Act, one of the clauses of which forever pro- 
hibited the existence of slavery in Oregon. 

An amendment from the Senate's committee, to which this bill was referred, 
proposed to abrogate that prohibition ; and in the delays and vexations to which 
that amendment gave rise, the whole bill was laid upon the table and lost for the 
session. This will be a great disappointment to you and a real calamity, already 
five years without law or legal institutions for the protection of life, liberty and 
property, and now doomed to wait a year longer. - This is a strange and anomalous 
condition, almost incredible to contemplate, and most critical to endure! A colony 
of free men, four thousand miles from the metropolitan government to preserve 
them! But do not be alarmed or desperate. You will not be outlawed for not ad- 
mitting slavery. 

Your fundamental act against that institution, copied from the Ordinance of 
1787 (the work of the great men of the South, in the great day of the South, pro- 
hibiting slavery in a territory far less northern than yours), will not be abrogated! 
Nor is that the intention of the prime mover of the amendment. Upon the record 
of the Judiciary Committee of the Senate is the author of that amendment, but not 
so the fact. It is only midwife to it. Its author is the same mind that generated 
the "Fire Brand Resolutions," of which I send you a copy, and of which the 
amendment is the legitimate derivation. Oregon is not the object. The most rabid 
propagandist of slavery can not expect to plant it on the shores of the Pacific in the 
latitude of Wisconsin and the Lake of the Woods. A home agitation for election and 
disunion purposes, is all that is intended by thrusting this fire brand question into 
your bill as it ought to be. I promise you this in the name of the South, as well as 
of the North ; and the event will not deceive me. In the meantime, the President 
will give you all the protection which existing laws can enable him to extend to you, 
and until Congress has time to act, your friends must rely upon you to continue to 
govern yourselves as you have heretofore done under the provisions of your own 
voluntary compact, and with the justice, harmony and moderation which is due to 
your own character and to the honor of the American name. 

I send you, by Mr. Shively, a copy of the bill of the late session, both as it 
passed the House of Representatives and as proposed to be amended in the Senate, 
with the Senate's vote upon laying it on the table, and a copy of Mr. Calhoun's 
resolutions (posterior in date to the amendment, but nevertheless its father) ; also a 
copy of your own Provisional Organic Act, printed by order of the Senate ; all of 
which will put you completely in possession of the proceedings of Congress on 
your petition for a territorial government, and for the protection and security of 
your rights. 

In conclusion, I have to assure you that the same spirit which has made me the 
friend of Oregon for thirty years — which led me to denounce the joint occupation 
treaty the day it was made, and to oppose its renewal in 1828, and to labor for its 
abrogation until it was terminated; the same spirit which led me to reveal the 



OREGON BECOMES AN ORGANIZED TERRITORY. 321 

grand destiny of Oregon in articles written in 1818, and to support every measure 
for her benefit since — the same spirit still animates me and will continue to do so 
while I live — which I hope will be long enough to see an emporium of Asiatic com- 
merce at the mouth of your river and a stream of Asiatic trade pouring into the 
valley of the Mississippi through the channel of Oregon. 

Your friend and fellow-citizen, 

THOMAS H. BENTON. 

The assurance contained in these letters that powerful friends 
were laboring in their interests, was a cheering thought amidst the 
disappointment of the unfavorable intelligence. It was felt that a 
representative direct from Oregon would be able to accomplish 
much, and Hon. J. Quinn Thornton, Supreme Judge of the Pro- 
visional Government, had been, during the past year, frequently 
urged by influential men, to proceed to Washington and labor with 
Congress in behalf of Oregon. In particular had the lamented 
Dr. Whitman requested him to do so, asserting that only the estab- 
lishment of a strong Territorial Government, one that the Indians 
would recognize as powerful, would " save him and his mission from 
falling under the murderous hands of savages." Mr. Thornton recog- 
nized the importance of such a delegate, and solicited Hon. Peter H. 
JBurnett, subsequently the first Governor of California, to undertake 
the mission, but without success. The news of the state of affairs 
at Washington brought by Mr. Shively, decided Mr. Thornton, and 
on the eighteenth of October, 1847, having resigned his judicial 
office, he departed on his arduous mission, armed with a letter from 
Governor Abernethy to President Polk. Mr. Thornton was by no 
means a regularly constituted delegate, since Oregon was not 
authorized to accredit such an official to Congress, but simply went 
as a private individual, representing in an unofficial manner the Gov- 
ernor and many of the prominent citizens of Oregon. In fact the 
Legislature, deeming its functions infringed upon by this action of 
the Governor, passed resolutions embodying their idea of the harm 
done the colony by the officiousness of "secret factions.'" There 
was not ready money enough in the treasury to have paid the pas- 
sage of Mr. Thornton, even had it been at his disposal. A collec- 
tion was taken up, contributions being made partly in coin but 
chiefly in flour, clothing, and any thing that could be of service or 
was convertible into money. A contract was made with Captain 
Roland Gelston, of the bark Whitton, to convey Mr. Thornton to 



322 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Panama,, and the vessel sailed at once for San Francisco, and thence 
to San Juan, on the coast of Lower California. Here the Captain 
informed his passenger that he must decline to fulfill his contract, 
as he desired to engage in the coasting trade. From the perplex- 
ing dilemma he was extricated by Captain Montgomery, command- 
ing the United States sloop of war Portsmouth, then lying at 
anchor in the harbor. This gentleman deemed the mission of Mr. 
Thornton of sufficient importance to the Government to justify him 
in leaving his station and returning with his vessel to the Atlantic 
Coast. He accordingly tendered the delegate the hospitalities of 
his cabin, and set sail as soon as preparations could be made for 
the voyage. The Portsmouth arrived in Boston Harbor on the 
second of May, 1848, and Mr. Thornton at once hastened to Wash- 
ington to consult with President Polk and Senators Benton and 
Douglas, those warm champions of Oregon, as to the proper course 
to pursue. By them he was advised to prepare a memorial to be 
presented to Congress, setting forth the condition and needs of the 
people whom he represented. This he did, and the document was 
presented to the Senate by Mr Benton and was printed for the use 
of both branches of Congress. 

There was still another representative of the people of Oregon 
at Washington that session of Congress — one with even better 
credentials than Mr. Thornton. This was Joseph L. Meek, the 
mountaineer and trapper, who had taken such a prominent part in 
organizing the Provisional Government. When, about six weeks 
after the departure of Judge Thornton, the massacre of Whitman 
at Waiilatpu plunged the settlers into a state of mingled grief and 
alarm, it was thought necessary to dispatch a messenger at once to 
Washington to impart the intelligence, impress the authorities with 
the precarious situation of the colony, and appeal for protection. 
Winter had set in with all its rigors in the mountains. The terrible 
journey made at that season six years before by Dr. Whitman, on 
his patriotic mission, the same person whose martyrdom now ren- 
dered a second journey necessary, was fresh in the ininds of all, 
and appalled the stoutest heart. Mr. Thornton had taken the 
longer, but safer, route by sea, but time was too precious, too much 
was at stake, to admit of the delay such a journey would impose, 
even if the vessel were at hand to afford the .means. -Nothing but 



OREGON BECOMES AN ORGANIZED TERRITORY. 323 

a trip across the thousands of miles of snow-bound mountains, plains 
and deserts, would be of any avail. In the emergency all turned to 
Joseph L. Meek as the one man in their midst whose intrepid 
courage, great powers of physical endurance, long experience in 
mountain life and familiarity with the routes of travel and Indian 
tribes to be encountered, rendered him capable of undertaking the 
task with a good prospect of success. Unhesitatingly he accepted 
the mission, resigned his seat in the Legislature, received his cre- 
dentials as a delegate from that body, and set out on the fourth of 
January for Washington, accompanied by John Owens and George 
Ebbetts, who decided to go with him and avail themselves of his 
services as guide and director. 

At The Dalles they were forced to delay several weeks until the 
arrival of the Oregon volunteers rendered it safe for them to proceed, 
since the whole upper country was overrun by hostile Indians. 
They accompanied the troops to Waiilatpu, where Meek had the 
mournful satisfaction of assisting in the burial of the victims of Cay- 
use treachery, among whom was his own daughter, and then were 
escorted by a company of troops to the base of the Blue Mountains, 
where they finally entered upon their long and solitary journey. 
By avoiding the Indians as much as possible, and whenever 
encountered by them representing themselves as Hudson's Bay 
Company men, they reached Fort Boise in safety. Here two of 
four new volunteers for the journey became discouraged and de- 
cided to remain. The other five travelers pushed on to Fort Hall, 
saving themselves from the clutches of the Bannacks only by Meek's 
experience in dealing with savages. It is needless to recount the 
many hardships they endured, the sleepless nights and dinner - 
days, the accidents, dangers, fatigues, narrow escapes from 
hostile Indians and the thousand discomforts and misadventures to 
which they were subjected. It is sufficient to say through all these 
they passed in safety, never forgetting for an instant the impera- 
tive necessity for haste, and never flinching from the trials that lay 
in their pathway. The hearty invitation to spend a few weeks here 
or there in the few places where they encountered friends and com- 
fortable quarters, was resolutely declined, and with only such delay 
as was absolutely required, they plunged again into the snowy 
mountain passes with their faces resolutely set towards the rising 



324 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

sun. They reached St. Joseph in but little more than two months 
after leaving the Willamette Valley, having made the quickest trip 
across the continent that had yet been accomplished at any season 
of the year. Meek was now reduced to most embarassing straits. 
Dressed in buckskin and blanket clothes and wolf skin cap, ragged 
and dirty in the extreme, beard and hair long and unkempt, with- 
out money or friends, how to get to Washington or how to conduct 
himself when there, were perplexing questions. He decided that 
the best way to accomplish his purpose was to be "Jo Meek." By 
assuming an air of great importance at one time, making a clown of 
himself at another, and generally interesting every one he met in 
himself and his mission, he succeeding in reaching Washington only 
a week or two later than Judge Thornton, though his news from 
Oregon was three months fresher. Meek was a relative of the 
President, and was well cared for during his stay in the Capital 
City. The intelligence brought by him, as well as his individual 
efforts, did much to aid Mr. Thornton and the friends of Oregon in 
Congress in securing the desired legislation. 

In addition to the memorial, Judge Thornton drafted a bill for 
organizing a Territorial Government, which was introduced and 
placed upon its passage. This bill contained a clause prohibiting 
slavery, and for this reason was as objectionable to the slaveholding 
force in Congress as had been the previous one. Under the lead 
of Senators Jefferson Davis and John C. Calhoun, this wing of the 
National Legislature made a vigorous onslaught upon the bill, 
and fought its progress step by step with unabated determination, 
resorting to all the legislative tactics known, to so delay its consid- 
eration that it could not be finally passed by the hour of noon on 
the fourteenth of August, the time fixed by joint resolution for the 
close of that session of Congress. The contest during the last two 
days of the session was exciting in the extreme, and the feeling in- 
tense throughout the Union. The friends of the bill had decided 
upon a policy of "masterly inactivity," refraining entirely from 
debate and yielding the floor absolutely to the "filibusters," who 
were therefore . much distressed for means to consume the slowly 
passing hours. Though silent in speech they were constantly 
present in force to prevent the opposition from gaining time by an 
adjournment. The bill was then on its second passage in the Sen- 



OEEGOJST BECOMES AN ORGANIZED TERRITORY. 325 

ate, for the purpose of concurrence with amendments which had 
been added by the House. On Saturday morning, August 12, the 
managers of the bill decided to prevent an adjournment until it had 
been disposed of, having a sufficient majority to pass it. The story 
of that memorable contest is thus told by Mr. Thornton, who sat 
throughout the scene an earnest spectator : — 

I re-entered the Senate Chamber with the deepest feelings of solicitude, and yet 
hopeful because of the assurances which had been given to me by the gentleman I 
have named [Douglas, Benton and Hale.] I soon saw, however, that Calhoun and 
Butler, of South Carolina ; Davis and Foote, of Mississippi ; and Hunter and Mason, 
of Virginia, as leaders of the opposition, had girded up their loins and buckled on 
their armor for the battle. 

When I explain a little the reader will not be surprised that I felt very nervous. 
The bill had previously been in the Senate and having passed went down to the 
House where it was amended, and now it had come back for concurrence. The 
debate when the bill was first in the Senate was one of thrilling interest. " There 
were giants in those days," and the field on which they fought and measured 
strength with each other was oue in which no man could be at a loss to find a foe- 
man worthy of his steel, since here might be encountered such mighty men as 
Douglas and Benton, Webster, Calhoun and Corwin. The last named gentleman 
having gotten the floor in the debate on the Oregon bill, the Senate adjourned. In 
this manner it became known at once throughout the city that Mr. Corwin would on 
the next day, after the preliminary business of the morning hour had been disposed 
of, address the Senate on that bill — the provision in it taken from the ordinance of 
1787, prohibiting slavery being the point of his departure, and human rights the 
subject of his address. At an early hour the gallery was literally packed full of the 
elite and beauty of the capital, most of them being brought hither by an unconquer- 
able desire to witness the triumph of right over wrong and of reason over passion 
which they felt sure would be achieved by their favorite orator's burning words 
consuming to ashes the sophisms relied upon by the advocates of slavery to defend 
the most gigantic evil that ever cursed a nation or stained its escutcheon. On the 
floor of the Senate were diplomatic representatives from every Court in Europe, 
already impatient to drink in the inspiration of the wonderful eloquence of an 
orator who had no equal in some respects and no superior in any. 

The preliminary business of the morning hour having been hurried through, 
Mr. Corwin, of Ohio, rose to his feet ; and during two hours commencing with his 
saying "Mr. President," and ending with the close of his wonderful address, no 
other sound was heard save occasionally that of one who seemed to catch at his 
breath, and no movement could be seen save in the varying muscles of the faces of 
the listening hearers as the orator's matchless manner, melodious voice, and ready 
command of most apt language alternately melted the heart into pity or kindled it 
into resentment, while, with inimitable skill and unequaled power, he portrayed 
" the sum of all villainies." 

This description of the effects of the address does not of course apply to such of 
his hearers as were the advocates of "the patriarchal institution." The faces of 
these seemed at times to be as much blanched with fear as would that of a nervous 
woman on being suddenly confronted by a death's head. At other times the face 
was equally white, yet the compressed lips, and the flashing eye and a peculiar ex- 
pression of the countenance as clearly as language could speak, showed that the 
heart was a burning volcano of the most fiery passions in the throes of a terrible 
eruption. 



326 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

When Mr. Cor win closed his memorable speech, there seemed to be quite an in- 
terval before those who heard gained their self-recollection, and a motion was made 
for the adjournment of the Senate. As, with others, I was slowly and thoughtfully- 
retiring, Father Richie, the most venerable journalist in the United States, a life- 
long advocate of slavery, and at that time editor of the government organ, nervously 
laid his hand upon my shoulder, and with lips as white as paper and quivering with 
emotion, he said: "A few speeches such as that would sever the bonds of this 
Union!" 

With such a scene as this fresh in my memory, the reader will not be surprised 
if on Saturday morning, the 12th of August, 1848, I felt, after my interview with 
Mr. Benton, Mr. Douglas and Mr. Hale, anxious for the results of the day's pro- 
ceedings on the bill returned for concurrence in the amendments made in the 
House. 

The friends of the bill, led by Mr. Benton, having taken their position, waited 
calmly for the onset of their adversaries, who spent Saturday until the usual hour 
of adjournment in skirmishing in force, as if feeling the strength of their oppo- 
nents. When the motion was made at the usual time in the afternoon for adjourn- 
ment, the friends of the bill came pouring out of the retiring rooms, and on coming 
inside the bar they voted No with very marked emphasis. I ought, perhaps to ex- 
plain that when many of the friends of the Oregon bill went into this room to rest 
upon lounges, and to smoke and chat and tell anecdotes, they left behind a trusty 
corps to observe the movements of the enemy, and through a vigilant page stationed 
at the door to give notice when it was necessary, to rise and rush inside the bar to 
vote No on all motions for adjournment. 

This state of affairs continued until after night when Judge Butler, of South 
Carolina, being the colleague of Mr. Calhoun, resorted to a sort of legislative fili- 
bustering with a view to thrusting aside the Oregon bill, under a motion to go into 
executive session for the purpose of enquiring into the conduct of Mr. Benton, who, 
he alleged, had communicated to Dr. Wallace, the reporter of the New York Herald, 
some things that had been said and done in secret session. During his remarks, 
Judge Butler characterized Mr. Benton's conduct as oeing "dishonorable." This 
word had only been pronounced when Mr. Benton sprang to his feet in great anger, 
and advancing rapidly toward Judge Butler with his clenched fist and violently 
gesticulating, said : "You lie, sir ! You lie ! ! I cram the lie down your throat ! ! ! " 
Both men wore long hair that age had made as white as wool, and yet they were 
only kept from violence on the floor of the Senate Chamber by Gen. Dix, of New 
York, Mason, of Virginia, and others, who, by placing themselves between the 
venerable Senators, prevented them from coming to blows. Thus restrained, Judge 
Butler said to Mr. Benton in a very loud and angry tone, " I will see you, sir, at 
another time and place." Mr. Benton immediately rejoined in great heat, "Yes, 
sir, you can see me at any other time and in any other place ; but you and your 
friends will take notice that when I fight, I fight for a funeral." 

Order being at length restored, the vote was taken on Judge Butler's motion to 
go into executive session, and the real object of the motion being seen to be the de- 
feat of the Oregon bill through the consumption of time, it was lost. 

Gen. Foote, the colleague of Jeff. Davis, then arose and in a drawling tone, as- 
sumed for the occasion, said his powers of endurance he believed would enable him 
to continue his address to the Senate until Monday, 12 o'clock M., and although he 
could not promise to say much on the subject of the Oregon bill, he could not doubt 
that he would be able to interest and greatly edify distinguished Senators. The 
friends of the bill, seeing what was before them, posted a page in the doorway open- 
ing into one of the retiring rooms, and then, after detailing a few of their number to 
keep watch and ward on the floor of the Senate, withdrew into the room of which 



OKEGON BECOMES AN OEGANIZED TEKKITOKY. 327 

I have spoken to chat and tell anecdotes and to drink wine, or, perhaps, something 
even much stronger, and thus to wear away the slowly and heavily passing hours 
of that memorable Saturday night. Soon great clouds of smoke filled the room, and 
from it issued the sound of the chink of glasses and of loud conversation, almost 
drowning the eloquence of the Mississippi Senator as he repeated the Bible story of 
the cosmogony of the world, the creation of man, the taking from his side the rib 
from which Eve was made, her talking with the " snake," as he called the Evil One, 
the fall of man, etc., etc. The galleries were soon deserted. Many of the aged 
Senators prostrated themselves upon the sofas in one of the retiring rooms, and 
slumbered soundly, while " thoughts that breathed and words that burned " fell in 
glowing eloquence from the lips of the Mississippi Senator, as he continued thus to 
instruct and edify the few watching friends of the bill, who, notwithstanding the 
weight of seventy winters pressed heavily upon some of them, were as wide awake 
as the youngest, and they sat firm and erect in their seats, watching with lynx eyes 
every movement of the adversaries of the bill. 

At intervals of about one hour, the speaker would yield the floor to a motion for 
adjournment, coming from the opposition. Then the sentinel page at the door 
would give notice to the waking Senators in the retiring room, and these would im- 
mediately arouse the slumbering Senators, and all would then rush pell-mell 
through the doorway, and when the inside of the bar was reached, would vote No 
with a thundering emphasis. 

It happened, however, on more occasions than one, that a sleeping Senator, not 
yet quite awake, even after getting inside the bar, voted " aye," then "nay," and 
then "aye," and finally " nay " again, to the great amusement of those who were 
sufficiently wide awake to see where the laugh came in. 

Occasionally southern Senators toward Sunday morning relieved Gen. Foote 
by short, dull speeches,' to which the friends of the bill vouchsafed no answer ; so 
that Mr. Calhoun and his pro-slavery subordinates had things for the most part all 
their own way until Sabbath morning, August 13th, 1848, at about 8 o'clock, when 
the leading opponents of the bill collected together in a knot, and after conversing 
together a short time in an under tone, the Mississippi Senator, who had been so 
very edifying and entertaining during the night, said that no further opposition 
would be made to taking a vote on the bill. The ayes and nayes were then called 
and the bill passed. 

President Polk affixed his signature to the bill within a few 
hours after its passage. To have the Territorial Government fully 
organized before the expiration of his term of office on the fourth 
of the succeeding March, was earnestly desired by him, in view of 
the circumstances attending his election. He appointed Meek the 
United States Marshal of the new Territory, and delegated him to 
convey the Governor's commission to General Joseph Lane, then 
residing in Indiana and unaware of the duty about to be imposed 
upon him, for such, under the circumstances, it really was. With 
that promptness of decision and energy of action so characteristic 
of him — qualities which won him the title of the " Marion of the 
Mexican War 11 — General Lane accepted the commission without 
hesitation, and in three days had disposed of his property, wound 



328 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

up his business affairs, and begun his journey to the far-off wilds of 
Oregon. A small detachment of troops escorted the Governor and 
Marshal, and after a journey of six months, by the way of Mexico 
and Arizona, seven only of them reached San Francisco, two hav- 
ing died and the others succumbed to the allurements of the new 
gold fields of the Sierras. These seven were Governor Lane, 
Marshal Meek, Lieutenant Hawkins, Surgeon Hayden, and three 
enlisted men. At San Francisco they took passage on the schooner 
Jeannette, and reached the Columbia after a rough passage of 
eighteen days. Ascending the Columbia and Willamette in small 
boats, a distance of one hundred and twenty miles, they debarked 
at Oregon City on the second of March, 1849. The following day 
Governor Lane issued a proclamation and assumed the duties of his 
office, having succeeded in instituting the Government just one day 
prior to the close of President Polk's administration. Other officers 
of the Territory did not arrive till several months later. The fol- 
lowing is a roster of the first officers of the Territorial Government, 
and those of the Provisional Government at the time of its dissolu- 
tion : — 

PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT. 

Governor, George Abernethy ; Secretary, S. M. Holderness ; 
Treasurer, John H. Couch ; Auditor, Geo. W. Bell (Public Ac- 
counts), Theophilus McGruder (Territorial); Supreme Judge, J. 
Quinn Thornton ; Circuit Judge, Alonzo A. Skinner ; Marshal, H. 
M. Knighton. 

TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT. 

Governor, Joseph Lane; Secretary, Kintzing Pritchett; Treasurer, 
*James Taylor ; Auditor, *B. Gervais ; Chief Justice, William C. 
Bryant ; Associate Justices, O. C. Pratt, P. H. Burnett ; Marshal, 
Joseph Meek ; Superintendent of Schools, *Jas. McBride; Librarian, 
*W. T. Matlock ; Territorial Printer, *Wilson Blain ; Commis- 
sioner of Cayuse War Claims, *Alonzo A. Skinner. 

One of the first acts of Governor Lane was to appoint marshals 
to take the census, as provided in the organic act. The following 
table shows the population as thus ascertained : — 

♦Appointed by Legislature, September 20, 1849. 



OREGON BECOMES AN ORGANIZED TERRITORY. 



320 





55 . 

en cs 

1* 


00 

E 


"3 

o . 

JSSP 

o3 

a 


Foreigners. 


«M 

o 
u 
o . 

.Q 02 

S N 

as 

o 
Eh 


O 
u . 

CD 02 

_Q m 

£ a 

03 ,C 

-M <M 

O 

Eh 




COUNTIES. 


0) 

(J) >^5 


> 

0D O 

^03 


o 

CD be 
5 =3 

Q) 03 

fen 


"3 

O 


Clackamas 


401 
346 
465 

49 
394 
337 

39 

295 

271 

4 


390 
293 
458 
100 

402 
327 

33 
269 
229 

22 


585 
468 
647 

75 
557 
509 

37 
359 
370 

20 


4 
5 

3 

1 

2 


12 
23 

94 
3 
8 
1 

31 

39 


5 

8 
13 

4 

4 

12 


1376 
1107 

1570' 

224 

1353 

1173 

109 

923 

870 

80 


17 

35 

112 

3 

15 

1 
36 

79 


1393 


Tualatin 


1142 


Champoeg 


1682 


Clatsop 


227 


Yamhill 


1368 


Polk 


1174 


Lewis 


145 


Linn 


923 


Benton 


870 


Vancouver 


159 






Total 


2601 


2523 


3627 


15 


211 


46 


8795 


298 


8083 







While Thornton and Meek were representing the people at 
Washington, an event occurred that in a few years wrought a 
marvelous change on the Pacific Coast. Captain John A. Sutter, a 
Swiss, had come to Oregon in 1838 and the following year gone to 
California, where he founded a settlement on the site of the present 
City of Sacramento, which he named " New Helvetia," though it 
was known far and wide as "Sutter's Fort." In the Oregon immi- 
gration of 1844 was James W. Marshall, who went to California 
the following year and entered the employ of Captain Sutter. In 
the fall of 1847 Marshall and Sutter entered into a partnership to 
do a saw-mill business, and Marshall went up into the Sierra 
Nevada Mountains and selected a location for the mill at Coloma, a 
place on the South Fork of the American River. It was on the 
nineteenth of January, 1848, that Marshall discovered gold in the 
tail race of the mill. As soon as this news was spread throughout 
California, nearly every able-bodied man hastened to Coloma, work 
of every kind being abandoned and much property sacrificed. The 
excitement was intense. The news of Marshall's wonderful dis- 
covery was carried East by the various routes of travel, and hun- 
dreds of emigrants learned of it while slowly plodding along on 
the Oregon trail, and were thus induced to change their destination 
to California. For several years thereafter overland emigration 
was almost exclusively to the gold fields of California. The intelli- 
gence did not reach Oregon till August, seven months after the 
discovery. There were then no regular means of communication 



330 HISTOKY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

between the Sacramento Valley and the Willamette. Every year 
a few people followed the old Hudson's Bay Company trail, some 
one way and some the other, and occasionally coasting or other 
vessels came to the Columbia from San Francisco; but the excite- 
ment of the gold discovery prevented the news from reaching 
Oregon by either of these routes, until it was finally brought by a 
vessel which came for a cargo of supplies for the San Francisco 
market. The effect produced upon such an adventurous class as 
were the early pioneers, can well be imagined. There was at once 
a rush for California, chiefly overland, as vessels were scarce, and it 
seemed as though Oregon would become depopulated. But this 
was only temporary. Family and business ties were strong enough 
to hold back many and to hasten the return of others. Not only 
was Oregon not depopulated, but she found in California the first 
outside market for her products she had ever enjoyed. It was for 
her the beginning of actual prosperity. Besides the gold dust 
brought back by returning miners, California gold poured into Ore- 
gon in a perfect stream, in exchange for grain, flour, vegetables, beef, 
bacon, and food products of all kinds. Miners pushed further north 
every year, until, in 1851, they crossed the line into Southern Ore- 
gon, and discovered rich diggings. After the first excitement sub- 
sided, emigration again turned in the direction of Oregon, while 
great numbers, abandoning the gold fields, came north to settle 
in the beautiful valley of the Willamette. 

The scarcity of money had always been a serious evil, increasing 
yearly with the population. When, in the winter of 1848-9, gold 
dust began to arrive from California, the material for such a 
medium was at hand; but, though the gold dust was worth from 
sixteen to eighteen dollars an ounce, returning miners could obtain 
but eleven dollars for it, while much of it was 'lost in passing from 
hand to hand. The Legislature promptly passed an act for the 
" assaying, melting and coining of gold," but the termination of the 
Provisional Government by the arrival, of Governor Lane, rendered 
the statute nugatory. Private enterprise stepped to the front and 
supplied the. want by issuing what is known as " beaver money," 
somewhat after the manner in which the "gold slugs" of Califor- 
nia were issued. These coins were of five and ten dollar denomi- 
nations, bearing on the obverse side the figure of a beaver, above 



OREGON BECOMES A\ ORGANISED TERRITORY. S31 

Which were the letters "K. M. T. A. W. K. C. S.,' 1 and beneath 
u O. T., 1849." On the reverse side was "Oregon Exchange Com- 
pany, L30 (irains Native Gold, 5 D," or " 10 pwts., 20 grains, 10 
D." The initial letters were those of the gentlemen composing the 
company— Kilbourn, Magruder, Taylor, Abernethy, Wilson, Rec- 
tor, Campbell and Smith. The workmanship on the coin was quite 
creditable. The dies were made by Hamilton Campbell, and the 
press and rolling machinery by William Rector. When money be- 
came more plentiful, the beaver coins quickly disappeared from cir- 
culation, since they contained about eight per cent, more gold than 
the national coins, and are now only to be found as mementoes in 
the possession of pioneers, in cabinets or among the collections of 
nuniisniatologists. No one w r as ever prosecuted for this infringe- 
ment of the constitutional prohibition of the coining of money by 
State Governments or individuals. 



CHAPTER XX. 



OREGON AS A TERRITORY. 



Organization of the Territorial Government — First Legislature — Towns 
in Oregon in 1850 — A Military Episode — John P. Gaines Succeeds 
General Lane as Governor — Lnharmony between Democratic Legisla- 
ture and Whig Officers — Three Newspapers Enter the Field — The, 
Steamer "Lot Whitcomb" — Oregon City and Salem Contest for the 
Capital — Wreck of the "General Warren" — Indian Troubles in 
^1851-2-3 — George L. Curry becomes Governor — Efforts to Form a 
State Constitution — Colville Mines — Indian War of 1855-6 — Polit- 
ical Complications — Eraser River Excitement — Oregon Admitted to 
the Union. 

OREGON remained in the Territorial state for ten years, suffer- 
ing all the evils of partisan government and political strife. 
The people early aspired to the rights and dignity of statehood, 
and the question of framing a constitution was ever present in pol- 
itics. The adjoining State of California was admitted into the 
Union under phenomenal conditions, without passing through the 
Territorial stage, and this did much to render the people of Oregon 
discontented with a Territorial government. But the most prolific 
cause of discontent was the length of time required to communicate 
with the seat of government at Washington. All laws passed by 
the Legislature were subject to disapproval by Congress, and it took 
several months to learn whether an act would not be thus rendered 
void. The same delay occurred in filling official vacancies, in im- 
parting instructions for the guidance of officers, and in transacting 
all business requiring communication between the Territorial author- 
ities and those at Washington. It was certainly an unwieldy and 
cumbersome form of government, and the people necessarily found 
it irksome and repulsive. 



OREGON AS A TERRITORY. 383 

Governor Lane called an election for the sixth of June, 1849, to 
choose a Delegate to Congress and members of the Territorial Leg- 
islature. The total vote cast for Delegate was 943, of which Sam- 
uel R. Thurston received 470; Columbia Lancaster, 321; James W. 
Nesmith, 104; Joseph L. Meek, 40; J. S. Griffin, 8. The appor- 
tionment of Councilmen and Representatives was made by the Gov- 
ernor in his proclamation. The names of the gentlemen elected to 
the iirst Territorial Legislature were as follows: Council — W. 
Blaiu, Tualatin; W. W. Buck, Clackamas; S. Parker, Clackamas 
and Champoeg; W. Shannon, Champoeg; S. F. McKean, Clatsop, 
Lewis and Vancouver; J. B. Graves, Yamhill; W. Maley, Linn; 
N. Ford, Polk; L. A. Humphrey, Benton. Representatives — D. 
Hill and W. M. King, Tualatin; A. L. Lovejoy, J. D. Holman 
and Gabriel Walliug, Clackamas; J. W. Grim, W. W. Chapman 
and W. T. Matlock, Champoeg; A. J. Hembree, R. C. Kinney and 
J. B. Walling, Yamhill; J. Dunlap and J. Conser, Linn; H. N. 
V. Holmes and S. Burch, Polk; M. T. Simmons, Lewis, Vancouver 
aud Clatsop; J. L. Mulkey and G. B. Smith, Benton. 

The Legislature assembled at Oregon City, July 16, 1849, and 
held a brief session, in which they apportioned their future mem- 
bership; changed the names of Champoeg, Tualatin and Vancouver 
counties to "Marion," "Washington," and "Clarke," respectively; 
decided what officers the various counties should have, and provided 
for their election the following October, and divided the Territory 
into three judicial districts. In October the county elections were 
held and the officers chosen qualified immediately. This was the last 
step in the complete organization of the government under the 
Oregon Bill. 

The year 1850 opened auspiciously for Oregon. A custom 
house had been established at Astoria, and regular steamer commu- 
nication opened between the accessible ports on the Willamette 
and San Francisco. Oregon contained then a dozen aspiring 
towns — Astoria, St. Helens, Milton (one and one- half miles above 
St. Helens), Portland, Milwaukie, Oregon City, Champoeg, Syra- 
cuse, Albany, Marysville (Corvallis), Cincinnati, Hillsboro, Lafay- 
ette, Salem, Lexington (on Clatsop Plains). Between Milwaukie 
and Portland there was much rivalry, each aspiring to be the head 
of permanent navigation for ocean steamers; and this was shared 



334 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

at times by St. Helens, as well as other ambitious points which 
never acquired much greater dignity than a mere name. It was 
found that navigation to Milwaukie was not practicable in low-water 
season, and even Portland was considered as too far up at one time, 
owing to the troublesome bar at Swan Island. The steamship com- 
pany decided to make St. Helens, or Columbia City (a new town 
below the mouth of the Willamette), the terminus, but were quickly 
brought back to Portland by a movement on the part of the mer- 
chants of that city to establish an opposition line. Since then, with 
but one exception, the ocean steamship terminus has remained con- 
stantly at the city of Portland. 

The military headquarters were at Oregon City in 1849-50, and 
at that point the greater portion of the First Mounted Rifles were 
stationed, the remainder taking post at Vancouver, Astoria and on 
Puget Sound. The regiment was commanded by Colonel Loring, 
afterwards General, who achieved a reputation in Egypt, as Loring 
Pasha. Early in the spring of 1850, a majority of the men suc- 
cumbed to the seductive influence of the gold excitement and deserted. 
Fully four hundred of them started for the California mines, and at 
Eugene City fortified themselves so that the soldiers and citizens 
who pursued them could not effect their capture. They then 
started south in small bands. Governor Lane was appealed to by 
the commanding officer, and hastily collecting a company of volun- 
teers he pursued and overtook a body of them in Rogue River Val- 
ley, who surrendered to him without resistance. Of the four hundred 
deserters, two hundred and sixty were thus captured, the remainder 
succeeding in reaching California and losing themselves among the 
miners. 

In April, 1850, Governor Lane received notification that he had 
been removed by the Whig President, Taylor, and Major John P. 
Gaines appointed in his place on the second of the previous October. 
On the twenty -seventh of May, he wrote to the Secretary of War 
that he was about to start for Rogue River, to make a treaty with 
the Indians of that region, which he hoped, to conclude by the 
eighteenth of June, and this date he fixed as the termination of his 
official duties. The new Governor had not yet arrived, and Gov. 
Lane set out immediately. He came to an amicable understanding 
with this turbulent tribe, and then passed into California to try his 



OREGON AS A TERRITORY. 335 

fortune in the mines. It was during this time that the Cayuse hos- 
tages were tried and executed at Oregon City, the uncertainty as to 
whether he was still in Oregon or not preventing the Secretary from 
assuming any authority. 

The general election for county officers and members of the Leg- 
islature was held in June. The new Territorial officers arrived in 
August, September, October and November — Governor Gaines 
assuming his duties on the nineteenth of September, being careful, 
however, to draw his salary from the date of his appointment, nearly 
a year before. The other new officials were: Edward Hamilton, 
Secretary; John McLean and William Strong, Judges; Amory Hol- 
brook, United States Attorney; John Adair, Collector of Customs; 
Henry H. Spalding, Indian Agent; Joseph L. Meek retained the 
office of Marshal. The Legislature assembled in December; being 
strongly Democratic in its composition, a want of harmony was at 
once developed between it and the Whig Territorial officers. In 
some respects this was the most important legislative session ever 
held in Oregon. But little had been accomplished the previous 
year, and it devolved upon this session to give Oregon a code of 
Liavs, and legislate for the radically new state of affairs brought 
about by a Territorial form of government, and the great increase 
in population and the sudden commercial awakening. It was com- 
posed of the leading and representative men of the Territory, and 
ably performed its function. 

Three newspapers sprang into being in the winter of 1850-51. 
On the twenty-ninth of November, 1850, the first number of the 
Western Star appeared at Milwaukie, then a formidable rival of 
Portland for metropolitan honors. Lot Whitcomb was the pub- 
lisher, John Orvis Waterman the editor, and Waterman and W. D. 
Carter the printers. On the fourth of December, Thomas J. Dryer 
began the publication of the Oregonian at Portland. A prospectus 

for a paper at Oregon City had been issued by Russell the fall 

before, also by Asahel Bush, but as they had no material they were 
compelled to delay publication. Mr. Bush was elected Public 
Printer by the Legislature, notwithstanding the fact that he was 
utterly without facilities for discharging the duties of the office, while 
the Star and Orc<ronian were ignored. In March his material 
arrival, and the first number of the Statesman was issued at Or< 



336 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

City. Mr. Bush was a representative Democrat, and the Statesman 
for years, while under his control, was the mouthpiece and official 
organ of the dominant faction of the Democratic party. The Star 
was also Democratic, but did not enjoy such a generous proportion 
of the " loaves and fishes " as did the official organ. The Oregonian 
was a Whig paper of the most pronounced type, and Mr. Dryer 
was a man of strong prejudices, energetic character and fiery dispo- 
sition. He had but one standard of measurement — political opin- 
ion. Everything that savored of Whiggery was good, while any- 
thing in the least tainted with Democracy was vile. The papers 
were full of politics and personal abuse, based upon political con- 
duct — the Oregonian and Statesman presenting the most marked 
antagonism. It was then the " Oregon style " of journalism had 
its birth, and nourished like the product of the mustard seed for a 
series of years. Argument gave way to invective; intelligent dis- 
cussion of political affairs there was none; the presentation of the 
most trivial piece of news was done in such a manner that its truth 
was made of secondary importance to its political effect, and even 
the most common of the social amenities were lost in the whirlpool 
of political animosity. Whatever may be said of other things as 
compared with pioneer days, there has certainly been a vast and 
most gratifying improvement in the character of Oregon journalism. 
In the fall of 1850, Lot Whitcomb began, at Milwaukie, the 
construction of a small steamer to ply upon the Willamette and 
Columbia, the pioneer of the great fleet which, in later years, bore 
the whole inland commerce of this region. A public meeting was 
held in the hall of the House of Representatives at Oregon City, 
early in December, at which it was decided to name the steamer the 
" Lot Whitcomb of Oregon," and a stand of colors was presented 
to the enterprising owner. On Christmas day the little craft was 
launched, amid the peal of cannon and the cheers of a great crowd 
of people who had assembled to witness the event, Governor Gaines 
formally christening her as above. This was followed by a grand 
ball in the evening. When the salute was fired, Captain Frederick 
Morse, of the schooner Merchantman, which was then in port, was 
killed by the bursting of a cannon. The steamer, a month later, 
made a trial trip, with a company of invited guests, to Vancouver 
and Astoria. She then took her place as a passenger and freight 



OD 

O 

w 
o 

= 




OREGON AS A TERRITORY. 337 

boat, and did excellent service. Captain Whitcomb retired from 
the Star, and in June, 1851, Waterman & Carter moved it to Port- 
land, and changed its name to the Oregon Weekly Times, being led 
to take this step by the plainly apparent fact that Portland was the 
coming metropolis of Oregon. 

On the ninth of April, 1851, Samuel R. Thurston, Delegate to 
Congress, while on his way back to Oregon, died on board the steamer 
California, while between Panama and Acapulco, and was buried 
at the latter place. The news reached Oregon a few weeks later — 
a month prior to the general election at which his successor was to 
be elected — and caused a general expression of sorrow from the 
people. At its next session the Legislature bestowed his name 
upon a county north of the Columbia River, now a portion of Wash- 
ington Territory, and later defrayed the expense of bringing his 
body to Oregon for burial. The general election was held on the 
second of June, and General Lane, who had returned from the mines 
of Northern California, became the Democratic candidate for Dele- 
gate to Congress. He received 2,093 votes, while only 548 were 
cast for William H. Willson, his Whig opponent. 

There were other things than politics to interest the people in 
1851 and 1852. Early in 1851, gold was discovered in Southern 
Oregon; several thousands of miners crowded into the diggings on 
the tributaries of Rogue River, and the town of Jacksonville sprang 
suddenly into existence. This opened a new market for Oregon 
products, and added greatly to the prosperity of the Willamette 
Valley. In an effort to find a suitable seaport for a base of sup- 
plies for the new mines, the Umpqua River was entered and several 
towns laid out, the most important of which was Scottsburg. The 
following year Douglas and Jackson counties were organized, from 
which Coos, Curry and Josephine were, in later years, cut off. The 
mines in Northern California, at Yreka (then called Shasta Butte 
City), and along Klamath and Scott rivers, also drew heavily upon 
the Willamette Valley for support. The discovery of gold in the 
Rogue River region led to the immediate occupation of choice loca- 
tions in the valley by farmers, who raised hay, grain and vegetables 
for the mines. Quite a number of these locations were made in 
1851, and in two or three years the best part of the valley w as 
occupied. In the Umpqua region, also, settlements, which were but 



33S HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

few prior to 1850, began to be more numerous, and in a few years 
quite a population was found in Southern Oregon, exclusive of those 
engaged in mining. The Indians of Rogue River Valley had shown 
a hostile spirit ever since the first Americans passed through their 
country, as has been shown in the narrative of several early events, 
and numerous collisions occurred between them and parties passing to 
and fro between the mines and the Willamette Valley ; several men 
were killed in this way, and many pack and saddle animals stolen. 
Brevet Major (afterwards General) Phil. Kearney, while passing 
through that region, on his way from Vancouver to Benicia, with 
two companies of troops^ was appealed to for aid in punishing the 
Indians. They came upon the savages on the bank of the river ten 
miles above Table Rock. Captain Walker took his company of 
infantrymen across the river, to get in the rear of the enemy, while 
Captain Stewart dismounted his dragoons and made an attack upon 
the rancheria. The Indians fled with the loss of several of their 
number. The only casualty on the part of the troops was the death 
of Captain Stewart, a gallant officer who had won distinction in the 
Mexican War, who was shot with an arrow by a wounded Indian 
after the battle was over. Later in the day a more severe battle 
was fought. 

Kearney was soon joined by Major Alvord, who, with a military 
escort, was engaged in surveying a route for a military road through 
Southern Oregon. With him was Jesse Applegate. General Lane 
happened to be passing through the country with a number of 
others, and upon hearing the news at once hastened to the aid of 
the military. The united force of soldiers and civilians then set 
out in pursuit of the savages. In a short time they came upon a 
party of them, who fled upon being charged, and escaped in the 
chaparral, leaving one of their number dead on the ground. Late 
in the evening another band was encountered and several were 
wounded, while twelve women and children were captured. The 
next day a long march revealed no enemy. The troops then con- 
tinued their march south, and the civilians returned to their homes 
and mines, or resumed their uninterrupted journeys. Soon after- 
wards Governor Gaines went to Rogue River Valley and negotiated 
a treaty with a portion of the Indians, assigning them a reservation 
north of the river. Soon afterwards Dr. Anson Dart was designated 



OREGON AS A TERRITORY. 339 

Superintendent of Indian Affairs by the President, and lie appointed 
A. A. Skinner agent for the Indians of that region. In spite of the 
treaty, trouble continued to arise between the incoming settlers and 
the native proprietors. A detachment of troops was stationed at 
Port Orford, under the impression that it was the nearest practica- 
ble route to the valley, though it was soon discovered that commu- 
nication between those two points was difficult and hazardous. 
There had been trouble at Port Orford, and a party of men had 
been besieged on Battle Rock in that harbor. An exploring expe- 
dition from Rogue River Valley to the coast, headed by W. G. 
T Vault, had met with disaster; consequently, Lieutenant- Colonel 
Casey led a detachment of troops up Coquille River, and severely 
punished the hostile Indians. 

Early in the summer of 1852, the Roo;ue River Indians began to 
give signs of an intention to go on the war path, and Agent Skin- 
ner arranged for a peace talk to settle all cause of grievance. A 
company of men, commanded by J. K. Lamerick, went to the Big- 
Bend, the scene of the proposed conference. There they met a small 
company, under Judge Elijah Steele, who had come over from 
Yreka in search of two Indian murderers. During the progress of 
the council a fiVht be°;an and thirteen Indians were killed. The 
next day, after a brief conflict, the Indians expressed a desire to 
make peace, and it was agreed that hostilities should cease. A few 
weeks later the Modocs began massacring emigrants who were 
passing through their country around Tule Lake. Two companies 
from Yreka, under Charles McDermit and Ben Wright, and one 
from Jacksonville, under John E. Ross, hastened to the scene of 
difficulty, buried the mangled bodies of two score emigrants, guarded 
the incoming trains, and severely chastised the savages. In the fall 
of 1N52 it was decided to establish a military post for the protec- 
tion of Northern California and Southern Oregon. Major Fitz- 
gerald accordingly built Fort Jones, in Scott Valley, and garrisoned 
it with his compan}- of dragoons. He was soon succeeded in com- 
mand by Captain B. R. Alden. The subsequent hostilities in that 
region are related in another chapter. 

On the thirty-first of January, 1852, the steamer General War- 
ren was wrecked at the mouth of the Columbia River. She -ailed 
from Astoria for San Francisco on the twenty-eighth of January, 



340 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

and was safely taken to sea by the bar pilot, Captain George Flavel. 
On the second day out she met with heavy weather and began to 
make water so alarmingly that the captain, Charles Thompson, put 
about for the purpose of returning to Astoria, as she had made but 
slight progress. Captain Flavel was picked up off the bar and 
took the steamer across, but when just inside she refused to mind 
her helm and drifted upon Sand Island. She again floated into 
deep water, when it was discovered that she would sink within a 
few minutes. As a last resort, Captain Thompson ordered the pilot 
to beach the vessel on Clatsop Spit. As soon as she struck, the sea 
began to break over her. This was at seven o'clock in the evening, 
and two hours later she broke in Wo. The passengers and crew clung 
to the wreck with the hope that it would hold together until morn- 
ing, but at about three o'clock Captain Thompson selected a crew 
of ten men, and putting them in the only boat left, requested Cap- 
tain Flavel to take command and go for aid. After a long and 
exceedingly hazardous trip they reached Astoria, sent a volunteer 
crew back to the wreck in a w^hale boat and followed in another 
one themselves. When they reached Clatsop Spit they were unable 
to discover even a vestige of the steamer. She had broken in pieces 
and been swept out to sea with the forty-two human beings who 
had clung to her. The steamer was an unseaworthy hulk that 
should have been condemned long before. 

The immigration of 1852 was very large. The tide which had 
turned towards California during the few years immediately follow- 
ing the discovery of gold, now set in towards Oregon again. Prac- 
tical experience in the mines had served to dispel, in a measure, the 
glamour surrounding them, and people with their eyes turned west- 
ward began to realize that the homestead the government gener- 
ously offered them in Oregon was preferable to the hazardous occu- 
pation of a miner. Many of them came with the intention of first 
locating a permanent home in the beautiful Willamette Valley and 
then make a trip to the mines to " try their luck," returning again 
to their land claim when satisfied with their experience with the 
rocker and sluice -box. The season was dry, and the great throng 
of cattle and horses soon disposed of every vestige of grass along 
the route, so that thousands of stock coming later in the summer 
famished and died, their putrid carcasses marking the route for those 



OKEGON AS A TEKEITOEY. 341 

who came after. There was much sickness, too, among the emi- 
grants mused by scarcity of water and food, for the slow progress 
made by the enfeebled cattle caused the supplies in many of the 
wagons to give out long; before the Columbia was reached, while 
some emigrants whose stock all died had to struggle along on foot 
with only such food as could be packed upon their backs. When 
news of the famishing condition of the emigrants reached the Wil- 
lamette, the people held public meetings in various places, to receive 
donations of money and supplies, and appoint commissioners to 
attend to their proper distribution. Flour and beef -cattle were the 
chief form in which aid was sent. Headquarters were established 
at The Dalles, and men went out on the route as far as the Grand 
Ronde Valley to carry food to those who were suffering. This 
movement of the people was spontaneous and unselfish in the highest 
degree, and the men who gave their services did so without asking 
or receiving any reward whatever; and yet loud complaints were 
made by some of the emigrants because they did not receive as 
large a share as they deemed themselves entitled to. At the Uma- 
tilla Agency — then called "Utilla" — Sylvester and John B. Hall 
interviewed the emigrants as they passed by, and took the name, 
age, and former residence of those who had died on the route. 
Their list, which must have been nearly complete, contained one 
hundred and twenty -one names, nearly all adults, chiefly from Illi- 
nois. Iowa and Missouri, and was published in Portland on the 
eleventh of December, 1852. It may be found by referring to the 
old files of the Times, or Oi'egonian. Another list, taken from the 
Sacramento Union, was published in the Times, November *20, 1852, 
giving names of those who died in the California trains, but em- 
bracing the losses of the entire einioration east of Fort Hall. 

On the first of January, 1853, and for a day or two following, 
occurred a disastrous flood in the Willamette. Heavy falls of snow 
in December were followed by copious warm rains, converting every 
brook into a foaming torrent and the river into a raging flood. The 
steamer Lot Wkitcomb was wrecked near Milwaukie, but was after- 
wards raised and repaired. At Oregon City, the old Abernethy 
store, McLoughliif s saw mill, the Island bridge, and other objects 
were washed away. General Palmer's mill, at Dayton, was carried 
down the stream, a number of tenements at Linn City started on a 



342 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

voyage to the Columbia, and much damage was done all along the 
stream. During the severe weather which preceded the flood,. large 
numbers of cattle, horses and mules died on the plains east of The 
Dalles. Many of them had been left there by the emigrants, to be 
grazed during the winter, while others belonged to men who had 
already gone into the cattle business on those since famous bunch- 
grass ranges. But a small percentage of the stock survived. 

The Legislature assembled at Salem in December, 1852, as did 
also the Supreme Court, the Whigs having been convinced that Salem 
was the legal seat of government. The Democrats still maintained 
a political ascendency, and when Governor Gaines addressed them 
a long gubernatorial message at the opening of the session, they 
declined to receive it, on the ground that as the Governor was not 
required to sign acts passed by them, and did not even possess the 
veto power, he was in no sense a portion of the legislative branch 
of the government, and had no more right to inflict them with mes- 
sages than any private citizen. Had the executive been of the right 
political faith they would, no doubt, have listened to a message 
from him as long as the moral law. During the session the subject 
of a State constitution was much discussed, and a bill providing for 
the holding of a convention passed the house, but died in the senate. 

The question of a division of the Territory also received the 
attention of the Legislature. Oregon at that time contained three 
hundred and forty -one thousand square miles, equal in area to the 
six great States of Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota and 
Wisconsin, by far too large for admission into the Union as a single 
State. Through it ran the great Columbia Biver, dividing it into 
nearly equal northern and southern parts, from the ocean to old 
Fort Walla Walla-, where the stream made a long sweep to the north. 
The great centers of population were the Willamette, Umpqua and 
Bogue Biver valleys. The region north and west of the Columbia 
was known as " Northern Oregon," and, during the previous five 
or six years, had become quite populous. Quite extensive ship- 
ments of coal, lumber and fish were being made from Buget Sound, 
on which three saw mills had already been established. The chief 
settlements in Northern Oregon at that time were: Bacific City and 
Chinook, near the mouth of the Columbia; Vancouver, occupied by 
the Hudson's Bay Company and a large number of employes, 



OEEGON kS A TERRITORY. 343 

United States troops, and many Americans who Lad settled in or 

near the town ; Forts Walla Walla, Okinagan and Colville, further 
up the Columbia; Fort Nisqually, on the Sound, belonging to the 
Puget Sound Agricultural Company; Olympia; New Market, or 
Tnmwater; Steilacoom, and Port Townsend, on the Sound, and 
many locations for agricultural purposes, especially along the Cow- 
litz, where the little town of Monticello was located. Besides being 
separated by a natural geographical boundary, the interests of the 
two sections were, to a large extent, different and often conflicting, 
and, as Northern Oregon was in a hopeless minority in the legisla- 
ture, it could accomplish nothing for itself in the matter of legisla- 
tion. The people of that region greatly desired self-government, 
and their fellow- pioneers of the Willamette were willing they should 
have it. 

The first step taken was on the fourth of July, 1851, when a 
public meeting was held in Olympia, to consider the question of a 
convention of delegates to memorialize Congress on the subject. 
Another was held in Cowlitz Precinct on the seventh, and on the 
twenty- third of August still another at Steilacoom. Nothing defi- 
nite was agreed upon. In September, 1852, T. F. McElroy and 
J. W. Wiley founded the Columbian at Olympia, and began at once 
to advocate a separate government. On the twenty-fifth of the fol- 
lowing November a convention of delegates assembled at Monticello 
and prepared a memorial to Congress, which was forwarded to 
Washington and presented by Delegate Lane to Congress. He 
had previously procured the introduction of a bill by the Commit- 
tee on Territories to create the Territory of Columbia. This was 
amended by changing the name to "Washington," and finally 
passed, receiving the President's approval on the third of March. 
The Oregon Legislature had addressed a memorial to Congress 
requesting such action as above, but it did not reach Washington 
in time to be of service. The new Territory embraced all of Ore- 
gon north of the Columbia River and the forty-sixth parallel, with 
Olympia as the seat of government. Major Isaac I. Stevens, of the 
r. S. Engineers, was appointed Governor by President Pierce; 
Charles H. Mason, Secretary; J. S. Clendenin, Attorney; J. Patton 
Anderson. Marshal; Edward Lander, Victor Monroe, and O. B. 
McFadden, Judges. The Governor's proclamation assuming the 



344 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

duties of his office was issued while he was crossing the Rocky 
Mountains, September 29, 1853. 

On the fifteenth of March, 1853, less than two weeks after his 
inauguration, President Pierce made a clean sweep of the Whig 
officials of Oregon, and appointed Democrats in their places, as fol- 
lows: Governor, General Joseph Lane; Secretary, Geo. L. Curry; 
Chief Justice, Geo. H. Williams; Associate Justices, Matthew P. 
Deady and Cyrus Olney; Marshal, James W. Nesmith; Collector of 
Customs, John Adair; Superintendent of Indian Affairs, Joel L. 
Palmer; Attorney, Benjamin F. Harding. Governor Lane reached 
Portland, by steamer, on the fourteenth of May, and was tendered 
a public reception in that city. He was nominated by the Demo- 
crats to succeed himself as Delegate to Congress, having for an 
opponent, A. A. Skinner, of Jacksonville, the " People's Candidate." 
The election was held on the sixth of June, Lane receiving four 
thousand five hundred and sixteen votes, and Skinner two thousand 
nine hundred and fifty -one. General Lane soon departed again for 
Washington, leaving the executive office in the hands of Secretary 
Curry, who w&s later appointed Governor. In November, John W. 
Davis was appointed Governor, and O. B. McFadden, Justice, vice 
Deady removed. Deady was re-appointed in August, 1854, vice 
McFadden resigned. 

The Legislature met in December, 1853, the government being 
then Democratic in all its branches. During the session the coun- 
ties of Coos, Columbia, Tillamook and Wasco were created. The 
formation of a State constitution was a pet measure among the 
leaders of the Democratic party, and they had but little trouble in 
passing a bill to test the opinion of the people on the subject at the 
next June election. The Whigs were opposed to the movement for 
the same reason that the Democrats favored it — the present strength 
of the latter at the polls, which would give them control of the gov- 
ernment and supply fat offices for the leaders of the movement. At 
the same time General Lane was endeavoring at Washington to 
have Congress authorize the people of Oregon to frame a constitu- 
tion, but unsuccessfully. The election was held on the fifth of 
June, resulting in a defeat of the measure by a vote of three thou- 
sand two hundred and ten in favor of it to four thousand and sev- 
enty-nine opposed, notwithstanding the fact that in other respects 



OEEGON AS A TERRITORY. 345 

the Territory gave a large Democratic majority. The greatest con- 
trast was in Jackson County, a great Democratic stronghold, which 
voted almost unanimously against it. The secret of this was that 
a movement was on foot in that region to have a new territory cre- 
ated out of Northern California and Southern Oregon, and the ad- 
mission of Oregon into the Union would be fatal to the scheme. 
Nothing daunted, the Democratic leaders and newspapers at once 
made that an issue for the next election. 

Governor Davis resigned and started for his home in Indiana on 
the fifth of August, 1854, and the executive duties again devolved 
upon the Secretary, George L. Curry. He was afterwards ap- 
pointed Governor, and B. F. Harding was appointed Secretary, be- 
ing succeeded as Attorney by W. H. Farrar. The Legislature con- 
vened at Salem in December, and one of the first questions it con- 
sidered was the creation of a county along both sides the Willam- 
ette from above Milwaukie to its mouth, taking in portions of 
Clackamas and Washington. A bill of a similar nature had been 
presented to the fornier Legislature, but too late in the session to 
secure favorable action. The county seat of Washington was at 
Hillsboro, and the people of Portland, now becoming quite a city, 
desired a county of their own. The peculiar shape of the proposed 
county won for it the jocular name of " Boot, 1 ' but though this may 
have been extremely funny it did not prevent the bill for the crea- 
tion of Multnomah County passing the House on the twenty -third 
of December by a vote of twenty -one to four. It also passed 
through the Council. Later in the session another new county effort 
came to grief. After much discussion in the House on a bill to 
create Willamette County out of portions of Yamhill, Clackamas 
and Marion, with county seat at Champoeg, it was indefinitely post- 
poned. A bill passed on the thirteenth of January, 1855, removing 
the seat of Territorial Government from Salem to Corvallis and 
the University from Corvallis to Jacksonville. 

The subject of a constitutional convention occupied much time 
during the session of this Legislature. The discussion was warm 
and protracted. Action, at one time, took the form of appointing 
a committee to draft one, but finally the controversy ended by the 
passage of a bill to take the sense of the people on the subject at 
the next general election. At the same time General Lane was 



346 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

seeking to have Congress to pass a bill authorizing a State constitu- 
tion to be formed by the people living west of the Cascades and 
south of the Columbia, but without success, beyond passing it 
through the House. At the June election the State went strongly 
Democratic, General Lane defeating John P. Gaines for Delegate 
by a vote of six thousand one hundred and seventy- eight to three 
thousand nine hundred and forty -three. Gaines was the candidate 
of the American, or Know-Nothing, party, which had succeeded the 
Whig organization as the opponent of Democracy. Notwithstand- 
ing the great majority, the Constitutional Convention, a pet measure 
of the Democratic leaders, was again defeated, and, as before, by 
Jackson County, which gave a Lane majority of one hundred and 
forty-two, and against convention of four hundred and twenty-two. 
The convention was defeated by a vote of four thousand eight hun- 
dred and thirty -five to four thousand four hundred and twenty, a 
majority of four hundred and fifteen, or seven less than in Jackson 
County. The opposition fought the constitution project fiercely, and 
were aided by Democrats in Jackson who still cherished the idea 
of a new Territory, and others who looked upon the State move- 
ment as premature. 

In April Mr. Bush moved the Statesman from Salem to Corval- 
lis, as he had previously done from Oregon City to Salem. Much 
fun was made of the paper which was being carted about the Ter- 
ritory " on wheels," but the publisher replied that the Statesman 
was published at the seat of government, wherever that might 
chance to be. The opposition to removal of the seat of govern- 
ment to Corvallis was very strong. Work had been commenced by 
contractors on the public buildings at Salem, which was at once 
discontinued. The matter was at once referred to the Secretary of 
the Treasury by Governor Curry for instructions as to the course to 
pursue in regard to money to be expended for public buildings. 
Early in July he received instructions from the department not to 
annul existing contracts nor make new ones, and not to remove his 
office from Salem, as the relocation act was deemed inoperative 
till acted upon by Congress. Contractors at once resumed work on 
the buildings at Salem. Governor Curry and Secretary Harding 
promptly removed their offices back to Salem, in accordance with 
instructions, and again Oregon had two capitals. 



OREGON AS A TERRITORY. 347 

The incidents attending the discovery of gold, and the Indian 
wars of 1855 to 1858, are related at length in subsequent chapters. 
On the second of November, 1855, the Pacific Telegraph Company 
began stretching wires south from Portland. The first telegraphic 
message in Oregon was sent over this wire from Oregon City to 
Portland, on the sixteenth of November, 1855. It was as follows: 

Oregon City, Friday 16, 5 p. m. 
First flash from Oregon City to Portland. Compliments of the Pacific Telegraph 
Company to the editor of the Oregonian. How are you, old fellow? Give us your 
hand. Please send us the latest news from The Dalles and Yakima country. [This 
was just after Major Haller's defeat in Yakima.] Any news of interest from Puget 
Sound? The machines work well. More to-morrow. 

CHAS. P. JONES. 

In September, Secretary Harding received instructions from 
Washington not to disburse any money for public buildings not 
located in Salem, nor for mileage or pay of members of Legislature 
meeting at any place except Salem. This settled the question prac- 
tically, and it became the general opinion of members that they 
must assemble at Corvallis for sake of legality, but must adjourn 
at once to Salem, for sake of their salaries. On the third of Decem- 
ber both houses convened at Corvallis, and the first bill introduced — 
on the sixth — was to relocate the seat of government at Salem. 
The House passed it on the tenth, to take effect on the twelfth. It 
was reported at once to the Council and an effort made to rush it 
through, which failed for want of a quorum. The next day motions 
were made to amend, so as to submit it to popular vote, also to 
substitute Eugene City for Salem, then Portland, Koseburg and 
Albany, all of which were defeated. On the twelfth it was amended 
to take effect the fifteenth, and passed. The House concurred in the 
amendment the same day. The members at once journeyed to 
Salem, accompanied by the States?nan, and the session was reopened 
on the eighteenth. On the night of the twenty-ninth the State 
House — nearly completed — was destroyed bj fire, together with the 
library and archives of the Territory. It was conceded to be fche 
work of an incendiary. A bill was introduced into the House for 
submitting the question of location of the capital to popular vote 
at the next general election. It passed muster in both houses and 
became a law. 

Just before the session came to a close, a bill providing for an 
election, in April, of delegates to a convention in July, which should 



348 HISTOKY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

frame a constitution, to be voted upon at the next general election, 
was rushed through the House, under a suspension of the rules. 
The Council was equally prompt in passing it. At the election 
eight thousand four hundred and forty -three votes were cast, and a 
majority of two hundred and forty-nine were in favor of not hold- 
ing a convention. The delegates elected never attempted to as- 
semble. 

At the general election in June the voters indicated their pref- 
erence for a permanent seat of government. The act provided that 
in case no town had a clear majority of all the votes cast, a special 
election should be held the first Monday in October, to decide 
between the two receiving the greatest number. The ballots, as cast, 
and canvassed in the different counties, gave the four leading con- 
testants the following votes: Eugene City, two thousand six hun- 
dred and twenty-seven; Corvallis, two thousand three hundred and 
twenty-seven; Salem, two thousand one hundred and one; Portland, 
one thousand one hundred and fifty-four. Neither had a majority, 
but Eugene City and Corvallis were the highest two, and between 
them the final decision was to be made in October. So it was pub- 
blished in all the papers, and so it was understood universally. There 
was a surprise in store for everybody. It was one of the provisions 
of the act that the returns should be filed with the Secretary of the 
Territory within forty days, and at the expiration of that time he was 
to canvass them and officially declare the result. The counties of 
Wasco, Tillamook, Jackson, and Josephine failed to comply with the 
law in this respect, and were omitted from the canvass. Corvallis 
had received a large majority in Jackson County, and the loss of it 
placed her behind Salem. The official result was certified by Sec- 
retary Harding, as follows: Eugene, two thousand three hundred 
and nineteen; Salem, two thousand and forty-nine; Corvallis, one 
thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight; Portland, one thousand 
one hundred and fifty-four. In accordance with this, a special elec- 
tion was called for the first Monday in October, to decide finally 
between Eugene City and Salem. It is needless to say that the 
people generally were very much disgusted, while the citizens of 
Corvallis were greatly incensed. The subject was much discussed, 
and it became known that the authorities at Washington held that 
Salem was the seat of government by virtue of an act of Congress, 



OREGON AS A TERRITORY. 349 

which act neither the Legislature nor people had the power to 
change; and that no rnoney would be paid for the construction of 
public buildings or rental of offices at any other point, or for the 
expenses of a legislative session held at any place but Salem. 
General apathy followed, and when the first Monday in October came 
around few people took the trouble to vote. Less than a hundred 
votes were cast in the city of Portland, while in many places no polls 
were opened whatever. Curry, Marion, Tillamook, Polk ami 
Wasco made no returns to the Secretary. Of the legal votes cast, 
Eugene City received two thousand five hundred and fifty-nine, and 
Salem four hundred and forty-four. Corvallis received one regular 
vote, and three hundred and eighteen irregular ones, the latter be- 
ing east by the citizens of that place, who did not propose to be 
cheated out of their honors by a mere technicality, but who did 
not open their polls in a regular manner. 

According to the returns of the special election Eugene City be- 
came the seat of justice; but the election was ignored, and both 
the Legislature and the Supreme Court assembled at Salem in De- 
cember. Xo salary would have been received by the members had 
they met in Salem, and there was danger that Congress would de- 
clare the session illegal. These difficulties were obviated by re- 
maining in Salem. The question of a constitutional convention 
again came before the Legislature, and an act was passed providing 
for the holding of one in August, 1857, provided the people so de- 
cided at the previous June election, at which time, also, delegates 
were to be chosen. A great change had come over the sentiments 
of the people on this question, owing to divers causes. The people 
of Jackson and Josephine counties had abandoned their idea of a 
new Territory; the people generally had become tired of the crudi- 
ties and annoyances of a territorial government; and, finally, the 
Territory had claims to the amount of several million dollars against 
the Government for expenses incurred in the Indian wars, and it 
was evident to all that they stood a much better chance of securing 
these with two Senators and a Kepresentative to talk and vote for 
them, than simply with a Delegate who had no vote at 'all. The 
consequence of this revolution in popular sentiment was a great ma- 
jority in favor of a convention, the vote standing seven thousand two 
hundred and nine to one thousand six hundred and sixteen. Gren- 



350 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

eral Lane was again the Democratic nominee for Delegate, and was 
elected, receiving five thousand six hundred and sixty-two votes. 
There was no regularly organized opposition, since the Whig party 
was dead, the American, or Know-Nothing had become disorgan- 
ized, and the new Republican party had not been organized as yet 
in Oregon. The opposition concentrated on G. W. Lawson as an 
independent candidate, and gave him three thousand four hundred 
and seventy -one votes, a minority of two thousand one hundred 
and ninety- one. 

The delegates convened at Salem on the seventeenth of August, 
1857, and organized by electing M. P. Deady, President, and C. N. 
Terry, Secretary. After an animated session the convention ad- 
journed on the eighteenth of September, their work, as a whole, 
being adopted by a vote of thirty -five to ten — fifteen members being 
absent. The following gentlemen composed the convention: — 
Benton — John Kelsay, H. C. Lewis, H. B. Nichols, Wm. Matzger; 
Clatsop — Cyrus Olney; Columbia — John W. Watts; Clackamas — 
James K. Kelly, A. L. Lovejoy, Wm. A. Starkweather, H. Camp- 
bell, Nathaniel Bobbins; Coos — P. B. Marple; Curry — William H. 
Packwood ; Douglas — M. P. Deady, Solomon Fitzhugh, Stephen S. 
Chadwick, Thomas Whitted; Josephine — S. B. Hendershott, W. H. 
Weitkms; Jackson — L. J. C. Duncan, J. H. Reed, Daniel Newcomb, 
P. P. Prim; Linn—DelsLZon Smith, Luther Elkins, John T. Crooks, 
J. H. Brattain, James Shields, Reuben S. Coyle; Lane — Enoch 
Hoult, W. W. Bristow, Jesse Cox, Paul Brattain, A. J. Campbell, 
Isaac R. Moores; Marion — George H. Williams, L. F. Grover, J. 
C. Peebles, Joseph Cox, Nicholas Shrum, Davis Shannon, Richard 
Miller; Multnomah — S. J. McCormick, William H. Farrar, David 
Logan; Multnomah and Washington — Thomas J. Dryer; Wash- 
ington — E. D. Shattuck, John S. White, Levi Anderson; Polk — 
Reuben P. Boise, F. Waymire, Benjamin F. Burch; Polk and Til- 
lamook — A. D. Babcock; Umpqua — Levi Scott, Jesse Applegate; 
Wasco— C. R. Meigs; Yamhill— M. Olds, R. V. Short, R. C. Kin- 
ney, John R. McBride. 

The questions of slavery and free negroes had been purposely 
avoided in the convention, and were engrafted upon the schedule 
as special articles, to be voted upon by the people separately. The 
constitution was opposed by some people because it did not pro- 



OREGON AS A TERRITORY. 351 

hibit slavery, and by others because it did not establish slavery. 
The seat of government was also objectionable to some who were 
opposed to Salem. A special election was held on the second of the 
following November, and resulted as follows: For constitution, 
seven thousand one hundred and ninety -five; against, three thousand 
two hundred and fifteen. For slavery, two thousand six hundred 
and forty -five; against, seven thousand seven hundred and twenty - 
seven. For free negroes, one thousand and eighty-one; against, 
eight thousand six hundred and forty. The Territorial Legis- 
lature convened on the eleventh of December, 1857, and held its 
usual session. For the regular June election, 1858, full State 
tickets were nominated by the Democratic and Republican parties? 
the contest resulting in a sweeping victory for the Democrats, as 
follows: Representative to Congress — L. F. Grover, five thousand 
eight hundred and fifty-nine; James K. Kelly, four thousand one 
hundred and ninety. Governor — John Whiteaker, five thousand 
seven hundred and thirty -eight; E. M. Barnum, four thousand two 
hundred and fourteen. Secretary of State — Lucien Heath, five 
thousand seven hundred and forty-six; E. A. Rice, three thousand 
six hundred and fifty-nine. Treasurer — John D. Boon, five thousand 
six hundred and seventy-six; J. S. Bramley, three thousand five 
hundred and thirty-one; E. L. Applegate, live hundred and ninety. 
State Printer — Asahel Bush, four thousand nine hundred and fifty - 
eight; James O'Meara, four thousand iive hundred and fifty-seven; 
D. W. Craig, four hundred and thirteen. M. P. Deady, R. E. Strat- 
ton, R. P. Boise, and A. E. Wait were chosen Justices of the Su- 
preme Court. According to the constitution a special term of the 
newly elected State Legislature convened in Salem on the fifth of 
July, for the purpose of electing two United States Senators. It 
was composed of thirty -eight Democrats and eleven Republicans. 
On the eighth of July the oath of office was administered to Gov- 
ernor Whiteaker by Judge Boise, and the machinery of the new 
Government was put in operation. 

The Legislature elected Joseph Lane and Delazon Smith to rep- 
resent Oregon in the United States Senate, and adjourned after a 
session of four days. Soon afterwards word was received that Con- 
!ire-> had adjourned without the House passing the enabling act 
which had passed the Senate early in May, and that Oregon must 



352 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

remain a Territory until the next session. For some time the proper 
course to pursue was warmly discussed. There were two full sets 
of officers and two forms of government. Gradually it became the 
general opinion that the State officers should remain quiet and per- 
mit the Territorial Government to proceed unembarrassed. Under 
the constitution the State Legislature should have met in September, 
but at the appointed time only nine representatives and two sena- 
tors made their appearance in Salem, and these adjourned after two 
useless meetings. On the sixth of December the Territorial Legis- 
lature again assembled and held its regular session. Soon after its 
adjournment news was received that Oregon had been admitted into 
the Union. Senator Smith and Representative Grover had gone to 
Washington the fall before, and when Congress assembled had 
joined with Delegate Lane (Senator elect) in urging the passage of 
an enabling act for Oregon. It early passed the Senate, but met 
with bitter opposition in the House, being supported by the Demo- 
crats and opposed by the Republicans. Finally, on the twelfth of 
February, 1859, it was passed by a strict party vote. It then 
received the signature of President Buchanan, and Oregon Territory 
was a thing of the past. 



The following are the signatures of the Delegates to the Consti- 
tutional Convention held in Salem, September 18, 1857: — 




/%^ C^a^/Our^C -^^^o<^ yl^J^^i 



GL^d^^gst*/! <^»V^ /9vx 



^ 



^, *%, /u~<Jd 




3. 












A4^Ij\ 




,14 Zf-^ 




'0.s£~~/J<J£ 



'■~S°/Z, 













jz^qj 







CHAPTER XXI. 

INDIAN WARS OF 1853 AND 1854. 

Outrages Committed in Rogue River Valley — Volwtfeer Companies 
Organized — General Lane Takes Command — Defeat of Lieutenant 
Griffin and of Lieutenant Ely — Indians Defeated at Battle Creek — 
Armistice of Seven Days — The Table Rock Treaty — Incidents of the 
-Peace Talk " — The Grave Creek Massacre — Captain Miller Sent to 
Escort Emigrants through the Modoc Country — Expenses of the War 
Paid by the Government — Events of 185 Jf — The Snake River Massa- 
cre — Expedition of Major Roller to Fort Boise. 

TROUBLE was again experienced with the Indians in Rogue 
River Valley in the fall of 1853. It began early in August 
by the perpetration of several murders in different localities by 
members of several different bands of the tribe, apparently without 
any preconcerted action whatever. Feeling uneasy at the presence 
of a small band of these Indians, though there is no evidence to 
show that they had been concerned in any of the murders mentioned, 
a party of men attacked their carup, killed one buck and wounded 
others, and carried the women and children to a stockade which 
Sad been erected for the protection of the settlers, retaining them 
there as hostages. A few days later the warriors surrendered, and 
were kept with their families at the stockade, where, also, the 
settlers were assembled for mutual protection. In a few days the 
warriors rebelled, killed four of the men and wounded three others, 
making good their escape. A state of war now existed. The 
people collected at Jacksonville and at half-a-dozen central points 
in the settlements, and " forted up, 11 while the Indians busied them- 
selves in destroying the abandoned homes. A courier was at once 
dispatched to notify Captain Alden, at Fort Jones, and that officer 
hastened to Jacksonville with twenty men, all the force that could 



354 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

be spared from the post. Two companies of volunteers — ninety 
men under Captain J. P. Goodall, and sixty under Captain Jacob 
Rhoades — were organized at Yreka and came over to aid the Ore- 
gon settlers. Six companies of volunteers were raised in Southern 
Oregon, commanded by Captains R. L. Williams, J. K. Lamerick, 
John F. Miller, Elias A. Owens, and W. W. Fowler, the last named 
being designed solely for the protection of Jacksonville. The other 
companies all assembled at Camp Stewart and were organized into 
a battalion, of which Captain Alden assumed command by request, 
the effective force numbering some three hundred men. Each 
volunteer was mounted, armed and dressed according to his own 
fashion. It was a nondescript body of soldiery, but, none the less, 
one well fitted for the work in hand. 

Meanwhile, the Indians had also united and taken up a position 
on Table Rock, which they fortified with considerable skill by 
means of a ditch and a rampart of earth and rocks. This, however, 
they soon abandoned, and retired into the mountains, and it took 
several days to ascertain their whereabouts. A messenger was dis- 
patched to Acting Governor Curry, soliciting aid in prosecuting the 
war, but before it arrived the war was over. General Lane heard 
of the difficulty while at his home on Deer Creek, Douglas County, 
and hastily collecting about fifty volunteers, he was soon with the 
battalion at Camp Stewart. Captain Alden tendered him the com- 
mand of the force, and he accepted it. Meanwhile, several collisions 
had occurred between the whites and detached bands of savages. 
Lieutenant Burrell B. Griffin, with some twenty men of Miller's 
company, had a fight with about twice that number of Old John's 
band, led by the chief in person. The whites were defeated with a 
loss of one killed and two wounded, including the Lieutenant. The 
Indians subsequently admitted the loss of five killed and wounded. 
This battle occurred near the confluence of Applegate and Williams 
creeks. Two days before this, John R. Harding and William R. 
Rose, of Lamerick's company, while on their way from Camp Stew- 
art to Jacksonville, were fired upon by Indians when near Willow 
Springs. Rose was killed and Harding so severely wounded that 
he died shortly afterwards. Other incidents were the capture and 
shooting of a suspected Indian by Angus Brown, the hanging of an 
Indian child in the town of Jacksonville, the hanging of iive Indians 



INDIAN WAKS OF EIGHTEEN FIFTY-THREE-FOUK. 355 

upon one tree at another point, and a number of other incidents 
which reflect no credit upon those engaged in them, and serve to 
show to what a pitch the feelings of the people had been aroused. 
A collision occurred a few days before the arrival of General 
Lane, which showed that the campaign was to be something more 
than child's play. On the sixteenth of August a detachment of 
twenty -two men from Goodall's company was sent out under Lieu- 
tenant Simeon Ely, to reconnoitre. The next day, when about two 
miles northwest of Table Rock, the men picketed their horses in the 
flat and sat down to enjoy dinner; sentries were stationed, but 
soon left their posts and gathered with the rest around the smoking 
viands. Just at this blissful moment there came a volley of bullets 
from a fringe of willows close by, that killed and wounded ten of 
their number. Leaving their horses they rushed to cover, and gain- 
ing a strong position amid the brush and fallen timber, they kept 
the savages at bay. Privates Terrell and McGonigle set out for 
help, and before the enemy had completely surrounded them got 
away and hastened to Camp Stewart, seventeen miles distant, where 
Goodall's company was stationed. Goodall and his men set out at 
top speed, and in the shortest practical time arrived on the field. 
J. D. Carly and five others were in the advance, and when the In- 
dians saw them they decamped at once, carrying away eighteen 
horses, blankets, etc. The casualties inflicted on Ely's men were 
found to be — Sergeant Frank Perry and Privates P. Keith, A. 
Douglas, A. C. Colbourn, L. Stukting, and William Neff, killed 
outright; and Lieutenant Ely and Privates Zebulon Sheets, John 
Alban and James Carroll, wounded. Carl Vogt, a German, is said 
to have been killed at this fight, although his name is not to be 
found in any official documents relating to the killed in the war. 
The Indians had fallen back, and the main force under Captain 
Alden came up during the night, and all camped on the flat. The 
next morning the dead were buried with the honors of war. Scouts 
sent out reported that the Indians had retired a long distance into 
the mountains, setting fire to the woods in their rear, and almost 
obliterating their trail. It was decided by the council of officers 
that it was necessary to return to headquarters and recruit with 
jerked beef and other frontier relishes, in preparation for still more 
arduous duties. This was done, and they were thus preparing for 



356 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

a campaign when General Lane arrived, as described above, and 
assumed command. 

The companies of Miller and Lamerick, composing a battalion 
in charge of Colonel Eoss, were ordered to proceed down Evans 1 
Creek to the supposed vicinity of the enemy. The regulars and the 
two California companies of Goodall and Bhoades, under Captain 
Alden, were ordered to proceed up Trail Creek to the battle ground 
where Ely was found by the Indians. General Lane himself pro- 
ceeded with Captain Alden's battalion. Scouts reported late in the 
day that the Indians had taken to the mountains west and north 
of Evans 7 Creek. Early on the following day (August 23), the 
line of march was taken up and the Indian trail followed through 
a very difficult country — mountainous, precipitous and bushy — 
where there was constant prospect of going astray, as the trail left 
by the savages was very dim and nearly obliterated by fire. On the 
morning of the twenty-fourth a shot was heard, and scouts came in 
directly afterward and reported the enemy encamped in a thick 
wood filled with underbrush, apparently impenetrable to horses. 
General Lane decided to attack instantly. The first intimation the 
savages had of the approach of the enemy, was a volley of bullets. 
They were not stampeded by this rough salute, however, but, catch- 
ing up their guns, entered with zest into the fight, while the squaws 
and other impedimenta were sent out of harm's way. Captain 
Alden was wounded early in the fight, and his regulars had diffi- 
culty in preserving him from the Indians, who attempted his cap- 
ture as he lay upon the ground. Pleasant Armstrong, of Yamhill 
County, a much respected gentleman who had volunteered with 
General Lane, was mortally wounded by a bullet in the breast and 
fell, it is said, exclaiming, "A dead center shot!" The fight was 
very warm, and lasted for an hour, when the pack trains arrived 
with their guard. Leaving fifteen men to guard the animals, Gen- 
eral Lane took command of the others, not more than ten in num- 
ber, and ordered a charge, to drive the natives from their cover. 
Being in advance he approached within thirty yards of the nearest 
Indians, when he received a severe bullet wound through the right 
arm. Still exposing himself, he was forcibly dragged behind a tree, 
where he continued to direct the fight. He gave orders to extend the 
line of battle so as to prevent the Indians from outflanking his force 



INDIAN WARS OF EIGHTEEN FIFTY -THREE-FOUR. 357 

and feeling the loss of blood, retired temporarily to have his wound 
attended to. At this juncture the Indians, having found that Gen- 
eral Lane was in command of the whites, began to call to him and 
to the soldiers, professing their readiness to treat for peace. Robert 
Metcalf, Sub-agent for the Indians, went to their camp, and through 
him and others negotiations were commenced, General Lane having 
returned to the front. Not wishing to inform the savages of his 
wound, the General went among them, having thrown a heavy coat 
over his shoulders so as to conceal his arm. An armistice of seven 
days was agreed upon, at the conclusion of which a final peace talk 
should be held at Table Rock, where a treaty was to be arranged, 
the Indians deliver up their arms, and a reservation be assigned 
them at Table Rock. 

. During the following night Colonel Ross arrived with his bat- 
talion, and Chief Sam came 'in with about half the warriors, with 
whom he had been reconnoitering for a permanent camp. It seems 
that as soon as the engagement began, runners were sent out by Joe 
to apprise his brother of the state of affairs, and hasten his return. 
The distance prevented his arrival in time to take part in the fight, 
and his braves had no opportunity to display their valor. It, there- 
fore, may have been providential that Ross' battalion arrived when 
it did. The Indians owned to a loss of twelve killed and wounded. 
John Scarborough, of the Yreka volunteers, and Pleasant Arm- 
strong were killed, and General Lane, Captain Alden, Privates 
Thomas Hays, Henry Flesher and Charles Abbe were wounded, 
the latter mortally. Captain Alden died two years later from the 
result of his wound, and General Lane never quite recovered from 
his own hurt. As soon as the terms of the armistice were arranged, 
the troops took up their march homeward and went into camp at 
Hailey's (Bybee's) Ferry, giving the location the name of " Camp 
Alden," in honor of the gallant Captain. 

Reinforcements began to arrive from various quarters by the 
time the forces returned to the valley. Among other things a 
howitzer was sent by the authorities at Fort Vancouver, with a 
supply of ammunition, forty muskets, four thousand cartridges, and 
other articles. Lieutenant Kautz, since General, was sent in charge 
of the howitzer, with seven men. Acting Governor Curry made 
proclamation for an armed guard to accompany the Lieutenant, and 



358 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

forty-one men volunteered, led by J. W. Nesmith, with Lafayette 
Grover as Lieutenant. Lieutenant Grover went in advance with 
twenty men, and was joined at South Umpqua, on September first, 
by Judge Matthew P. Deady, who was on his way to Jacksonville to 
hold court. Joel Palmer, Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and 
Samuel H. Culver, Indian Agent, also arrived. From Port Orford 
came Captain A. J. Smith with his company of First Dragoons, 
sixty strong. Owing to Palmer's failure to arrive at the time ap- 
pointed, the peace talk was postponed until September tenth. 
Judge Deady thus describes the scene which was enacted on the 
day last appointed: — 

The scene of this famous " peace talk" between Joseph Lane and Indian Joseph 
— two men who had so lately met in mortal combat — was worthy of the pen of Sir 
Walter Scott and the pencil of Salvator Ross. It was on a narrow bench of a long, 
gently-sloping hill lying over against the noted bluff called Table Rock. The 
ground was thinly covered with majestic old pines and rugged oaks, with here and 
there a clump of green oak bushes. About half a mile above the bright mountain 
stream that threaded the narrow valley below, sat the two chiefs in council. Lane 
was in fatigue dress, the arm which was wounded at Buena Vista in a sling from a 
fresh bullet wound received at Battle Creek. Indian Joseph, tall, grave and self- 
possessed, wore a long, black robe over his ordinary dress. By his side sat Mary, 
his favorite child and faithful companion, then a comparatively handsome young 
woman, unstained with the vices of civilization. Around these sat on the grass 
Captain A. J. Smith — now General Smith, of St. Louis— who had just arrived from 
Port Orford with his company of the First Dragoons ; Captain Alvord, then en_ 
gaged in the construction of a military road through the Umpqua canyon and since 
paymaster of the U. S. A. ; Colonel Bill Martin, of Umpqua, Colonel John E. Ross, 
of Jacksonville, and a few others. A short distance above us on the hillside were 
some hundreds of dusky warriors in fighting gear, reclining quietly on the ground. 
The day was beautiful. To the east of us rose abruptly Table Rock and at its base 
stood Smith's dragoons, waiting anxiously with hand on horse the issue of this at- 
tempt to make peace without their aid. After a proposition was discussed and set- 
tled between the two chiefs, the Indian would rise up and communicate the matter 
to a huge warrior who reclined at the foot of a tree quite near us. Then the latter 
rose up and communicated the matter to the host above him, and they belabored it 
back and forth with many voices. Then the warrior communicated the thought of 
the multitude on this subject back to the chief; and so the discussion went on until 
an understanding was finally reached. Then we separated — the Indians going back 
to their mountain retreat, and the whites to the camp. 

J. W. Nesmith has left some additional particulars of interest. 
He says: — 

Early in the morning of the tenth of September, we rode toward the Indian en_ 
campment. Our party consisted of the following persons : General Lane, Joel 
Palmer, Samuel H. Culver, Captain A.J. Smith, 1st Dragoons ; Captain L. F. Mosher, 
adjutant; Colonel John Ross, Captain J. W. Nesmith, Lieutenant A. V. Kautz, 
R. B. Metcalf, J. D. Mason, T. T. Tierney. After riding a couple of miles we^ame 
to where it was too steep for our horses to ascend, and dismounting, we proceeded 



INDIAN WARS OF EIGHTEEN FIFTY- THREE-FOUR. 359 

on foot. Half a mile of scrambling over rocks and through brush brought us into 
the Indians' stronghold, just under the perpendicular cliff of Table Rock, where 
were gathered hundreds of fierce and well-armed savages. The business of the 
treaty began at once. Much time was lost in translating and re-translating and it 
was not until late in the afternoon that our labors were completed. About the mid- 
dle of the afternoon an Indian runner arrived, bringing intelligence of the murder 
of an Indian on Applegate Creek. He said that a company of whites under Cap- 
tain Owens had that morning captured Jim Taylor, a young chief, tied him to a 
tree and shot him to death. This news caused the greatest confusion among the 
Indians, and it seemed for a time as if they were about to attack General Lane's 
party. The General addressed the Indians, telling them that Owens, who had 
violated the armistice, was a bad man and not one of his soldiers. He added con- 
siderable more of a sort to placate the Indians, and finally the matter of " Jim's " 
death was settled by the whites agreeing to pay damages therefor in shirts and 
blankets. 

The volunteers were at once disbanded and returned to their 
homes. It was freely predicted by a certain class of people, who 
were satisfied with nothing less than the extermination of the In- 
dians, that the treaty would prove a failure, and they so conducted 
themselves as to render it such as quickly as possible. During the 
armistice and subsequent to the signing of the treaty, these exter- 
minators maintained their efforts to kill as many Indians as they 
could, regardless of any restriction whatever. Kevenge was their 
motto, and they lived up to it. Not half of the outrages perpetrated 
on Indians were ever heard of through newspapers; yet there are 
accounts of several, and these are of a most cold-blooded description. 
We will allude lightly to a few examples. Captain Bob Williams, 
stationed with his company on the banks of Rogue River, attempted 
to kill two children, the sons of Chief Joe, but General Lane, with 
the utmost haste, ordered his removal from the locality to another, 
where there would be less opportunity for the exercise of his pro- 
pensities. Of another outrage Judge Deady writes: — 

At Grave Creek I stopped to feed my horse and get something to eat. There was 
a house there called the "Bates House," after the man who kept it. It was a rough, 
wooden structure without a floor and had an immense clapboard funnel at one end 
which served as a chimney. There was no house or settlement within ten or twelve 
miles, or more, of it. There I found Captain J. K. Lamerick in command of a com- 
pany of volunteers. It seems he had been sent there by General Lane after the fight 
at Battle Creek, on account of the murder of some Indians there, of which he and 
others gave me the following account: "Bates and some others had induced a 
small party of peaceable Indians, who belonged in that vicinity, to enter into an en- 
gagement to remain at peace with the whites during the war which was going on 
at some distance from them, and by way of ratification to this treaty, invited them 
to partake of a feast in an unoccupied log house just across the road from the "Bates 
House" ; and while they were partaking, unarmed, of this proffered hospitality the 



INDIAN WARS OF EIGHTEEN FIFTY- THREE-FOUR. 361 

Oregon Territory. Major Alvord, Paymaster of the United States 
army, under orders from the Secretary of War, paid off the volun- 
teers, in coin, at Jacksonville and Yreka, in June and July, 1855. 
The commissary and quartermaster accounts were at the same time 
sent in draft to Governor Curry, and by him disbursed to the proper 
creditors. The total cost to the United States was about $285,000. 

During the year 1854 there was considerable trouble with the 
Indians of Southern Oregon, causing much trouble and anxiety to 
the settlers, but never amounting to a state of war. Much of this 
was caused by Tipsu Tyee, an unruly chief of a small band living 
in the Siskiyou Mountains. He was killed by Shasta Indians that 
summer, much to the satisfaction of all parties. In the fall Colonel 
Ross dispatched a company of volunteers, under Captain Jesse 
Walker, to escort emigrants through the Modoc country, where 
they performed excellent service, and effectually guarded the emi- 
grants till all had passed through that dreaded region. 

What is generally known as the " Snake River Massacre," oc- 
currred in the fall of 1854, and nearly added another to the long 
list of Indian wars of the Pacific Coast. For a number of years 
immigrants had been accustomed to relax their vigilance after 
entering the region dominated by the Hudson's Bay Company, as 
Indians under the influence of that powerful organization had never 
committed depredations upon them. After leaving Fort Hall they 
generally broke up into small parties, which were strung along the 
route for miles without any organization whatever. A party of 
this kind, consisting of Alexander Ward and family of wife and 
ten children, Mrs. William White, Dr. Charles Adams, Samuel 
Mulligan, William Babcock, and a German whose name is un- 
known, were attacked by Indians on the twentieth of August, on 
the south bank of Boise River, twenty -five miles above Fort Boise. 
The struggle was biief. Ward and his eldest son Robert, Dr. 
Adams, Babcock, Mulligan and the German fought bravely and 
were soon killed. Norman Ward, a lad of thirteen years, was 
wounded, but hid himself in the bushes, and thus escaped death. 
The oldest daughter fled, but was pursued and overtaken after run- 
ning some four hundred yards. She fought desperately to frustrate 
the hellish designs of the savages, and so enraged them by her re- 
sistance that she was shot through the head and killed. One of 



362 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

the five wagons was burned at that point, and the body of Miss 
Ward mutilated with a red hot iron. The other women and chil- 
dren were captured, and the savages started with them and four 
wagons for their camp, some half mile distant on the river bank. 
After progressing a short distance through the thick brush, they 
stopped and burned three more of the wagons. Here they selected 
Mrs. White as a victim for the^r lust, and after they had abused her 
in a most horrible manner, she was dispatched by a bullet wound 
in the head. Mrs. Ward and three small children were taken with 
the remaining wagon to their camp, only to undergo still greater 
tortures. The wagon was burned, and with it the three children, 
who were grasped by the hair and held across the burning pile 
until their cries of agony were hushed in death ; their mother being 
compelled to witness their horrible sufferings. She was then sub- 
jected to the same fearful ordeal endured by Mrs. White, and was 
then killed by the blow of a tomahawk. The fate of the other 
four children never was known. 

The same day a party of seven men — among them Mr. Yantis 
and a youth named Ammen — came to the scene and attacked the 
Indians. In the fight young Ammen was killed, and the others 
were compelled to retreat, taking with them the wounded Norman 
Ward, whom they had found in the brush. Two days later John 
F. Noble left Fort Boise with a party of eighteen men and discov- 
ered the bodies and evidences of the horrible details as above de- 
scribed. They saw no Indians, and after burying the mangled 
bodies they returned. The news was carried in haste to The Dalles, 
and Major Raines at once dispatched Major Haller with a strong de- 
tachment of troops to the scene. Nathan Olney, Indian Agent, 
raised a company of thirty- seven volunteers and accompanied the 
troops. When they reached Boise River they found the Indians 
had retreated to the mountains beyond reach. A few days of cam- 
paigning disclosed the fact that nothing could be accomplished, and 
the force returned to The Dalles. 

The excitement and indignation was great in the Willamette 
Valley. Ex- Governor John P. Gaines was known to be near Fort 
Boise with two of his sons, and it was reported that they, as well as 
others, had also been killed. There was a demand for punishment 
of the perpetrators, both as an act of vengeance and because it was 



INDIAN WARS OF EIGHTEEN FIFTY -THREE-FOUR. 363 

necessary as a measure of protection for the emigration the follow- 
ing year. At last Governor Curry issued a proclamation calling for 
two companies of volunteers, to be armed, equipped and mounted 
at their own expense. A few days later he countermanded it, the 
high officials of the State Militia — Brigadier General J. W. Nes- 
mith, Adjutant General E. M. Barnum, and others — having advised 
him that a winter campaign was not advisable. This brought out 
a public indignation meeting in Portland, held September 30, and 
adjourned to October 2, at which resolutions, strongly condemning 
the Governor and his advisers, were passed. In this there was a 
spice of the same political feeling which tinged every important 
movement in those days. T. J. Dryer was one of the committee 
which drafted the resolutions, and being editor of the Oregonian 
and an intense Whig, this was a splendid opportunity for him to 
deal the Democratic administration a stinging blow. In this in- 
stance he was in the right, for, in case a campaign were deemed 
necessary at all, the winter season was the best one in which to 
make it. Because of the snow the Indians could not retreat into 
the mountains before the advance of troops, but must remain in the 
valleys with their families, where they could be easily found and 
attacked. In the summer, on the contrary, twice as many troops 
and twice the expense would be required to pursue them through 
the mountain wilds. It was charged by the Whigs that this greater 
expense was what the " Government ring " desired, preferring a war 
with "something in it" to a short and decisive campaign. The 
question was taken into the Legislature the following January. A 
majority of the committee to which it was referred reported in favor 
of doing nothing, while the minority reported a bill providing for 
raising five companies of volunteers and prosecuting a war against 
the Snake River Indians. The majority report was adopted, and 
the proposed war collapsed. 

The following May, General Wool, commandant of the Depart- 
ment of the Pacific, dispatched Major Haller with a strong detach- 
ment of troops to guard the emigrant route from Fort Boise. His 
action was heartily praised by every one, and he was in high feather 
with the people of Oregon until his conduct, a few months later, 
displeased them and lost him his place in public esteem, whether 
justly or not the circumstances will show. When Major Haller 



364 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

reached Fort Boise lie held a council with the Indians of that re- 
gion. During its progress four of the Winnass Indians, the tribe 
which had committed the massacre, came in to see what was going 
on. These were arrested as soon as the council was over, and tried 
by military court. One of them confessed and related the circum- 
stances, offering to conduct the troops to the hiding place of the 
tribe. Soon after doing this he broke from his guard and ran 
toward the river, bat was killed by a bullet from Sergeant Kille- 
hard's gun. The other three were condemned to be executed on the 
scene of their crime. The next day the command marched to the 
place of execution, and, after burying in one grave the bones of the 
murdered emigrants which had been dug up by coyotes, erected a 
gallows over the mound and hanged all three at one time. The 
next morning they were cut down and buried, while the gallows 
was left standing as a warning to others who might feel disposed 
to murder unprotected emigrants. The command then went into 
camp on Big Camas Prairie and remained during the summer, re- 
turning to The Dalles when the emigration had all passed through. 



CHAPTEE XXII. 



THE GREAT OUTBREAK OF 1855. 



Inability of Indians to form a Coherent Combination — Rogue River \ 
Puget Sound and Columbia Hostilities Distinct and Separate — Re- 
lation of Whites and Indians in Rogue River Valley — Controversy 
betxoeen General Wool and the Citizens — Incidents before the Outbreak 
— The Lupton Affair — Quick Revenge of the Indians — Massacre of 
October 9th — Heroic Defense of Mrs. Harris — Great Excitement Pre- 
vails — A Review of the Situation — Causes which Led to the War on 
the Columbia — Indian Treaties made by Stevens and Palmer — They 
Mislead the People by Publishing Incorrect Statements of what they 
have Accomplished — Discovery of Gold in the Colville Region — Sauce 
for the Goose not Sauce for the Gander — Murder of Mattice — Hegira 
from Colville and Walla Walla — Murder of Indian Agent Bolon — 
Regidars Invade the Yakima Country — Defeat of Major Holler — 
Major Raines Calls for Volunteers — Governor Curry Calls for Ten 
Companies — General WooVs Opinion of. Governor Curry'* s Conduct 
— Another Cause Assigned for the War — Excitement in Willamette 
Valley — The " Oregonian" and " Statesman" — Wars and Rumors of 
Wars Alarm the People. 

THE greatest Indian war known on the Pacific Coast was the one 
— or, more properly speaking, the three — which raged along 
the Columbia, around Puget Sound, and in the region of Rogue 
River from the fall of 1855 to the summer of 1856. No less than 
four thousand warriors were at times in arms against the whites, 
and only a lack of hearty and intelligent co-operation on the part 
of the hostiles saved the outlying settlements from total annihila- 
tion, and the more populous communities of the Willamette Valley 
from all the horrors of barbaric warfare. 

Petty jealousies, ancient feuds, tribal antipathies, and a lack of 
confidence in the honor of their allies has always prevented the 



366 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

formation or long existence of a strong combination among the abor- 
igines of America. Treachery is the predominating trait of the 
Indian character, and no one seems better aware of that fact than 
the Indians themselves. ISTo matter how extensive an alliance some 
powerful and enlightened chief might be able to effect, tribal jealous- 
ies and distrust soon broke in pieces his rope of sand. The Indians 
of America have been compelled to contend with the advancing tide 
of Caucasian supremacy, tribe by tribe, as the wave of civilization 
reached and engulfed it and then rolled on to the next. In every 
struggle they have made to breast and beat back this mighty flood, 
they have found themselves opposed by members of their own race, 
who helped to render futile their impotent efforts. Not infrequently 
has it happened that, in the very heat of the campaign, the treach- 
ery of allies has dashed to earth the fondest hopes of some great 
chief, whose voice had called to arms the warriors of neighboring 
tribes. King Philip, Tecumseh, Black Hawk, Osceola, Captain 
Jack, Chief Joseph, Egan, and even Sitting Bull, each in his turn, 
saw members of his own race raise their weapons against him and 
aid the white foe to crush him to the ground. Had it been other- 
wise the picket fires of Caucasian civilization might even now be 
burning on the summit of the Alleghenies, and the settlements on 
the Atlantic Coast only preserved from annihilation by a continuous 
line of fortifications from the St. Lawrence to the Gulf. A people 
so warlike, so brave, so intelligent, and so numerous, lacked only 
the ability to successfully combine to have checked there the ad- 
vancing wave of conquest, and, possibly, to have rolled it back to 
the shore of the great Atlantic Sea. 

The almost simultaneous beginning of hostilities by the tribes so 
widely separated as those of Rogue River Valley and the Plains of 
the Columbia, was at the time, regarded as conclusive evidence of an 
extensive and well-planned combination for the extermination of 
the settlements; and this has been the prevailing opinion to the 
present day. To one who looks deeper than these surface indica- 
tions, and studies the various causes which led to the beginning of 
hostilities in the different regions, the question presents another 
aspect. He sees that totally distinct causes were in operation to 
produce these effects, though, primarily, they sprang from the one 
great fountain head of all our Indian wars — the aggressiveness of 



THE GREAT OUTBREAK OF EIGHTEEN FIFTY -FIVE. 367 

the higher civilization and the natural resistance of a warlike people 
to the encroachments of a superior race. It was an effort, in the 
one case, to expel white intruders from the home of their ancestors, 
superinduced by special acts of ill-treatment by the invaders; and in 
the other case an attempt to ward off the same evils they saw had 
befallen the tribes of other regions. The only combination was 
among the tribes living along both sides of the Columbia, east of 
the Cascade Mountains, and this was but an incoherent union, man- 
ifested chiefly in a spasmodic and transient co-operation, brought 
about by a community of interest and a similarity of grievances. 
Had there been as thorough a union and as perfect a blending of 
forces as was imagined, the consequences to the settlements in the 
Willamette would have been fearful to contemplate. The uprising 
along Rogue River was distinct, and brought about by local 
events, but occurring at the same time, the resources of the Terri- 
tory were severely taxed to conduct campaigns in two regions so 
remote from each other — where the machinery and organization of 
two separate and distinct armies had to be maintained. This con- 
dition of affairs served, also, to divide the regular troops stationed 
here by the Government into detachments so small that they were 
totally unable to cope with the enemy. The outbreak along the 
southern and eastern shores of Paget Sound, was, no doubt, a re- 
sult of the hostilities across the mountains; or, to better define it, 
the Indians of the Sound took advantage of this favorable oppor- 
tunity to make an attempt to break up the settlements in their 
midst, while warlike tribes living to the north, in British Columbia, 
made hostile incursions in their war canoes, drawn hither by the 
supposed defenseless condition of the people. 

The first outburst of war's destructive flame occurred in Rogue 
River Valley, and was but a continuation of that fierce race conflict 
which began with the first advent of settlers into the valley, and 
ended only with the extermination or removal of the native pro- 
prietors of the soil. Here, more than at any other place, had race 
prejudice been developed to its extreme pitch by four successive 
years of conflict. Indians were both despised and hated. The least 
" insolence " on their part met with swift retribution, while on the 
other hand, indignities put upon them, even, in instances, to the 
taking of life, went uncondemned by the better portion of the com- 



368 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

munity, and by the more irresponsible and less morally developed, 
were approved as being " good enough for them." There were 
many who deprecated this condition of affairs; but when they led 
to the inevitable outbreak, the relentless ferocity and barbarous 
cruelty of the savages soon united the whole community in one uni- 
versal demand for their extermination. When their property was 
being destroyed, their families threatened with death, and all the 
horrors of barbaric warfare were hovering over their homes, there 
was no time for moral philosophy, no time to inquire into the causes 
that had produced this terrible state of affairs. The natural instinct 
of self-preservation and a spirit of vengeance for the death of neigh- 
bors and friends bound them together in a demand for retribution, 
and that the savage perpetrators of these horrible deeds be either 
exterminated or placed beyond the possibility of repeating them. 
The officers of the regular army, whose duty it was to protect the 
people and keep the Indians in subjection, were inclined to inquire 
more closely into the origin of these difficulties, and in their official 
reports frequently condemned irresponsible whites for precipitating 
the uprising which they were called upon to subdue. It was so in 
this instance, and Captains Judah and Smith and General Wool 
were severely condemned by the people and press of Oregon for 
their strictures upo'n the ante-bellum conduct of the white people; 
though it was their dilatory action and half-hearted method of 
conducting their campaigns which drew down upon them the 
severest criticism. Much of this was undeserved, yet it must be 
admitted that General Wool allowed himself to be governed too 
much by his opinion of the causes which led to the wars and not 
enough by the critical condition of affairs after hostilities had 
actually been commenced. Believing firmly that the whites were 
responsible for the outbreak, he considered that his duty only re- 
quired him to defend the settlements from attack, while, on the 
other hand, the people demanded of him an aggressive campaign. 
This led to a lack of harmonious action between the volunteers and 
regulars in the field, and to much abuse and misrepresentation. 
Passion, pride .and prejudice seemed to hold such perfect sway, that 
newspaper editorials and communications, private correspondence 
and official reports all passed beyond the limits of reliability. Had 
General Wool recognized the fact that, no matter what was the 



THE GREAT OUTBREAK OF EIGHTEEN FIFTY-FIVE. 369 

origin of hostilities, the future security of the people required that 
a severe castigation be administered to the turbulent tribes, and had 
he promptly entered upon the vigoious campaign he was afterwards 
compelled to make, his name would now be revered in Oregon as 
is that of his successor — the noble Colonel Wright. War having 
once been begun with savages, it was folly to adopt a defensive 
policy. Nothing but an aggressive campaign, ending in a complete 
defeat and humiliation of the enemy, can ever conquer a lasting 
peace with such a foe. General Wool should have known this and 
acted accordinolv. He was right in condemning the conduct of the 
whites in drawing down upon innocent heads the vengeance of 
savages, but he was wrong in permitting this to interfere with that 
vigorous discharge of his duty as the commanding officer of this 
department, which the proper protection of those innocent heads 
demanded. A brief summary of the events of the intercourse be- 
tween the two races in the Rogue River Valley, between the close 
of hostilities in 1854 and their inauguration again the following 
year, will show that the severe war which then began was caused 
by the custom both the whites and Indians had of taking revenge 
for the killing of any of their number, by attacking parties not only 
innocent, but entirely ignorant, of the deed for which vengeance 
was being exacted. This habit, and especially its manifestation in 
the Lupton affair, explain General Wool's strong condemnation of 
the men whom he charged with responsibility for the war. 

There were a few detached incidents in 1854, which could not 
be said to be associated in any way with a design on the part of the 
Indians to make war or commit outrages, yet they served to keep 
alive the general feeling of insecurity and spirit of hostility on the 
part of the whites. About the middle of April Edward Phillips 
was murdered in his cabin on Applegate Creek, and an investiga- 
tion showed that Indians had committed the deed for the purpose 
of robbery. Though this should have been considered an individual 
crime, as it would have been had the perpetrators been white men 
— and such acts by white men were by no means rare — it was 
charged to the general Ifldian account, to be settled, whenever op- 
portunity occurred, with any Indians who might be so unfortunate 
as to be selected to balance the score. In September a number of 
people were killed by the members of Tipsu Tyee's band. An im- 



370 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

migrant named Stewart was murdered while passing with his wagon 
along the trail. On the second of September an affray occurred in 
the upper part of Bear Creek Valley, Jackson County, which re- 
sulted in the death of a white man and the wounding of two others. 
A few days previously Indians stole some horses from B. Alberding. 
The owner summoned his neighbors to assist in recovering them, 
and a very small company set out on the quest. Following the trail, 
they. walked into an ambuscade and were fired upon. Granville 
Keene was killed, and Alberding, J. Q. Faber and another man 
were wounded. The party hastily retired, leaving the body of 
Keene where it fell. On the following day a detachment of troops 
from Fort Lane proceeded to the scene of the conflict and obtained 
the much mutilated remains, but the Indians, of course, were gone. 
The next event occurred on the twenty-fifth of September. On 
the previous day Harrison B. Oatman, Daniel P. Brittain and Cal- 
vin M. Fields started from Phoenix, each driving an ox-team loaded 
with flour destined for Yreka. Campiug the first night near the 
foot of Siskiyou Mountain, the train started up the ascent in the 
morning. When within three hundred yards of the summit, Brit- 
tain, who was in the rear, heard five shots fired in the vicinity of 
the men in the advance. Hurrying up the rise he quickly came in 
sight of the teams, which were standing still, while an Indian was 
apparently engaged in stripping a fallen man. Turning back, Brit- 
tain ran down the mountain, followed by a bullet from the Indian's 
rifle, but made his way unhurt to the Mountain House, three miles 
from the scene of the attack. Six men hastily mounted and re- 
turned to the summit. Oatman, meanwhile, had escaped to Hughes' 
house, on the California side, and obtained help. He reported that a 
youth named Cunningham was passing Oatman and Fields when the 
attack was made, and that he was wounded at the instant Fields fell 
dead. The latter's body was lying in the road, stripped, but Cun- 
ningham was only found the next day, lying dead by a tree behind 
which he had taken refuge. On the following day Samuel Warner 
was murdered on Cottonwood Creek, not far from the scene of the 
other tragedy,, and most likely by the same*Indians. These repeated 
outrages produced a very considerable degree of alarm, but no 
military measures of importance were taken, except by the officials 
at Fort Lane, who sent forty mounted troops to the various scenes of 
bloodshed, who returned without having effected anything. 



THE GREAT OUTBREAK OF EIGHTEEN FIFTY-FIVE. 371 

The first overt act in 1855 was committed by a party of Illinois 
Indians, who crossed the mountains to Klamath River and robbed 
some cabins near Happy Camp, and then proceeded to Indian 
Creek and killed a man named Hill, or Hull, retreating to the head 
of Slate Creek with cattle they had stolen from Hay's ranch. This 
was on the eighth of May, and on the following day Samuel Frye 
set out from Hay's ranch with a force of eight men, and coming 
suddenly upon the culprits, killed or wounded three of them. He 
then returned for reinforcements, and returning with them the next 
day he found the enemy had taken advantage of the respite from 
attack to visit Deer Creek and kill a man named Philpot, and 
seriously wound James Mills. Settlers were thrown into a fever 
of apprehension, and hastily gathered into a stockade at Yarnall's. 
Lieutenant Switzer hastened from Fort Lane with a detachment of 
twelve men, and soon discovered that the Indians had murdered 
Jerome Dyer and Daniel McCue, on Applegate Creek, and escaped 
eastward. They were followed, captured and taken to Fort Lane, 
where they were placed under close guard, both for their protec- 
tion from the enraged citizens, and to prevent them from escaping. 

The next event was what is known across the line in Siskiyou 
County as the " Humbug War. 1 ' This had its origin in a shooting 
scrape between a citizen and a drunken Indian, and consisted of the 
massacre of eleven innocent miners, and the indiscriminate killing of 
many innocent and inoffensive Indians by the whites of that region. 
The only connection it had with Oregon was the flight of a band of 
Indians, among them the originator of the trouble, to Fort Lane, 
and their pursuit by five companies of volunteers from the Cali- 
fornia side. These made a demand upon Captain Smith for the 
fugitives, but the officer declined to surrender them to any one ex- 
cept the regular authorities, and though the exasperated volunteers 
threatened to take them by force, they thought better of that rash 
project and returned to California. 

Our account now approaches the beginning of the war of 1855-6, 
by some thought to have been the result of the incidents above re- 
counted. It is truly difficult at this time to accord these circum- 
stances their proper influence in the acts which followed. It is 
evident that the people of Kogue River Valley, toward the end of the 
summer of 1855, must have felt an additional degree of insecurity, 



372 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

but that it was wholly in consequence of the murders which had 
previously taken place does not seem probable, inasmuch as these 
murders were committed outside the valley, and the most aggra- 
vated ones nearly a year before. Their legitimate results could 
hardly have been sufficient to stir up a general war against the 
Indians, so we are left to conjecture the growth of a public senti- 
ment determined upon war. The vast majority of settlers, wearied 
of constant anxiety, heartily and unaffectedly believed that the re- 
moval of the Indians was desirable and necessary. Whatever may 
have been the exact status of the war party, and whatever the in- 
fluence of the speculative branch of it, it is clear there was no out- 
spoken opposition, such as would have been created by a general 
sentiment in favor of peaceful methods. Almost the only outspoken 
advocate of Indians' rights was compelled to leave the country of 
his adoption from fear of personal violence. Whoever doubts the 
acerbity of public sentiment at that date, will do well to pause here 
and digest that statement, comparing with it the tenor of the edito- 
rial remarks to be found in the Jacksonville Sentinel at that time. 
If such publications may be trusted to gauge public sentiment, the 
feeling of absolute enmity against the natives must have increased 
ten-fold since the signing of the Lane Treaty. This feeling of hos- 
tility was sufficient to cause the following outrage to receive the 
endorsement of a large portion of the community; and this was the 
incident which General Wool so freely criticised and strongly con- 
demned, and for doing which he was so roundly abused by the press 
of Oregon. 

On the seventh of October, 1855, a party of men, principally 
miners and men-about-town, in Jacksonville, organized and armed 
themselves to the number of about forty (accounts disagree as to 
number), and under the nominal leadership of Captain Hays and 
Major James A. Lupton, Kepresentative- elect to the Territorial 
Legislature, proceeded to attack a small band of Indians encamped 
on the north side of Rogue River, near the mouth of Little Butte 
Creek, a few miles above Table Rock. Lupton, it appears, was a 
man of no experience in bush fighting, but was rash and headstrong. 
It is the prevailing opinion that he was led into the affair through 
a wish to court popularity, which is almost the only incentive that 
could have occurred to him. Certainly, it could not have been 



THE GREAT OUTBREAK OF EIGHTEEN FIFTY-FIVE. 373 

plunder; and the mere love of fighting Indians, which drew the 
greater part of the force together, was, perhaps, absent in his case. 
The reason why the particular band at Butte Creek was selected as 
victims also appears a mystery, although the circumstances of their 
location being accessible and their numbers small, possibly were 
the ruling considerations. This band of Indians appear to have 
behaved themselves tolerably; they were pretty fair Indians, but 
beggars, and, on occasion, thieves. They had been concerned in 
no considerable outrages that are distinctly specified. The attack- 
ing party arrived at the river in the evening, and selecting a hiding 
place, remained until daylight, the appointed time for the attack. 
The essential particulars of the fight which followed are, when 
separated from a tangle of contradictory minutiae, that Lupton and 
his party fired a volley into the crowded encampment, following up 
the sudden and totally unexpected attack by a close encounter with 
knives, revolvers, and whatever weapon they were possessed of, and 
the Indians were driven away or killed without making much re- 
sistance. These facts are matters of evidence, as are also the kill- 
ing of several squaws, one or more old decrepit men, and a number, 
probably small, of children. Captain Smith reported to the Gov- 
ernment that eighty Indians were slaughtered. Others place the 
number at thirty. The exact condition of things at the fight, or 
massacre, as some have characterized it, is difficult to determine. 
Accounts vary so widely that by some it has been termed a heroic 
attack, and others have called it an indiscriminate butchery of de- 
fenseless and peaceful natives. To temporize with such occurrences 
does not become those who seek the truth only, and the world 
would be better could such deeds meet at once the proper penalty 
and be known by their proper name. Lupton was mortally 
wounded by an arrow which penetrated his lungs, and a young 
man named Shepherd was slightly wounded. As usual, the storm 
of barbaric vengeance fell upon the heads of the innocent and de- 
fenseless. Swift and cruel was the revenge of the Indians for this 
great and unexpected outrage which had been committed upon 
them, and the massacre of defenseless settlers, unwarned of their 
danger, is one of the saddest pages of Oregon's pioneer history. 
Language can not too strongly condemn the act which precipitated 
such a bloody scene, and much of the time and breath spent in 



374 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

abuse of General Wool and execration of the Indians should have 
been devoted to the denunciation of this brutal and unwarranted act. 
Early on the morning of October ninth, two days after this affair 
on Butte Creek, several of the more war -like bands gathered about 
Table Rock, and started down the river with their families, arms, 
and other property, bent on war. Their first act was to murder 
William Goin, or Going, a teamster, native of Missouri, and em- 
ployed on the reservation. Standing by the fire-place in conversa- 
tion with Clinton Schieffelin, he was fatally shot, at two o'clock in 
the morning. The particular individuals who accomplished this 
killing were, says Mr. Schieffelin, members of John's band of 
Applegates, who were encamped on Ward Creek, a mile above its 
mouth, and twelve miles distant from the camp of Sam's band. 
Hurrying through the darkness to Jewett's Ferry, these hostiles, 
now reinforced by the band of Limpy and George, found there a 
pack-train loaded with mill-irons. Hamilton, the man in charge 
of it, was killed, and another individual was severely wounded. 
They next began firing at Jewett's house, within which were several 
persons in bed. Meeting with resistance, they gave up the attack 
and moved to Evans' Ferry, which they reached at daybreak. Here 
they shot Isaac Shelton, of the Willamette Valley, en route for 
Yreka. The next victim was Jones, proprietor of a ranch, whom 
they shot dead near his house. The house was set on fire, and 
Mrs. Jones was pursued by an Indian and shot with a revolver, 
when she fell senseless, and the savage retired, supposing her dead. 
She revived and was taken to Tufts' place and lived a day. O. P. 
Bobbins, Jones' partner, was hunting cattle at some distance from 
the house. Getting upon a stump he looked about, him and saw 
the house on fire. Correctly judging that Indians were abroad, he 
proceeded to Tufts and Evans' places. The former place the 
Indians had already visited and shot Mrs. Tufts through the body, 
but being taken to Illinois Valley she recovered. Six miles north 
of Evans' Ferry the Indians killed two men who were transporting 
supplies from the Willamette Valley to the mines. The house 
of J. B. Wagner was burned, Mrs. Wagner being previously mur- 
dered, or, as an unsubstantiated story goes, was compelled to remain 
in it until dead. This is refinement of horrors, indeed. For a time 
her fate was unknown, but it was finally settled thus. Mary, her 



THE GREAT OUTBREAK OF EIGHTEEN FIFTY-FIVE. 375 

little daughter, was taken to the Meadows, on Lower Rogue River, 
some weeks after, according to the Indians' own accounts, but died 
there. Mr. Wagner, being away from home, escaped death. Com- 
ing to Haines' house, Mr. Haines being ill in bed, they shot him to 
death, killed two children and took his wife prisoner. Her fate 
was a sad one, and is yet wrapped in mystery. It seems likely, 
from the stories told by the Indians, that the unhappy woman died 
about a week afterwards, from the effects of a fever aggravated by 
improper food. 

At about nine o'clock a. m. the savages approached the house of 
Mr. Harris, about ten miles north of Evans', where dwelt a family 
of four — Mr. and Mrs. Harris and their two children, Mary, 
aged twelve, and David, aged ten years. With them resided T. A. 
Reed, an unmarried man. Reed was some distance from the 
house, and was set upon by a party of hostiles and killed. His 
skeleton was found a year after. David, the little son, in all like- 
lihood, was taken into the woods by his captors and slain, as he 
was never after heard of. Mr. Harris was surprised by the Indians, 
and retreating to the house, was shot in the breast as he reached 
the door. His wife, with the greatest courage and presence of 
mind, closed and barred the door, and in obedience to her wounded 
husband's advice, brought down the fire-arms which the house con- 
tained — a rifle, a double-barreled shotgun, a revolver and a single- 
barreled pistol — and began to fire at the Indians to deter them from 
assaulting or setting fire to the house. Previous to this a shot fired 
by the Indians had wounded her little daughter in the arm, and the 
terrified child climbed to the attic of the dwelling where she re- 
mained for several hours. Throughout all this time the heroic 
woman kept the savages at bay, and attended, as well as she was 
able, the wants of her husband, who expired in about an hour 
after he was shot. Fortunately, she had been taught the use of fire- 
arms; and to this she owed her preservation and that of her daughter. 
The Indians, who could be seen moving about in the vicinity of the 
house, were at pains to keep within cover and dared not approach 
near enough to set fire to the dwelling, although they burned the 
out-buildings, first taking the horses from the stable. Mrs. Harris 
steadily loaded her weapons and fired them through the crevices be- 
tween the logs. In the afternoon the Indians drew off and left the 



376 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

stout -hearted woman mistress of the field. She had saved her own 
and her daughter's life, and added a deathless page to the record of 
the country's history. After the departure of the savages, the 
heroine, with her daughter, left the house and sought refuge in a 
thicket of willows near the road, and remained there all night. 
Next morning several Indians passed, but did not discover them. 

When, on the day of the massacre, a rider dashed into Jackson- 
ville and quickly told the news, great excitement prevailed. Al- 
most immediately a score of men were in their saddles and pushing 
toward the river,, Major Fitzgerald, stationed at Fort Lane, went 
at the head of fifty -five mounted men, and these going with the 
volunteers, proceeded along the track of ruin and desolation left by 
the savages. At Wagner's house some five or six volunteers, who 
were in advance, came upon a few Indians hiding in the brush near 
by, who, unsuspicious of the main body advancing along the road, 
challenged the whites to a fight. Major Fitzgerald came up and 
ordered a charge; and six of the "red devils" were killed, and the 
rest driven "on the jump" to the hills, but could not be overtaken. 
Giving up the pursuit, the regulars and volunteers marched along 
the road to the Harris house, where they found the devoted mother 
and her child and removed them to Jacksonville. A company of 
volunteers led by Captain Binearson, hastily came from Cow Creek 
and scoured the country about Grave Creek and vicinity, finding 
quite a number of bodies of murdered men. On the twenty-fifth 
of October the body of J. B. Powell, of Lafayette, Yamhill County, 
was found and buried. James White and Fox had been pre- 
viously found dead. All the houses along the Indians' route had 
been robbed and then burned, with two or three exceptions. 

It would be difficult to picture the state of alarm which pre- 
vailed when the full details of the massacre were made known. 
The people of Eogue River Valley, probably without exception, 
withdrew from their ordinary occupations and " forted up " or re- 
tired to the larger settlements. Jacksonville was the objective point 
of most of these fugitives, who came in on foot, on horse or mule 
back, or with their families, or more portable property loaded on 
wagons drawn by oxen. In every direction mines were abandoned, 
farms and fields were left unwatched, the herdsman forsook his 
charge, and all sought refuge from the common enemy. The in- 



THE GREAT OUTBREAK OF EIGHTEEN FIFTY- FIVE. 377 

dustries were brought to a standstill, and trade and commerce be- 
came instantly paralyzed. All business and pleasure were forsaken 
to devise means to meet and vanquish the hostile bands. Nor was 
this state of affairs confined to the Kogue River country. The 
people of the Willamette Valley caught the infection, and for a 
time the depressing expectation of Indian forays racked many a 
breast. The Oregon papers of that date were full of matter calcu- 
lated to show the extreme state of apprehension existing throughout 
the State, caused by these events and outrages committed at the 
same time by Indians north of the Columbia. It will be believed 
that there was ample reason for such a feeling among those who 
lived south of the Calapooias. The settlers on the Umpqua and its 
tributaries were obviously endangered. They retired to places of 
safety until the Indian scare had settled down to a steady warfare. 
At Scottsburg, more than a hundred miles from the seat of war, the 
inhabitants thus took refuge. On Cow Creek on the twenty-fourth 
of October, Indians made an attack on some hog-drovers from Lane 
County, who were traversing the road. H. Bailey was killed in- 
stantly, and Z. Bailey and three others wounded. The Indians 
burned, on that day, the houses of Turner, Bray, Fortune, Redfield, 
and one other. Mr. Bedfield placed his family in a wagon and 
started for a place of safety, but soon his horses were shot, and he 
took his wife upon his back and carried her to a fortified place, be- 
fore reaching which she was wounded. 

It should be remarked that the situation in Southern Oregon 
was even more serious than was thought possible by those who 
viewed these affairs from abroad, or through the distorting medium 
of the newspapers. The people were beset on all sides by savages, 
they knew not how numerous, who might strike, they knew not 
where. The extent of the Indian uprising was not at first under- 
stood. The Indians were well supplied with ammunition, and had 
guns, rifles, revolvers and knives, as great in assortment and better 
in quality than the whites themselves were provided with. Besides, 
of the several thousand Indians who inhabited Southern Oregon, no 
one could tell which band might dig up the hatchet and go on the 
war path in imitation of those who were already so actively butch- 
ering and burning. The Table Bock band, steadfastly friendly, 
withstood the temptation to avenge their undoubted grievances, and 



378 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

remained upon the reservation, thereby diminishing the enemy's 
force very considerably. The Coast Indians, formidable and 
dangerous barbarians, as yet had not been influenced to join the 
malcontents. To oppose such an array of active murderers and in- 
cendiaries, the General Government had a small number of troops, 
unfitted to perform the duties of Indian fighting by reason of their 
unsuitable mode of dress, tactics, and their dependence upon quar- 
termaster and commissary trains. The formation of volunteer com- 
panies and the enrollment of men, began immediately upon the 
receipt of the news of the outbreak. The chief settlements became 
centers of enlistment, and to them resorted the farmers, miners, and 
traders of the vicinity, who, with the greatest unanimity, enrolled 
themselves as volunteers to carry on the war which all now saw 
to be unavoidable. On the twelfth of October, John E. Ross, Col- 
onel of the Ninth Regiment of Oregon Militia, assumed command 
of the forces already raised. Recognizing the need of mounted 
troops, he made proclamation calling into service men provided 
with horses and arms, and in two days had increased his command 
to nine companies, aggregating five hundred men. Several of these 
companies had been on duty from the day succeeding the massacre, 
so prompt did their members respond to the call of duty. The reg- 
iment was increased by the first of November to fifteen companies, 
containing an average of fifty men each, or seven hundred and fifty 
in all. It is justly thought remarkable that such a force could have 
been so quickly raised in a country of such a limited population as 
Southern Oregon. If we examine the muster-rolls of the different 
companies we shall be struck by the youth of the volunteers — the 
average age being not beyond twenty-four years. From all direc- 
tions they came — these young, prompt and brave men — from every 
gulch, hill-side and plain, from every mining claim, trading post and 
farm of that extensive region, and from the sympathizing towns and 
mining camps of Northern California, which, also, sent their contin- 
gents. Their animals were gathered from pack-trains, farms and 
towns, and were in many cases unused to the saddle. But the exi- 
gencies of war did not allow the rider to hesitate between a horse 
and a mule, or to humor the whims of the stubborn mustang or in- 
tractable cayuse. With the greatest celerity and promptness the 
single organizations had hurried to the rescue of the outlying settle- 



THE GREAT OUTBREAK OF EIGHTEEN FIFTY-FIVE. 379 

ments, and in many cases preserved the lives of settlers menaced by 
Indians. Captain Rinearson, at Cow Creek, enrolled thirty-five 
men on the day following the massacre, and by nightfall had 
stationed his men so as to effectually guard many miles of the road, 
leaving men at the Canyon, at Levens' Station, at Turner's, and 
a strong force at Harkness and Twogood's Grave Creek House, and 
sending others down Grave Creek and to Galece Creek. By this 
prompt display of force the Indians were overawed, and refrained 
from exposing themselves by continuing their raids in the valley; 
and the people, seeing such an armed force in their midst, began to 
regain calmness and confidence. 

Having considered the various incidents which led to the out- 
break in Southern Oregon, we will leave the mustering hosts and 
turn to the north to review the causes of the war along the Colum- 
bia. The totally different condition of affairs renders it self-evident 
that hostilities here were begun without the slightest reference to 
what was being done to the south. Their concurrent happening 
was simply a coincidence, and there is no reason to suppose that 
either would not have occurred had the other in any manner been 
prevented. Among the Yakimas, Klickitats, Des Chutes, Walla 
Wallas, Cayuses, Spokanes, Palouses, Snakes and kindred tribes, 
the hostility to Americans was deep-rooted and of long standing; 
and even the Nez Perces were beginning to imbibe the infection. 
The cause of this has been made to plainly appear in the preceding 
pages — the fear that the Americans intended to take their lands. 
This was the great fundamental cause of the Whitman tragedy in 
1847, and was the secret of the ill favor with which a "Boston'' 
met in the eye of an Indian of that region. The Hudson's Bay 
Company was not included in this feeling of hostility to the Ameri- 
cans, and even during the times of trouble a well-known employee 
of that corporation could travel among the hostile tribes in perfect 
security. The Bostons had not as yet taken up claims in that re- 
gion, and the Indians did not propose to permit them to do so until 
the land was purchased and paid for. Brooke, Bumford and Noble 
had a claim at Waiilatpu, and H. M. Chase on the Touchet. Wil- 
liam C. McKay, son of Thomas McKay, and looked upon as a com- 
pany man, had located on the Umatilla, and with him were Jones 
E. Whitney and family. A short distance below them was the 



380 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

agency. Louis Raboin, an old American trapper of French descent, 
was living on the Tukannon. The only other settlers were a 
number of French Canadians and half-breeds, former servants of 
the company, and nearly all married to Indian women, the greater 
number living along the Walla Walla. These were the only settle- 
ments in the Walla Walla region. 

As early as February, 1855, reports of a hostile spirit being ex- 
hibited by the Indians east of the mountains, were circulated, and 
trouble in the near future was predicted. One of the incidents 
where this feeling was displayed was in the case of S. M. Hamilton 
and T. Pierce, who, about that time, went to the Simcoe country 
to locate a stock ranch. The Yakimas would not permit them to 
do so, and informed them that Americans could not settle in their 
country until the Government had bought and paid for the land. 
In consequence of this feeling, which was displayed by the various 
tribes on different occasions, Governor Stevens, of Washington 
Territory, in his capacity of Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and 
Joel Palmer, Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Oregon, started 
on an extended trip through that region, intent upon forming 
treaties with the tribes and extinguishing the Indian title to the 
country. After a long conference near Fort Walla Walla, they 
concluded treaties the ninth of June, with seventeen tribes, by 
which was ceded to the Government nearly all the region embraced 
in Klickitat, Yakima, Kittitas, Spokane, Lincoln, Douglas, Adams, 
Franklin, Whitman, Columbia and Walla Walla counties, in Wash- 
ington Territory, and a portion of Union and Umatilla counties, in 
Oregon, excepting the Yakima and Umatilla reservations. 

The area thus lost to the Indians was a little over twenty -nine 
thousand square miles, for which they were to be paid as follows: 
The fourteen tribes termed the "Yakima Nation," including the 
Palouse Indians, with Kama-i-akun as head chief, were to be given 
$200,000. This was to be paid in yearly installments — during the 
first five $10,000, the next five $8,000, then $6,000 for five years, 
and for the last five $4,000 — payments to commence in September, 
1856. This left $60,000 which were to be expended in getting these 
tribes on their reservation, for fitting it up and to aid them in learn- 
ing the art of husbandry. In addition to this the head chief of 
the nation was to have a house built for him, with ten acres of land 



THE GREAT OUTBREAK OF EIGHTEEN FIFTY -FIVE. 381 

enclosed and plowed, and lie was to be paid $500 per year for 
twenty years as a salary. To the Indians generally this was a glit- 
tering temptation, but Kania-i-akun was hostile to the transaction 
and used his influence against it without avail. From that time 
until his death he was never friendly to the whites, and later with- 
drew from the war-path against them only for want of followers. 
Fourteen chiefs in all signed this agreement, among whom was the 
unwilling Kama-i-akun. The Walla Wallas, Cayuses and Unia- 
tillas, were to be paid $100,000 for their birth-right, with a twenty 
years' annuity of $500 to the head chief of each of those tribes. 
But for the blood stain upon their hands of a murdered Whitman, 
the Cayuses would not have sold their country to the whites. The 
Umatillas, knowing they were not guiltless in that affair, and looking 
to the reward offered for compliance, placed their names to the treaty. 
The Walla Wallas, too weak for resistance, reluctantly joined in the 
transfer of their homes, and thirty-six chiefs from among the three 
tribes signed the conveyance. Peu-peu-mox-mox, chief of this last 
mentioned tribe, was sullen and would not talk. He remembered 
that his own son had been educated at the mission; had visited 
California by invitation of Captain J. A. Sutter; had been as wan- 
tonly and maliciously murdered while in that gentleman's fort as 
had been Dr. Whitman among the Cayuses; and he no longer 
courted their friendship or believed in their promises. A special 
clause was placed in the treaty giving this chief permission to build 
a trading post at, or near, the mouth of the Yakima River, which 
he could occupy for five years and trade with the whites. He was 
to be paid his first year's salary on the day he signed the treaty, and 
the other chiefs had to wait. A house was to be built for his liv- 
ing son, around which five acres of land were to be plowed and en- 
closed, and he was to be paid annually $100 for twenty years. In 
addition to all this, Peu-peu-mox-mox was to be given, within three 
months, "three yoke of oxen, three yokes and four chains, one 
wagon, two plows, twelve hoes, twelve axes, two shovels, one sad- 
dle and bridle, one set of wagon harness, and one set of plow har- 
ness.'" None of the other chiefs received promise of like privileges 
or payments, and it is a striking evidence of the necessity that 
existed for obtaining the influence of this evident leader among the 
tribes at the council. The two treaties were signed on the ninth of 



382 HISTOET OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

June, 1855, at Camp Stevens within the limits of what now is 
Walla Walla City. Then Stevens and Palmer opened negotiations 
with the Nez Perces, who had been present since the gathering of 
the tribes at this great council. On the eleventh of that same 
month these old and tried friends of the Americans, who had been 
one of the strong powers to influence the other tribes to cede their 
lands in the two treaties of the ninth, conveyed their immense do- 
main to the Government, withholding a rather extensive reserve. 
Their territory, about one-fourth of which was retained, included 
over eighteen thousand square miles; and they were to be paid for 
it in annuities through a term of twenty years, a total of $200,000. 
In addition, the head chief was to be paid $500 per year for twenty 
years, and the tribe was to receive other benefits tending toward 
civilization. Fifty-eight chiefs signed it, among whom were Law- 
yer, Looking Glass, and Joseph. At the close of this council at 
Walla Walla Governor Stevens started for Colville, accompanied by 
a few Americans and a body-guard from this tribe. The Indians 
in that region refused to sell their lands. The Governor passed 
over the Bitterroot Mountains and concluded a treaty with the 
Flathead Nation on the sixteenth of July, by which they ceded 
over twenty thousand square miles of territory to the Government, 
less a reservation. The tribes constituting the Flathead Nation in- 
cluded the Flathead, Kootenai, and Upper Pend d'Oreilles. In 
addition to the $200,000 there were to be a $500 salary paid to the 
head chief of each of those tribes annually for twenty years, and the 
other usual advances to the nation for educational and agricultural 
purposes. Over this nation the Catholic missionaries had an almost 
unlimited control, and, had they opposed it, no treaty could have 
been effected. From among the Flatheads, Governor Stevens passed 
beyond the Rocky Mountains to treat with the Blackfeet. 

When the treaties had been signed at the Walla Walla council 
and Governor Stevens had started north, Joel Palmer returned to 
The Dalles, where he induced the Wascoes, Des Chutes, and John 
Day Rivers to cede their lands to the Government, on the twenty- 
fifth of June, "for $150,000. Payment was to be divided into annu- 
ities that would reach that amount in twenty years, with salaries to 
chiefs and advances for improvements similar to those contained in 
the other treaties. The land ceded by these tribes, from which 



THE GREAT OUTBREAK OF EIGHTEEN FIFTY-FIVE. 383 

should be deducted their reservation at the eastern base of Mount 
Jefferson, included over sixteen thousand square miles. 

Each of these treaties contained the following clause: "This 
treaty shall be obligatory upon the contracting parties as soon as 
the same shall be ratified by the President and Senate of the United 
States." It is thus seen that neither the whites nor Indians were 
bound by the provisions of the treaties until they had been so rati- 
fied, and the usual dilatoriness of Congress postponed that event 
until the eighth of March, 1859. Nevertheless Governor Stevens 
and Superintendent Palmer caused to be immediately published in 
the Oregon papers an official announcement that they had " con- 
cluded treaties," by means of which they had extinguished the 
Indian title to all the country except the reserves, whose bounda- 
ries they gave, and notifying the* people that the actual settlements 
and improvements of the Indians must not be molested until such 
time as they were officially removed to the reservations, which, of 
course, though they did not so state, could not be done until the 
treaties were made binding upon the contracting parties by formal 
ratification. Mr. Palmer expressly stated in a notice dated July 
10, 1855, that all the country east of the summit of the Cascade 
Mountains, and from latitude 44° north to Kettle Falls, excepting 
the reservations, was " open to settlement." Such was not the case; 
and for thus giving the people an incorrect idea of what had been 
accomplished, Governor Stevens and Superintendent Palmer are 
justly chargeable with a large share of responsibility for the hostil- 
ities which followed. The Indians did not so understand it, and 
their views were correct. The effort which had been made to ac- 
quire their lands in this wholesale manner had caused universal 
dissatisfaction among them, and deepened their ill-will toward the 
Americans. The chiefs had signed the treaties reluctantly, and their 
conduct, though acquiesced in, was not approved by their followers. 
In such a frame of mind they would not submit to any infringement 
of their rights under those documents, and, until their terms had 
been complied with, did not propose to permit any settlements to be 
made on the ceded lands. They even determined to exclude the 
Americans from the privilege previously enjoyed of passing through 
the country. The people were thus led by this injudicious con- 
duct of pompous officials, to claim rights they did not possess and 
which the Indians would not admit, and trouble naturally followed. 



384 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Only a few days subsequent to the signing of the treaties at 
Walla Walla, an event occurred which placed the relations between 
the whites and Indians in a still more precarious and strained con- 
dition. This was the reported discovery of gold at the junction of 
the Columbia and Pend d'Oreille rivers, thirty miles from Fort 
Colville, a post of the Hudson's Bay Company. The discoverers 
were four French Canadians who had gone on a prospecting trip to 
that region from French Prairie the preceding March, induced so to 
do by one of their number, a half-breed named Wau-ka, who had 
found color on the river. Small parties began leaving for the 
mines, and as reports of the richness and extent of the diggings be- 
came circulated, the number of these adventurers increased. Wells, 
Fargo &> Co. sent an agent to examine them, and his report was to 
the effect that the mining ground was very extensive, but the gold 
so fine that it could not be panned or cradled to advantage; sluices 
and quicksilver would be required; also that the water in the river 
was too high for successful mining at that season Exaggerated re- 
ports, however, continued to find their way into print, and, in a few 
weeks, travel to the Colville Mines became quite extensive. Parties 
from the Willamette Valley went by way of The Dalles and Simcoe 
Valley at first, and later through Walla Walla and the Palouse 
Country ; while those from the Sound crossed the mountains by the 
Natchess Pass, and headed direct for the mines. In the frame of 
mind in which the Indians then were, this was more than they 
could stand. The treaties had not been ratified and were not yet 
in force; every inch of the country belonged to the native proprie- 
tors as completely as before the signing of the compact. Not a 
plow nor a hoe, not a cow nor a dollar of money, had they received ; 
and yet the whites were streaming through their country and talk- 
ing and acting as though the Indians had no rights in the matter 
whatever. General Wool charged these men as interfering with 
the Indian women, and thus precipitating hostilities; but that 
charge was never sustained, though such conduct as that has been 
one of the most fruitful causes of trouble between the two races. 
It is not necessary, however, to account for the war in that manner, 
since there was ample cause without. The ideas the Indians enter- 
tained on the subject of white occupation, have been explained. 
The Yakima tribes, under the leadership of Kama-i-akun, now de- 



THE GREAT OUTBREAK OF EIGHTEEN FIFTY-FIVE. 385 

termined that no white men should reside in, or pass through, their 
country until the treaties had been ratified and the purchase price 
of their lands been paid. This determination they made known 
on several occasions. About the middle of July a man named Mc- 
Cormick, who had a claim on Klickitat River at a point known as 
" St. Charles City," was driven from his place, and spent a day and 
night in a treetop on the bank of the Columbia, when the steamer 
Mary came along and took him aboard. The Indians sent word 
that whites would not be permitted to settle on their lands until 
they had been paid for. About the same time Pierre Jerome, chief 
of the Indians of Kettle Falls, refused to permit A. F. Wilson, the 
man whom Wells, Fargo & Co. had sent to inspect the mines, to 
go from Colville to Pend d'Oreille River, saying that Americans 
would not be permitted to pass through or mine in the county 
until the land was paid for by the Government; also that all the 
tribes named would hold a "big talk" in August on the subject. 
This great council was never held, but that, in some way, the 
various tribes along the Columbia arrived at a mutual under- 
standing of what they would do in certain events, was made 
evident by their conduct a few months later. 

The people, as has been shown, had not been notified that, as 
yet, the treaties were not in force, and that they had thereby ac- 
quired no rights they did not previously enjoy. On the contrary, 
they looked upon the hostile position assumed by the Indians as 
utterly unjustifiable, and in direct violation of rights conferred by 
treaty. This idea appears prominently in all contemporaneous 
writings and in subsequent discussions of the war and its causes, 
especially in those evoked by the unfavorable reports and comments 
of General Wool. Looking at it from this stand-point, they were 
much excited in August when the Statesman published a rumor 
that seventy men had been killed in the Colville country, though 
this was promptly contradicted. A few days later, when the news 
of the murder of Mattice was received, they became still more so, 
and charged the Indians with violating treaty obligations. Mr. 
Mattice was a resident of Olympia, and with Judge Yantis and 
others, crossed the mountains in August on his way to the mines. 
When near the Columbia, Mattice became separated from his com- 
panions and soon fell in with a Spokane Indian, who traveled 



386 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

with liim. Not long afterwards four Isle de Pere Indians overtook 
them and shot Mattice, boasting to his companion that they had 
already killed three Bostons that day. News of the tragedy was 
taken to Colville by the Spokane and did not reach the Willamette 
Valley until late in September. Much apprehension was felt for 
the safety of a score of others from Puget Sound, who were known 
to be passing through the hostile country. The agent of the Hud- 
son's Bay Company at Fort Colville, Mr. McDonald, on the twenty- 
sixth of August, sent a messenger to the mines notifying the Amer- 
icans of the death of Mattice and that the Indians were combining, 
and advising them to leave the mines unless they were prepared to 
defend themselves against large numbers. Many had previously 
started upon their return, disgusted with the mines, and now nearly 
all of the remainder took McDonald's advice and returned fyy the 
way of Walla Walla, reporting the Indians along the route as being 
very surly and threatening in their conduct. W^hitney, at McKay's 
place on the Umatilla, was warned by Stick-as and Umhowlish, 
two Cay use chiefs, that it was unsafe for him to remain, and was 
told that they had given Dr. Whitman a similar warning before his 
death. He hastened with his family to The Dalles, and the few 
other Americans in that region did the same, or took refuge with 
the friendly Nez Perces. The French and half-breed settlers re- 
mained, being considered Hudson's Bay Company men, and some of 
the later arrivals from Colville, among whom were McKay and 
Vic. Trevitt, only passed safely through by representing themselves 
as employees of the company. 

In the absence of Governor Stevens, the Secretary, C. H. Mason, 
discharged the duties of executive. On the twenty-second of Sep- 
tember he addressed a communication to Major Q. J. Raines, com- 
mandant at Fort Vancouver, informing him of the murder of Mr. 
Mattice and the reported death of a number of others, and request- 
ing him to dispatch a military force to the Yakima country to 
punish the aggressors and protect the small parties of miners travel- 
ing through that region. A. J. Bolan, Indian Agent for Washing- 
ton Territory, a man who had great influence among the Yakimas 
and for whom they entertained great respect, started for that region 
from The Dalles as soon as he heard of the first hostile acts, and as 
no word was received from him for a number of days it was feared 



THE GREAT OUTBREAK OF EIGHTEEN FIFTY-FIVE. 387 

he had been killed by his wards. Governor Mason had hardly 
dispatched his letter before intelligence was received at Olympia 
that two citizens of that place — Walker and Jamison — had been 
killed near the Natchess Pass. He at once made a requisition upon 
Captain M. Maloney, commanding Fort Steilacoom, for a detach- 
ment of regulars to proceed to the Yakima country and punish the 
perpetrators of these murders and protect the straggling parties 
passing through. Lieutenant W. A. Slaughter was detailed for 
this duty with forty men; and departed on the twenty -seventh of 
September with forty days' rations. Mason addressed a second 
letter to Major Kaines on the twenty -sixth, informing him of the 
new developments, and requesting him to send a military force to 
co-operate with Lieutenant Slaughter. To this Major Raines re- 
plied as follows: — 

Governor— Your letter by Mr. Pearson I have the honor to acknowledge, and 
have ordered into the field a company of eighty-four men from Fort Dalles, O. T., 
all mounted, and with provisions on pack mules for one month, to proceed without 
delay and sweep through the Yakima country to the points you indicated, co-oper- 
ating with the force from Steilacoom ; also, to inquire into the safety of Agent 
Bolan, who has now been absent an unusual length of time ; a respectful attention to 
whose views are enjoined— if alive— for there are grounds to fear otherwise. I shall 
approve of the action of the commanding officer at Fort Steilacoom in the premises, 
and only regret that the forty men under Lieutenant Slaughter were not a full 
company. I have also located an officer and twenty men at the Cascades. 

This expedition was placed under the command of Major G. O. 
Haller, a brave and experienced officer who had just returned from 
a successful campaign in Southwestern Idaho against the Snake 
Indians who had murdered the Ward family the fall before. Pre- 
vious to his departure the fate of Agent Bolan was settled. Nathan 
Olney, Sub-agent in Oregon, had dispatched from The Dalles a 
trusty Indian to bring him intelligence of the missing man. He re- 
turned with the startling report that seventeen men had been killed 
(never substantiated), and that Bolan had been murdered. The 
Agent had threatened the Indians with punishment by the troops 
unless they refrained from molesting the whites who passed through 
their country. When he left to return he was followed by several of 
them, and a son of Show-ah-way, an influential chief, shot him. 
His throat was then cut, and the murderers shot his horse and burned 
the two bodies together. About the same time, Werbannahan, a 
Cascades chief, came into the settlement there and reported that 



388 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

five hundred Yakimas and Klickitats were within fifteen miles of 
White Salmon, and at once the military detachment located there 
embarked on the steamer Wasco and proceeded to the mouth of 
that river, only to find their presence there useless, and at once 
returned. 

On the third of October, Major Haller's force, consisting of one 
hundred and seven, rank and file, started north from The Dalles, 
dragging with them a mountain howitzer. News of this movement, 
of the death of Bolan, and the White Salmon canard, reached Port- 
land at the same time and created much excitement throughout the 
Valley. This force marched north, and on the sixth encountered a 
strong body of Indians on Simcoe Creek. By a dashing charge the 
savages were dislodged from the brush along the stream, but the 
fortunes of battle soon turned, and the troops were forced to take 
refuge on the crest of a neighboring hill, where they were imme- 
diately surrounded by the enemy, whose number was estimated at 
one thousand warriors. A courier succeeded in slipping through 
the environing savages, and after two days of fatigue and danger, 
reached The Dalles with intelligence of the precarious position of 
the troops. Lieutenant Day at once started to their relief with 
forty-five men and a howitzer, but soon met the troops in full re- 
treat. Unable to maintain their position, they had forced a passage 
through the enemy's lines and fought their way out of the country, 
losing, in the whole fight, five of their number killed and seventeen 
wounded. 

On the ninth Major Raines made a requisition upon Governor 
Mason for two companies of volunteers, and addressed a communi- 
cation to Governor George L. Curry, of Oregon, containing the 
following language: — 

As commanding officer, I have ordered all the United States disposable force in 
this district into the field immediately, and shall take the command. As this force 
is questionable to subdue these Indians — the Yakimas, Klickitats, and may be some 
other smaller bands — I have the honor to call upon you for four companies of vol- 
unteers, composed, according to our present organization, of one captain, one first 
lieutenant, one second lieutenant, four sergeants, four corporals, two musicians, 
and seventy-four privates. This number of companies is just enough for a major's 
command, and would authorize that officer also. We have only arms enough at 
this post for two companies, so it is advisable to have two of the four companies 
come armed with rifles, or such arms as can best be obtained. We have plenty of 
ammunition, however. As celerity is the word, we want as many of the volunteers 
as can be immediately obtained, to rendezvous at this post, and proceed with the 
troops to Fort Dalles. They can be mustered here. 



THE GREAT OUTBREAK OF EIGHTEEN E1FTY-EIVE. 389 

Governor Mason at once issued a proclamation for two com- 
panies, which were speedily filled. Governor Curry did better. 
Instead of four companies tie called for eight — one each from Mult- 
nomah, Clackamas, Washington, Marion, Polk, Yamhill, Lane and 
Wasco — and a few days later added a company from Benton and 
another from French Settlement, in Marion County ; the last being 
designed for scout and guide duty. Just why this was done is not 
perfectly clear, but it was charged at the time that he proposed to 
render the regulars auxiliary to the militia instead of the reverse, 
and therefore desired companies enough to require a colonel, who 
would outrank Major Raines. It was also charged that speculation 
was an important factor here as well as in Southern Oregon, and 
that ever since the glorious trip of the year before " to fight the 
emigrants," the powers that were, and their friends, looked upon 
an Indian war as a bonanza of considerable proportions. This may 
be doing the memory of the executive and his advisers an injustice, 
but certain it is, even if that element was not then present, it cropped 
out later, and with sufficient prominence to give color to the suspi- 
cion of its existence from the very beginning. 

It is proper here to give another version of the cause of hostili- 
ties and the reason for this rather wholesale calling to arms by 
Governor Curry. General Wool, in a letter to the National Intel- 
ligencer, under date of April 2, 1856, detailed the situation in 
Oregon from his stand -point. This is one of the letters which 
drew down upon his devoted head such a storm of indignation, 
which will be more fully referred to in its proper place. In it he 
says:-- 

It is said that the Yakimas having become dissatisfied with the treaty made 
with them the summer before by Governor Stevens, determined on war. This was 
hastened, as it would seem, by some miners forcibly carrying away and ill treating 
some Yakima squaws. The Yakimas, according to their own story, complained of 
this wrong to A. J. Bolan, Sub-Indian Agent, who was at that time in the Indian 
country, and demanded redress. An altercation took place, when the Indians 
threatened revenge. The agent, in turn, threatened to send against them troops of 
the United States. It was under such circumstances that the agent and the Indians 
separated. The former, however, was followed and overtaken by the Yakimas, 
when they demanded to know if he intended to send the troops of the United 
States against them. On answering them in the affirmative, as the Indians say, 
they killed him, and afterwards, as reported, some miners on their way to the Col- 
ville mines. * * * The Major, however, partaking somewhat of the 
alarm pervading the country, increased and stimulated by political demagogues, 
called upon Acting-Governor Mason for two companies of volunteers, which was* 



390 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

promptly and favorably responded to ; and upon Governor Curry, of Oregon, for 
four companies, which he refused, because, as he said, the Oregonians would no* 
serve under United States officers. At the same time he called into the Territorial 
service two mounted regiments — one to serve against the Indians of Washington 
Territory, and the other against the Indians in Southern Oregon. Of the former, 
no part of it, in any sense of the term, was necessary to defend the inhabitants of 
Oregon against the Indians in Washington Territory, east of the Cascade Mountains, 
from whom they had no danger whatever to apprehend. * * * Such have 
been the results of one of the most unwise, unnecessary and extravagant expedi- 
tions ever fitted out in the United States, and for no other reason than to plunder 
the treasury of the United States and to make political capital for somebody. It 
could not have been projected for the defense of the inhabitants of Oregon, nor for 
the protection of Oregonians in Washington Territory, for none resided there. What, 
then, could have been the object? Nothing but a crusade against the Indians, and a 
long war to enrich the country. If such was not the object,, Govern or Curry, instead 
of sending his troops against the Indians of Washington Territory and beyond his 
own jurisdiction, would have sent them all to Southern Oregon, where the war 
raged, and no where else in his territory. The Oregonians say that the war is a 
Godsend to the country. * * * It is said by intelligent men that the 
expenses of Governor Curry's army will amount, in scrip, to three or four millions 
of dollars. If Congress should foot the bill, some Governor of another Territory 
will make a bill of ten millions. I do not know how the question will be con- 
sidered. One thing, however, is certain, that it is an example which, if counte- 
nanced by the United States Government, may, when least expected, lead to no less 
embarrassing than disastrous results. 

In the "River of the West, 1 ' the author, who evidently was in- 
spired by the communications and reports of General Wool, thus 
speaks upon this subject: — 

But when at last the call to arms was made in Oregon, it was an opportunity 
sought and not an alternative forced upon them by the politicians of that Territory. 
The occasion was simply this: A party of lawless wretches from the Sound 
Country passing over the Cascade Mountains into the Yakima Valley, on their way 
to the Upper Columbia mines, found some Yakima women digging roots in a lonely 
place and abused them. The women fled to their village and told their chiefs of 
the outrage, and a party followed the guilty whites and killed several of them in a 
light. Mr. Bolan, the Indian Sub-Agent for Washington, went to the Yakima vil- 
age, and, instead of judging the case impartially, made use of threats in the name of 
the United States Government, saying that an army should be sent to punish them 
for killing his people. On his return home, Mr. Bolan was followed and murdered. 
The murder of an Indian Agent was an act which could not be overlooked. Very 
properly the case should have been taken notice of in a manner to convince the 
Indians that murder must be punished. But, tempted by an opportunity for gain, 
and encouraged by the somewhat reasonable fears of the white population of Wash- 
ington and Oregon, Governor G. L. Curry, of the latter, at once proclaimed war, 
and issued a call for volunteers, without waiting for the sanction or assistance of 
the General Government. 

Though the camas incident may have occurred, it has not been 
established by proof; and even if an actual occurrence it was but 
an incident and not a sole cause of trouble. For this contracted 






THE GREAT OUTBREAK OF EIGHTEEN FIFTY-FIVE. 391 

and superficial view, General Wool, who was a stranger and un- 
familiar with the relations the whites and Indians had previously 
sustained toward each other, may, perhaps, be considered excusable. 
He probably acted " to the best of his knowledge and belief." His 
course was certainly better than the other extreme adopted by 
Governor Curry. 

The excitement and panic created in the Willamette Valley can 
hardly be appreciated at this distant day. News of the terrible 
straits to which Major Haller was reduced, and of Major Raines' 
call for aid, was followed two days later by intelligence of the ter- 
rible massacre in the Rogue River Valley, already described. It 
was at once asserted, and generally believed, that all the Indians in 
Oregon and Washington had combined to wage a war of extermina- 
tion against the settlements. The Oregonian especially was a panicy 
paper, filling its columns with all the absurd rumors which menda- 
cious schemers or timid idiots might invent or conceive. Other 
papers seconded the hot-headed Dryer in his efforts to create a war 
feeling among the people, with the exception of the Statesman', and 
this exception was caused by the simple fact that Bush, its editor, 
always espoused the negative of any question upon which Dryer 
had pronounced in the affirmative. It was somewhat anomalous 
and paradoxical in this case, since the Statesman was the apostle of 
Democracy, and the Territorial" Government was completely in the 
hands of that party, which would, consequently, control all appoint- 
ments and the letting of all contracts — as subsequent events proved 
that it did. On the contrary the Oregonian, as the organ of the 
\Vhio-, or American, party, could hope for no benefit for itself or 
friends, save such as might come indirectly, because the " war was 
a Godsend to Oregon/ 1 By warmly advocating the war, and then as 
hotly criticising its management by the Democratic officials and con- 
tractors, while not forgetting at the same time to bestow unlimited 
praise upon " the brave men in the field/ 1 the Oregonian made 
itself extremely popular. This was an astute piece of journalism, 
and it may be said that the Oregonian here laid the foundation for 
its subsequent greatness and prosperity. 

To enumerate the various rumors which flew about the V alley, 
racking the nerves of the timid and rousing the martial ardor of the 
more warlike, would be impossible. The same evening the start- 



392 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

ling intelligence was brought into Portland that Major Haller was 
defeated, a rumor was spread that the Cascades was threatened and 
that six hundred Indians were opposite St. Helens. Hastily a meet- 
ing was called, excited and warlike speeches made, a committee of 
safety appointed a to keep an eye on the Indians in and about the 
city," and another to enroll the names of volunteers. Quite a com- 
pany was raised before the canard was exploded. Throughout the 
whole valley there was a general preparation for defense, extending 
from the simple inspection of fire-arms to the building of stockades, 
according as the panic took deep or shallow hold upon the in- 
dividual. The Methodists of Tualatin Plains, in Washington County ? 
apparently more exposed to annihilation by lightning than attack 
by Indians, constructed a stockade around .their church, and pre- 
pared for a defense of their families within the protecting wall of 
pickets. The following extract from an editorial in the Statesman 
of October 25, two weeks after the excitement began, throws much 
light upon the subject: — 

* * * The idea that Indians are going to attack the Willamette towns 
or settlements is groundless and silly in the extreme, and it requires more patience 
than we possess to treat it soberly and without ridicule. * * * Upon what 
are all these "dread alarums " based ? Upon silly rumors, dreams, and crazy imagina- 
tions of excited and half-crazy brains. And how rapidly have they all been exploded 
in their order ! First, The Dalles and Cascades were to be immediately attacked ; 
next, St. Helens ; then Major Haller was about to be cut off; Lieutenant Slaughter's 
command was, without doubt, murdered; and also Governor Mason, who followed, 
with Stuart, Trevitt, Barnhart and McKay, and several others, too numerous to 
mention, who had not been heard of for twenty-four hours or so. They have all 
finally turned up unharmed, except Haller's command, which, sustained a loss of 
five men. * * * Upon the heels of the above list of rumors followed 
some other members of that innumerable family to the effect that three or fou r 
hundred Klamaths were at the head of the Santiam, armed, and threatening an 
attack upon the neighborhood, Salem, Albany, and probably Corvallis. No Indians 
could be found there ; and then rumor located a still larger and more dreadful band 
on the Calapooia, with the intention of sweeping the country and burning Eugene 
City. But nary Indian was found there, and we heard nothing of madam rumor 
for two or three hours, when she came in breathless and reported the Tillamook 
Indians as being in an awful fiz, and about to blow out Lafayette and Yamhill. A 
party started over to Tillamook to surprise the red rascals and head off their dire in- 
tentions; in due time they returned, without any scalps, and not very much fright- 
ened for their lives. They probably conveyed to those Indians the first intelligence 
they had of the combination of all the tribes against the whites. *'".*'* 
Now, nothing remains of the rumors from that quarter (the north) but the report of 
a combination of tribes, and a purpose of giving battle to the whites. We have 
noticed that in times past, upon the occurrence of Indian hostilities, it is at once re- 
ported that there is a combination of all the tribes in the section where the dis- 
turbance exists ; and we have noticed, also, that when it was over and the facts 



THE GREAT OUTBREAK OF EIGHTEEN FIFTY -FIVE. 393 

obtainable, that there was no general combination, and do preconcerted purpose of 
war. There may be a general combination of tribes north of us. We hope not; and 
we have seen no evidence that such is the case, and do not believe that it is. 

The troops under the command of Major Raines were portions 
of the -ith Infantry. Immediately upon receiving the Major's re- 
port of the condition of affairs on the Columbia, as well as intelli- 
gence of the Rogue River complications, Major General Wool, com- 
mandant of the Military Division of the Pacific, with headquarters 
at San Francisco, forwarded all the troops at his disposal, together 
with stores, ammunition, etc. He also made a requisition upon the 
Government for reinforcements, in response to which the 9th Infantry 
was sent to the Coast; but owing to the insufficient means of com- 
munication and travel, the regiment did not arrive until the follow- 
ing spring. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE FALL CAMPAIGNS IN THE SOUTH. 

Governor Gurry Galls for Two Battalions of Volunteers — Siege of 
Galiee Creek — Battle of Hungry Hill — A Poor Commissariat, and 
Jealousy between Regulars and Volunteers Cause Disaster — Organi- 
zation of the Two Battalions — They Arrange with the Regulars for 
a Joint Campaign — The First Meadows Campaign — Invasion of 
the Rice Settlement — Massacre of Peaceable Umpquas in Looking- 
Glass Valley — Attack on the Camps of Jake and John — The Siege 
on Applegate Creek — Fight on Murphy Creek — Close of the Cam- 
paign for the Winter. 

THE narrative now turns back to the Rogue River Valley, whose 
stirring events will be considered while Major Raines and 
Governor Curry's troops are preparing for their expedition against 
the Yakimas. Upon the news being received at Corvallis, the tem- 
porary seat of Government, that the flame of war had burst out 
afresh in Southern Oregon, Governor Curry, immediately after his 
proclamation for troops to fight the Northern Indians, issued a 
second call for volunteers to quell the uprising in the South. He 
called for two battalions, to be designated as the " Northern Bat- 
talion " and "Southern Battalion." The former was to consist of 
i\ve companies, two from Lane County, and one each from Douglas, 
Linn and Umpqua, and was to rendezvous at Roseburg and elect 
a Major to command it. The latter was to consist of four compa- 
nies, all from Jackson County, to assemble at Jacksonville, and also 
choose a Major as commander. 

While the work of organizing the forces was going on, the Indian 
marauders retired to the neighborhood of Grave Creek, Cow Creek 
and Galiee Creek, on each of which were important settlements. 
On the morning of the seventeenth of October the united bands of 



THE FALL CAMPAIGNS IN THE SOUTH. 395 

Lirnpy, George, John and Tenas Tyee made an attack on the head- 
quarters of the volunteers on Galice Creek, and the fight ensued 
which has been celebrated as the " Siege of Galice Creek. 1 ' Cap- 
tain William B. Lewis, in command of a company of about thirty - 
five men, was stationed at the creek. On the day mentioned Ser- 
geant Adams was fired upon by hostiles, who appeared in strong 
force on the hill overlooking the houses used as headquarters. 
Several volunteers who were standing near were also fired upon, 
and Private J. W. Pickett was mortally wounded by a shot through 
the body, and died during the day. The headquarters consisted of 
two board houses, situated some twenty yards apart, and about an 
equal distance from the stream. Some four or five men took a 
position in a ditch which had been cut for defensive purposes ; others 
took shelter within a log corral adjoining one of the houses, while 
within the latter the remainder were installed. The enemy were 
hidden behind natural obstructions in all directions from the de- 
fenses. Very soon the men were driven from the ditch, and took 
refuge in the houses. While retreating toward the house, Private 
Israel D. Adams was shot and fell, mortally injured, near the house, 
being assisted into it by Private Allen Evans, who, while thus en- 
gaged, received a severe wound in the jaw. The Indians imme- 
diately occupied the ditch to the number of twenty or more, and 
kept up a fire on the houses, within which the volunteers were erect- 
ing defences by digging up floors, piling up blankets, etc. Umpqua 
Joe, a friendly Indian who was taking part with the whites, had the 
misfortune to be wounded; and a bullet penetrated the thin walls 
of the house and struck Private Samuel Sanders in the head, killing 
him instantly. Several attempts were made by the enemy to set fire 
to the house-, and Chief George particularly distinguished himself 
by attempting to throw burning faggots upon the roofs. The en- 
gagement lasted nearly all day, the Indians at nightfall retiring from 
the scene. When they had disappeared, the volunteers went to work 
to strengthen their defences by extending their ditch, at which they 
occupied themselves nearly all night. In the morning some Indians 
appeared, and seeing from the preparations that the whites were 
ready to receive them, fired their guns, retreated, and were not 
again seen on Galice Creek. Besides those mentioned, Benjamin 
Tufts, severely wounded, died on the twenty-eighth of November 



396 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

following. Captain Lewis, First Lieutenant W. A. Moore, and 
Privates John Erixson, Louis Dunois, and Milton Blacklidge were 
wounded. How great the Indian loss was could not be determined, 
but common opinion was that it was about equal to that of the 
whites. 

A few T days subsequently, and while the whereabouts of the 
Indians was unknown, an opportune circumstance revealed their 
place of abode. Lieutenant (since General) A. V. Kautz, of the 
regular army, set out from Port Orford with a guard of ten soldiers 
to explore the country lying between that place and Fort Lane. 
Leaving the river near the mouth of Grave Creek, he ascended the 
neighboring hills, and, much to his surprise, came upon a very 
large band of Indians. As they proved hostile, there was no re- 
source but to run for it, and losing one man by the savages' fire, 
the men escaped to Fort Lane. Having now been made aware of 
the Indians 7 exact whereabouts, Colonel Ross and Captain Smith, 
combining forces as well as the mutual jealousies of regulars and 
volunteers would permit, began to plan an active campaign. All 
the disposable troops at Fort Lane consisted of eighty -five men and 
four officers. These set out on the twenty -seventh of October, and 
on arriving at the Grave Creek House were joined by Colonel Ross' 
command, of about two hundred and ninety men, besides a portion 
of Major Martin's force from Deer Creek. From this point the 
combined forces moved, on October thirtieth, to the Indian camp, 
arriving at daybreak at a point where Captains Harris and Bruce 
were deployed to the left, while Captain Smith, with the regulars, 
took the ridge to the right, with the expectation of arriving in the 
rear of. the position. Captains Williams and Rinearson followed in 
Captain Smith's tracks. The country not being perfectly known 
by the whites, several mistakes followed in consequence, and Harris 
and Bruce came directly upon the Indian encampment, and were in 
full view of the savages, before any strategic movement could be 
made, and no opportunity for surprising the enemy offered itself. 
The time was sunrise, and Captain Smith had gained his rear posi- 
tion and had built fires for his men's refreshment, at the place where 
Lieutenant Kautz had been attacked. By these fires the Indians 
were warned of the party in their rear, and prepared themselves 
accordingly. The regulars descended into a deep gorge, climbed 



THE FALL CAMPAIGNS IN THE SOUTH. 897 

up the other side and directly were engaged with the Indians, who 
advanced to meet them. From the crest of the hill for a mile or 
more in the rear of the Indians, was a dense thicket; on the right 
and left were precipitous descents into a gorge filled with pines and 
undergrowth, in which the natives concealed themselves almost per- 
fectly from the view of the whites, who possessed no resources suffi- 
cient to dislodge them. The ridge being bare on top, the men were 
necessarily exposed, and some casualties resulted. Movements were 
made to get in the rear of this new position, but such attempts were 
futile. Several charges were made by the regulars, but ineffectually, 
although the men were for considerable periods within ten or twenty 
yards of the hostiles. The latter fought bravely and steadily, pick- 
ing off the whites by a regular fire from their rifles, which were 
pitted against the inferior weapons of the troops, or at least of the 
regulars, two -thirds of whom had only the " musketoon," a short, 
smooth-bore weapon, discharging inaccurately a heavy round bullet, 
whose range was necessarily slight. About sunset the commanders 
concluded to retire from the field, and encamped for the night at 
Bloody Spring, as it was then named, some distance down the hill. 
On the following morning Lieutenant Gibson, of the regulars, 
with ten men, proceeded up the hill to the battlefield, to secure the 
dead body of a private of his detachment, and when returning with 
it was pursued by the savages, who came down and attacked the 
camp in force. No damage was done except the wounding of Lieu- 
tenant Gibson, and after a time the savages were driven off. No 
further attempt against the Indians was made, and after advising 
with their officers, the two commanders decided to remove their 
troops from the vicinity. The total loss was thirty- one, of whom 
nine were killed, and twenty -two wounded. Several of the latter 
died of their injuries. The volunteers killed were Privates Jacob 
W. Miller, James Pearcy and Henry Pearl, of Rinearson's company; 
John Winters, of Williams'; and Jonathan A. Pedigo, of Harris'. 
The wounded were Privates William H. Crouch, Enoch Miller and 
Ephraim Tager, of Rinearson's; Thomas Ryan and William Stamms, 
of Williams'; L. P. Allen, John Goldsby, Thomas Gill, C. B. Hin- 
ton, William M. Hand, William I. Mayfield, William Purnell and 
William White, of Harris'; C. C. Goodwin, of Bruce's; and John 
Kennedy, of Welton'.s. The latter died on the seventh of Novem- 



398 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

ber, and C. B. Hinton, in endeavoring to make his way alone to 
the Grave Creek House, lost his road and perished from exposure. 
This fight is known by the several names of the " Battle of Bloody 
Springs," "Battle of Hungry Hill," and " Battle in the Grave Creek 
Hills," and was practically a defeat. 

Inclemency of the weather and inadequate clothing and accoutre- 
ments are ascribed as reasons for the failure of this campaign ; but 
more especially an utter failure of the commissariat. The commis- 
sary and quartermaster departments were at fault, nor do they ap- 
pear to have been efficiently administered at any time during the 
war, although their expenses (duly charged to the United States) 
were preposterously great. Figures are at hand to show that the 
expense of the latter department exceeded, for a time, eight hundred 
dollars per day! And this for transportation alone. A large 
number of Mexicans were borne on the rolls as packers, whose 
daily pay was six dollars, and who had the care and management 
of about one hundred and fifty pack animals, which were used in 
carrying supplies from Jacksonville or Crescent City to the seat of 
war. They belonged to the volunteer service, and were entirely 
distinct from the trains by which the regulars at Fort Lane were 
supplied. It was to this mismanagement the failure of the cam- 
paign was attributed, and apparently with considerable justice. As 
was customary at that date, a great deal of blame was cast upon 
the volunteers for their alleged failure to properly second the efforts 
of the Government troops. This charge is retorted upon Captain 
Smith's soldiers by counter -charges of similar tenor; and as neither 
side in the controversy is supported by any but interested evidence, 
we can not, at this date, satisfactorily discuss the question. The 
matter, however, is connected with the invariable tendency to an- 
tagonism, which shows itself on every similar occasion. 

These preliminary engagements were followed by a complete 
organization of the hastily collected companies as designated in the 
proclamation of Governor Curry. John K. Lamerick was appointed 
Acting Adjutant General for the Southern Battalion, and reached 
Jacksonville a few days subsequent to the battle of Hungry Hill. 
About a dozen companies, of from twenty to eighty men each, ap- 
plied to be mustered. Of these four — Bruce, Williams, Wilkin- 
son, and Alcorn's — were mustered at Vannoy's Ferry on the tenth of 



THE FALL CAMPAIGNS IN THE SOUTH. 399 

November, the others being disbanded. The battalion elected 
James Bruce Major, his only competitor being Captain R. L. 
Williams. The Northern Battalion perfected its organization some- 
what earlier at Roseburg, electing William J. Martin Major on the 
twentieth of October. M. M. McCarver, who had been appointed 
Quartermaster General, established his headquarters at Roseburg. 
Major Martin's force consisted of five companies of one hundred 
and ten men each, considerably in excess of the number assigned in 
the proclamation. The company from Douglas County was com- 
manded by Samuel Gordon; Jonathan Keeney was in command of 
the one from Linn, W. W. Chapman was Captain of the Umpqua 

company, and Joseph Bailey and Buoy of the two from Lane. 

Major Martin established headquarters at Camp Leland, seven miles 
north of Grave Creek, and stationed detachments of his men at suit- 
able points for the general protection of the whole region north of 
Rogue River — in Cow Creek Valley, Camas Valley, the Canyon, 
North Umpqua, and at Scottsburg. Detachments of the Southern 
Battalion were stationed at Evans' Ferry, Bowdeu's, on Grave 
Creek, and other points. 

This disposition of the troops effectually prevented the Indians 
from reaching the more important settlements, and the savages, find- 
ing all avenues closed to the eastward, left Bloody Springs and 
passed down Rogue River, taking refuge in a region almost inac- 
cessible because of its steep mountains, deep gorges and dense 
underbrush. The two battalions were mutually independent, though 
expected to co-operate. Their commanders arranged with Captain 
Smith for a joint campaign againt the Indians, whose location on 
Rogue River had been discovered. Major Fitzgerald and his com- 
pany of dragoons had been ordered to report for duty at Vancou- 
ver, much reducing the force of regulars at Fort Lane. Captain 
Judah, who was stationed at Fort Jones, was sent, by Captain 
Smith, to accompany the volunteers with all the troops which could 
be spared from those two posts. Here was the most unmilitary 
spectacle of three separate and distinct commands starting out upon 
a campaign, with no commander-in-chief and no definitely outlined 
plan of operations. 

The line of march was taken up by Major Martin, Major Bruce, 
and Captain Judah on the twentieth of November, the latter taking 



400 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

with him, with infinite difficulty, a clumsy mountain howitzer. A 
day or two later they encamped at the mouth of Whiskey Creek, 
and found traces of Indians. Proceeding down the river the next 
morning, keeping along the high lands back a mile or two from the 
stream, they found the Indians in strong force in the woods border- 
ing the river. It was deemed proper to cross to the south side of 
the stream, and for this purpose Major Bruce proceeded with his 
battalion down the river, being then near the mouth of Jackass 
Creek, and attempted to cross. There was no discipline whatever. 
The commands were but newly organized, and each private con- 
sidered his judgment as good as that of his officers. The men were 
scattered out over the bar, some engaged in constructing rafts and 
others in prospecting for gold. No effort was made to keep them 
in order by their officers, though they were almost in the presence 
of the enemy. The consequence was that when the Indians began 
firing upon them from out of the dense thicket on the opposite 
bank, the men made a wild rush for shelter in the forest above the 
bar. Although some of the officers made a vain effort to halt them 
and form a line, they preferred to take the advice of a fleeing Lieu- 
tenant and " break for the brush." While this was being done the 
commands of Martin and Judah lay upon the hill above and several 
miles distant, while the latter trained his piece in the direction of the 
enemy and awoke the echoes with its harmless bang. After con- 
tinuing this amusement for some time the martial toy was strapped 
upon the back of a lusty mule, and the three commands marched 
back to their camps at Vannoy's Ferry, Fort Lane and Camp Le- 
land. Thus ended the First Meadows Campaign. William Lewis, of 
Kenney's company, was killed, five other volunteers were wounded, 
and one Indian scalp was taken home by the retiring troops. 

The various companies were now detailed for guard duty at the 
more exposed places, and no regular campaign was again under- 
taken until spring. Though comparatively inactive, they served as 
a bulwark of safety to the settlements along Rogue River and the 
Umpqua. There were, however, a few war-like incidents before 
the close of the year, which served to show that the Indians were 
still hostile, and that the spirit of promiscuous extermination had 
not forsaken the whites. The first of these was the descent of some 
twenty or thirty Indians upon the Rice Settlement, at the mouth of 



THE FALL CAMPAIGNS IN THE SOUTH. 401 

Looking Glass Creek, eight miles south of Roseburg. The hostiles 
burned Rice's house, captured some fire-arms, and did other damage. 
A small company of men, commanded by J. P. Day, went from 
Deer Creek to the scene and engaged and defeated the Indians on 
the second of December, killing three. The stolen guns, horses, 
etc., were re-captured. Castleman, a member of the company, was 
slightly wounded. The Indians were probably Cow Creeks who 
had not formally joined the forces of Limpy and George on the 
banks of Rogue River. Some few of the peaceable Umpquas 
resided in and around the pleasant vale of Looking Glass. When 
war broke out on Rogue River, these inoffensive people were gath- 
ered in Looking Glass Valley, occupying a rancheria on the creek^ 
where they lived at peace with all the world, and ignorant and 
careless of everything outside of their own little sphere. In an evil 
hour certain white people of that vicinity, who imagined that they 
were dangerous neighbors, organized themselves into a company, 
and fell suddenly upon the helpless little community, and scattered 
them to the four winds. Several men and an old squaw were 
killed. 

The people on Butte Creek, in Jackson County, had, with the 
first alarm of war, sought safety in a camp of log houses on Felix 
O'Neal's donation claim. Alcorn's company was recruited among 
the hardy settlers thereabouts, and subsequent to their return from 
the First Meadows Campaign, were posted in part at this fortified 
camp. Jake, a well-known chief of a small band of Indians, with 
his braves, had long inhabited that portion of the country and had 
refused to go on the reservation. On the night of December twen- 
ty-fourth Captain Alcorn marched to their rancheria and camped 
within a mile of it, in the cold and snow. At daybreak the next 
morning the troops moved within rifle range, and began to shoot. 
This they kept up until the natives were killed or dispersed, their 
loss being eight "bucks " killed, and the remainder wounded. One 
squaw was wounded in the jaw, and two men were captured. A 
similar affair, similarly managed, occurred at the same date between 
a detachment of Captain Rice's company and the Indians of a ranch- 
eria four miles north of Rogue River, and just below the mouth of 
Big Butte Creek. The Indians were taken by surprise, and after 
several hours' fighting, eighteen males were killed, twenty squaws 



402 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

and children captured and the rancheria burned. On the same day 
twenty men of Bushey's company set out on a scouting tour to the 
neighborhood of Williams' Creek, where a portion of Old John's 
band were busying themselves in many a hostile way, much raised 
in self-esteem by the partial success of their bold leader since the 
war began. On the fourth day a detachment of seven men came 
upon the camp, and immediately attacked it, killing three braves 
and putting the others to flight. 

Toward the last of December some scouts, near the forks of the 
Applegate, discovered that a body of Indians had taken possession 
of two deserted miners' cabins, and had gone into winter quarters 
there, preparing themselves for a state of siege by excavating the 
floors and piling the dirt against the walls. A body of sixty or 
more from Sterling went immediately to watch the cabins and 
prevent the Indians from escaping, while word was sent to various 
military companies. Captain Bushey arrived, and finding the 
position too strong for his small force, awaited the arrival of 
others. Capt. Smith sent Lieutenants Hagen and Underwood with 
twenty-five regulars and the inevitable howitzer; but the mule 
carrying the ammunition was so heedless as to fall into a deep 
creek and be killed, while the powder was ruined. More ammu- 
nition was sent for, and Lieutenant Switzer, with sixteen regulars, 
brought it on a mule. The regulars then fired a shell, which 
passed into or through a cabin and killed, as the records say, two 
savages. Before the howitzer's arrival the Indians had killed one 
man and wounded five. After the shell was fired, the regulars 
postponed further operations until the morrow, as night was near. 
When they arose the next morning the birds had flown and their 
cages were empty. A much regretted event occurred during the 
day ; this was the killing of Martin Angell, of Jacksonville, who 
set out to accompany the regulars to the scene of the siege. When 
two and a half miles from Jacksonville, Angell and Walker, who 
were about two hundred and fifty yards in advance, were fired on 
by Indians concealed in the brush beside the road. Angell was 
killed instantly, four balls passing through his head and neck. On 
the same day (January 2) Charles W. Hull was hunting on the 
divide between Jackson and Jackass creeks, and becoming sepa- 
rated from his friends, was waylaid and murdered by Indians. 



THE FALL CAMPAIGNS IN THE SOUTH. 403 

After it was found that the Indians had made their escape from 
the cabins, the regulars returned to the seclusion of Fort Lane, 
while Major Bruce, who had arrived upon the field, set out a few 
days later, with a portion of Rice, Williamson and Alcorn's com- 
panies, to follow the trail of the fleeing Indians to the west. The 
scouts came suddenly upon a single brave, who ran at the top of 
his speed directly to his camp. The savages, warned by the shout- 
ing of the pursued, prepared for a fight, and for quite a while re- 
sisted that part of Bruce's command which came into action, killing 
one man, Wiley Cash, of Alcorn's company, and seriously wound- 
ing Private Richardson, of O'Neal's company. Some ten or twelve 
horses, left unguarded by the whites, were taken by the Indians, 
and several more were shot. This fight occurred on the twenty- 
first of January, the locality being Murphy's Creek, tributary to the 
Applegate. Only twenty-five men participated at first, but Lieu- 
tenant Armstrong came up with a small reinforcement, and after a 
most plucky fight succeeded in saving the lives of the detachment. 
The total number of Indians engaged, under the leadership of John, 
was probably about fifty. No further active campaign was made 
until spring. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

THE YAKIMA, WALLA WALLA AND PUGET SOUND CAMPAIGNS. 

Troops Concentrate at The Dalles — Conflict of Authority — An Incident 
at Vancouver — Block House Built at The Cascades — Efforts to Equip 
the Volunteers — -Regulars and Volunteers March North from The 
Dalles — -Plan of the Campaign — The Fight on the Banks of the 
Yakima and at the " Buttes " — Burning of the Catholic Mission 
Ends the Campaign — Efforts to Treat with Peu-peu-mox-mox — Pre- 
lude to the Walla Walla Campaign — Fort Henrietta — Regulars 
Refuse their Aid in a Useless Winter Campaign — Unfitness of the 
Volunteers for such a Campaign — Colonel Kelly Marches Against 
the Walla Wallas — Capture of Peu-peu-mox-mox Under a Flag of 
Truce — A Night of Suspense and Excitement — A Fruitless Ante- 
Breakfast March — Battle of Walla Walla — Killing of Peu-peu- 
mox-mox and other Prisoners — Ears and Scalp of the Chief Ex- 
hibited in the Willamette Valley — The Situation after the Battle- 
Killed and Wounded — Great Excitement in the Willamette when the 
News is Received — Oregonian Editorials on the Situation — General 
Wool Condemned — His Opinion of the War and the People's Opinion 
of Him — Governor Stevens Prefers Charges Against General Wool- — 
Incidents Attending the Return of Governor Stevens from the Black- 
foot Country — The Charges of the Prate Governor Pigeon-holed — 
The Situation During the Winter — Unpleasant Experiences of the 
Volunteers — Reinforcements sent to Walla Walla— Colonel Cornelius 
Resumes the Offensive — Horse Meat Causes a Mutiny — No Enemy 
Being Found, the Command Abandons the Walla Walla Country — 
Farewell Courtesies of Kama-i-akun — The Volunteers Disband 
Without Official Recognition of their Services — Honors Received 






YAKIMA, WALLA WALLA AND PUGET SOUND CAMPAIGNS. 405 

from the People — Two Companies mixed to Guard the Columbia— 
Refrain of the " Horse-fed Volunteer" — The Political and Specula- 
tor, Aspect <>f the Campaign — Governor Curry goes to Washington to 
Counteract the Influence of General Wool, and Secure an Appropri- 
ation to Defray the Expenses of the War. 

THE ten companies called for by Governor Curry for service in 
the north were quickly recruited, and hastened to the general 
rendezvous at The Dalles, Colonel J. W. ISFesmith in command. 
The regulars also concentrated there, commanded by Major G. J. 
Raines, of the 4th United States Infantry. The conflict of authority 
began at once. Major Raines notified Governor Curry that he stood 
ready to muster four companies into the United States service, to 
be commanded by officers of their own selection. This was the 
number he had requested. He said that he could not take the re- 
sponsibility of enlisting a larger force, deeming it not required, nor 
could he arm and equip any of them unless regularly mustered into 
the service. His proposition was rejected, and the effort to place the 
volunteers on a war footing was continued. The two companies 
called for by Governor Mason were quickly raised, one at Vancouver 
and one at Olympia. Both were mustered into the regular service, 
the former under the command of William Strong and the latter 
of Gilmore Hays. The acting executive of Washington Territory 
pursued an opposite course to that taken by Governor Curry, and 
sought in every way to sustain and aid the regular army officers, 
instead of opposing them and endeavoring to conduct an independ- 
ent campaign. To offset the supposed superiority of rank of the 
commander of the Oregon regiment, he commissioned Major Raines 
as Brigadier- General of Militia in Washington Territory. This 
conflict of rank, however, cut but a small figure, the two commands 
acting entirely independently, though co-operating, to a degree, in 
the first campaign. 

While these preparations were progressing, an incident occurred 
at Vancouver which called for the services of Captain Strong's 
company. There was a village of a branch band of the Klickitat 
tribe at the mouth of Lewis River, opposite St. Helens, which was 
a source of apprehension to the people. A number of the warriors 



406 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

were known to have crossed the mountains to join the hostile 
Yakimas; and as a precautionary measure, a party of thirty men 
from Vancouver went to the rancheria and escorted the thirty 
remaining warriors and their families back to that city, where they 
were disarmed and instructed to remain in peace. This party was 
headed by T. H. Smith, Special Indian Agent. On the eighth of 
November the captives, to the number of one hundred and fifty, 
stampeded for the Yakima country, and were pursued by Captain 
Strong's company and a few regulars. In about ten days they 
were all brought back, except Umtux, the chief, who had been 
killed in some mysterious way, no one being able to tell " how it 
happened." At the same time a block-house was built at the Cas- 
cades by Captain Wallan, who mounted upon it a six-pound cannon 
and garrisoned it with a detachment of ten men from his company. 
Colonel Nesmith had command of the Oregon volunteers by 
virtue of his rank as Brigadier General of Militia; but soon after 
the companies reached The Dalles an election was held for line offi- 
cers, in accordance with instructions from Governor Curry. This 
resulted in the choice of J. W. Nesmith, Colonel; J. K. Kelly, 
Lieutenant- Colonel; A. N. Armstrong, First Major; M. A. Chinn, 
Second Major. Colonel Nesmith's election was almost unanimous — 
the vote standing five hundred and eighty- three to forty -one — and 
undoubtedly his equal could not have been found in the Territory. 
With infinite difficulty and persevering energy he secured arms, 
ammunition, horses, supplies, etc., and was prepared to move al- 
most as soon as the regulars, who encountered no such difficulties. 
An application to Major Raines for arms and equipments was re- 
fused, on the ground that he was not authorized to issue them to 
any but troops in the United States service. Major Raines was, 
however, very anxious that something should be accomplished, and 
partially supplied them under the militia law of the country, which 
entitled every Territory to draw a certain amount of arms and am- 
munition from the Government. Still they were not ready to take 
the field. Major Raines, as a last effort at a compromise, offered to 
muster the whole force into the regular service, with Colonel Nes- 
mith in command as Major, and equip them from the Government 
stores, but the offer was declined. He then began his march into 
the Yakima country with the regulars, informing Colonel Nesmith 



YAKIMA, WALT. A WALLA AND PUGET SOUND CAMPAIGNS. 407 

that if his command was defeated by reason of its inferior numbers, 
the blame would rest with the volunteers, who, by refusing to be 
mustered into the service, prevented themselves from being equipped 
and taking part in the campaign. A few days later Colonel Nes- 
mith was so far prepared with a portion of his command as to feel 
justiiied in taking the field for a short campaign. He accordingly 
hastened to overtake Major Raines with some four hundred men, 
leaving the remainder at The Dalles under command of Major 
Chinn. The volunteers and regulars were united on the third of 
November, and continued the march together. 

The plan of the campaign embraced an invasion from two di- 
rections. Besides the force marching north from The Dalles, Cap- 
tain Maloney was instructed to enter the Yakima country by way 
of the Natchess Pass with his company of the 4th Infantry and 
Captain Hays' company of volunteers, and to form a junction with 
Major Raines. The movements of Captain Maloney 's command 
will be detailed later. It is sufficient to say that this force did not 
participate in the Yakima campaign, though its supposed move- 
ments served to complicate matters considerably, and caused much 
needless anxiety. As the united forces passed through the Indian 
country they found and destroyed, or used, about ten thousand 
pounds of provisions the enemy had secreted, chiefly dried salmon 
and camas. On the morning of the eighth of November Captain 
Cornelius, with seventy men, made a detour to the left from the 
night's camp on Simcoe Creek. Towards evening the main body 
reached the Yakima and went into camp, the regulars some two 
miles in advance. Major Raines soon discovered Indians in the 
bushes on the opposite bank of the stream, and opened upon them, 
at the same time dispatching a courier to Colonel Nesmith. The 
latter dashed away to the front at the head of sixty men, where he 
found the regulars and Indians passing leaden compliments with 
the river flowing between them. He at once commenced searching 
for a ford, found it, crossed the stream, and dislodging the savages, 
followed them ineffectually until they took refuge in the direction 
of the " Buttes " to the northeast. He then withdrew and went 
into camp. Lieutenant Phil. Sheridan, at the head of some twenty 
United States dragoons followed the force under Colonel Nesmith 
across the river, and gallantly joined the successful advance. That 



408 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

evening Captain Cornelius reached Nesmith's camp, having been 
engaged during the greater part of the afternoon with a large body 
of Indians, in which three of his men and several horses had re- 
ceived wounds. 

On the morning of November 9, the entire force moved in the 
direction of a gap in the hills through which flows the Yakima 
River, at a point known as the "Two Buttes." The advance guard 
consisted of companies commanded by Captains Cornelius, Hem- 
bree and Bennett. These drove the Indians from their lurking 
places in the bushes along the river until all — some three hundred — 
had fallen back and taken possession of their rude fortifications 
upon the " Buttes." At first a howitzer was tried, but, for want of 
sufficient elevation, it failed to reach the enemy. Then Major Hal- 
ler and Captain (now General) Augur with their commands, aided 
by a force of volunteers, charged up the rugged, broken face of the 
mountain, the Indians fleeing down the opposite side. The savages 
had made no resistance ; consequently no one was hurt. That night 
the whites camped at the base of the u Buttes," and the Indians re- 
occupied the abandoned heights; but in the morning they were 
again dislodged with a loss of two killed. The capture of their 
entire force at this time only failed through the misconception of 
orders by Lieutenant D. B. Hannah. The Indians at once aban- 
doned that section of country, and there was no more fighting, save 
a little skirmishing with a few straggling bands in the valley. At 
night the troops bivouacked by the Atahnum River, some two 
miles east of the Catholic Mission. 

Up to this time no communication had been received from Cap- 
tain Maloney, and fears were entertained that the entire force of 
Indians had gone in the direction of the Natchess Pass for the pur- 
pose of overwhelming him by numbers. Colonel Nesmith, with 
two hundred and fifty men, among whom were Phil. Sheridan and 
his dragoons, started on the morning of November 11, with a view 
of rendering assistance to Captain Maloney if he needed it, or at 
least to open communication with him. A violent snow storm set- 
ting in, he w r as forced to return; and, after an absence of three 
days, his tents were pitched at the old Catholic Mission, where the 
main force under Major Raines had preceded him. While stationed 
there the troops " accidentally " burned the mission building, a rude 



YAKIMA, WALLA WALLA AND PUGET SOUND CAMPAIGNS. 409 

structure formed of poles and mud. On the fifteenth a council of 
war decided unanimously that the reduced commissary supplies 
warranted an immediate return to The Dalles, and the line of 
march was at once taken up. Thus ended the Yakima campaign. 
While the troops were first assembling at The Dalles an effort 
had been made to placate the great and influential chief of the 
Walla Wallas, whose signature to the treaty had been secured only 
after great concessions to him individually, and whose former 
friendship for Americans had been changed to hatred by the un- 
provoked murder of his son at Sutter's Fort, in California, a few 
years before. The chief cause of anxiety was the small party of 
Governor Stevens, which, in the event of the joining of the Walla 
Wallas and Cayuses in the war, would be cut off from any avenue 
of' return which did not lead through a hostile country. It is 
doubtful, however, if he would have been molested had the subse- 
quent campaign in that region not been undertaken. To accom- 
plish the desired end Xathan Olney, the Indian Agent, started from 
The Dalles with ^ve hundred dollars in silver and some presents of 
goods to pay Peu-peu-mox-mox the first installment due him under 
the treaty. He was accompanied on the journey only by Ta-be-bo, 
a half-breed, and A. P. Woodard. On their arrival, October 12, 
at Old Fort Walla Walla, near the mouth of the river of that name, 
they were cordially received by James Sinclair, who, with three or 
four men, had charge of the fort as representative of the Hudson's 
Bay Company. Peu-peu-mox-mox was sent for and told that the 
promised money and goods awaited him, but he returned a sullen 
and defiant reply. He repudiated the treaty; said he would accept 
neither presents nor money from the Government, and wanted the 
whites to leave his country. A council between the Agent and 
Sinclair resulted in a determination to abandon the fort. The sur- 
plus ammunition, stored there by the Hudson's Bay Company, was 
taken out in a boat and dumped in the Columbia River, to prevent 
its falling into the hands of Indians. Then the settlers, the Hud- 
son's Bay men, and a number of miners who had reached this point 
from Colville, started for The Dalles, leaving the hostile country 
east of the Cascade Mountains untenanted, save by a few old em- 
ployees of the company who were married to Indian women. Nar- 
cisse Remond, who enjoyed immunity from molestation because of 



410 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

his former connection with the Hudson's Bay Company, was com- 
missioned by Mr. Olney to remain and report upon the conduct of 
the suspected tribes. This wholesale abandonment of the country 
was accepted by the Indians as an invitation to do as they pleased 
with what had been left behind. They burned the Umatilla Mis- 
sion, in which had been stored a quantity of supplies by Governor 
Stevens, plundered McKay's house and other places, drove the cattle 
of Brooke, Bumford and Noble away from Waiilatpu, and took 
possession of and pillaged Fort Walla Walla. This was done by 
Yakima and Palouse Indians, assisted by certain factions of the 
Walla Wallas, Cayuses and Umatillas. Howlish-Wampoo, head 
chief of the Cayuses, endeavored in vain to prevent the Yakimas 
and Palouses from driving the cattle away from Waiilatpu. The 
Walla Walla affair was the work of Peu-peu-mox-mox and his fol- 
lowers. On the whole these acts can hardly be considered as a 
sufficient cause for an invasion of their country by the forces of 
Governor Curry, at an expense of millions of dollars to the Gen- 
eral Government. If protection of the settlers in the Willamette, 
along the lower Columbia and on Puget Sound, was desired, that 
object could have been more effectually accomplished by guarding 
the lines of approach. By leaving these open and invading the 
Indian country, they not only invited the danger they apprehended, 
but showed that on the part of the leaders, at least, the war was 
an offensive, and not a defensive, one. Even if an invasion were 
in any event to be feared, it certainly could not be made until 
spring, the routes through the mountains being, with the aid of a 
few troops, sufficiently guarded from approach by the icy hand of 
winter. Furthermore, this conduct on the part of the Indians was 
not known until after the campaign had been decided upon and a 
force dispatched from The Dalles to begin its execution. The 
rescue of Governor Stevens from possible attack by the disaffected 
Walla Wallas or Cayuses, then, could be the only excuse for send- 
ing an armed force into the Walla Walla country; but this object 
in itself by no means required so long a campaign — continuing 
some months after the Governor's return — nor the employment of 
so large an army at such an enormous outlay. The safe return of 
His Excellency could have been accomplished at a comparatively 
trifling expense. 



YAKIMA, WALLA WALLA AND PUGET SOUND CAMPAIGNS. 411 



Without waiting for the information expected from Mr. Remond, 
Governor Curry decided to invade the AValla Walla country in 
force. He dispatched two companies on the seventh of November 
to reinforce Colonel Nesmith in the Yakima country, and at the 
same time sending orders for him to proceed directly to Fort Walla 
Walla, where he would be joined by one hundred and fifty men 
from The Dalles. The reinforcements lost their way, and failed to 
reach Colonel Nesmith until they met him on the seventeenth in 
the Simcoe Mountains, on his way back to The Dalles. It was 
then impossible to obey the Governor's instructions, and Colonel 
Nesmith continued his homeward march to The Dalles. Mean- 
while, on the twelfth, Major Chinn started with two companies for 
Fort Walla Walla, along the south bank of the Columbia. On the 
night of the seventeenth they encamped at Well Springs, where 
they were joined by two couriers from Narcisse Remond with intel- 
ligence from the Walla Walla country, the substance of which has 
been previously given. This information caused Major Chinn to 
abandon the march for Fort Walla Walla, and to proceed to the 
site of the burned Catholic Mission on the Umatilla, to await rein- 
forcements, for which he dispatched a courier. He there erected 
defensive works, and on the twenty-first sent another courier asking 
for two more companies and some artillery. He thus describes Fort 
Henrietta: "We have an abundance of timber and water, and 
tolerable grass for stock. We have picketed in with large split 
timber one hundred feet square of ground, and erected two bastions, 
of round logs, on two of the angles; and from the rails found here 
made two corrals for the horses and cattle. This, as a defence, is 
good against any body of Indians." 

Considerable excitement was created at The Dalles by the intel- 
ligence brought in from Major Chinn. It was at once assumed that 
his command was in a perilous situation, and must be immediately 
reinforced to preserve it from disaster. The companies of Captains 
Munson, Wilson and Cornoye'r, consisting of some one hundred and 
seventy-five men, were at once sent forward, accompanied by Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel James K. Kelly, who was to take command of the 
whole battalion. Application was made by Colonel Nesmith to 
Major Raines for two howitzers and artillerymen to man them, 
stating that he had preferred a similar request to General Wool, at 



412 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Vancouver, but could not delay action for a reply. In this letter 
he quoted, with telling effect, a few lines which had been addressed 
to him by Major Kaines, as he started upon the Yakima campaign, 
reproaching him for obstructing the movements of his allies and 
permitting them to encounter the enemy unaided. General Wool 
had arrived from San Francisco a few days before, bringing sixty 
regulars, two thousand stand of arms, and three hundred tons of 
stores and ammunition. He was in ill -health, and did not visit the 
seat of operations at The Dalles, but remained at headquarters in 
Vancouver. He received the reports of his subordinates as to the 
cause of hostilities and the present situation, and came to the con- 
clusion that there was no necessity for a war and no need of a win- 
ter campaign. With the regular troops to occupy the Columbia 
there was no danger of invasion of the Willamette, and all that was 
required to end the war was for the volunteers to return home and 
disband. Such was the opinion of the commander of the depart- 
ment, and it must be confessed that he was, in the main, correct. 
Such a line of conduct would have saved the lives of a score of 
brave volunteers and the Government many thousands of dollars, 
though, to be sure, not so profitable to the contractor and those 
whose patriotism was confined to questionable dealings with the 
commissary department. With troops stationed at The Dalles, 
Cascades, Vancouver, and suitable points on Puget Sound, no attack 
need be feared from the Eastern Indians until spring, even assum- 
ing that they were disposed to risk an invasion of the settlements 
at all. A whole regiment of regulars was on the way and would 
arrive in ample time to participate in a campaign in the spring, if 
one should prove to be necessary. It was certainly the duty of 
Governor Curry to recall Major Chinn and disband the volunteer 
army, or, at least, the greater portion of it. If necessary, the safe re- 
turn of Governor Stevens could have been provided for by sending 
him an armed escort to accompany him home after he had reached 
the friendly Nez Perces. General Wool, consequently, refused to 
furnish howitzers, or to participate in the proposed campaign in any 
way, and withdrew his forces to winter quarters at Vancouver, 
including the Washington Territory volunteers. 

The absurdity of undertaking a winter campaign so far away 
from the base of supplies becomes still more apparent by the fol- 



YAKIMA, WALLA WALLA AND PUGET SOUND CAMPAIGNS. 413 

lowing quotation from the report of Colonel Nesmith of the condi- 
tion of his command upon their return from only three weeks' cam- 
paigning in the Yakima country: 

Maiiy of the men were frost-bitten on the late expedition, and can hardly be 
said to be fit for duty. An inspection of horses has been had at camp, and about 
one-fourth of the whole number were found fitted for present duty. About one- 
half of the men composing the whole command desire their discharge. I have 
given a few discharges upon the written report of the surgeon, stating that the men 
were unfit for duty. I have, also, granted furloughs to a few of the men who have 
urgent business requiring their personal attention for short periods ; and am now 
anxiously awaiting orders for the disposition of the remainder of the command. 
* * * * The right column, which was under my immediate command, 
suffered intensely during the campaign, for want of tents to protect them from the 
inclemency of the weather. My requisition for tents is still unfilled. There is 
much justifiable complaint on the part of the men, by reason of their exposed con- 
dition. 

On the twenty -eighth he forwarded to Colonel Kelly the com- 
panies of Captains Bennett and Cornelius, increasing the force in 
the held to four hundred and seventy-five men, besides two com- 
panies under Major Armstrong, in the vicinity of the Des Chutes 
and John Day rivers. He then started for the Willamette Valley 
for a temporary absence, leaving Captain Farrar in command at 
The Dalles, but soon after reaching Portland resigned his commis- 
sion and retired to private life. While preparations were being 
made for this campaign the Oregonian editorially commented upon 
the selfishness, greed and want of patriotism on the part of the 
people, who demanded enormous prices for everything furnished 
for the use of the troops. 

Colonel Kelly reached Fort Henrietta on the twenty-ninth of 
November, and learning that the Indians were in force in the 
vicinity of Fort Walla Walla, determined to march upon them 
without delay. His command moved on the fifth of December in 
two divisions. Major Chinn, with one hundred and fifty men and 
all the baggage, proceeded to the mouth of the Touchet River, 
while Colonel Kelly, with two hundred men, unincumbered, moved 
up the stream for the purpose, as his subsequent report declares, 
" of attacking the Walla Wallas," who were supposed to be en- 
camped there. As they proceeded up the Touchet, Captain Cornoyer 
and a few of his company of scouts marched a long distance in ad- 
vance. Suddenly, while approaching the summit of a hill, several 
Indians appeared in his immediate front, advancing from the oppo- 



414 HIST0KY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

site side of the crest. In an instant the Captain's gun was leveled 
upon the one in advance, but, before he could fire, a flag of truce 
was discovered in the hand of the savage; and the Captain's com- 
panions cried out, "Don't shoot! don't shoot! it's Peu-peu-niox- 
niox! " A parley followed; but, while it was going on, the Captain 
discovered a band of about one hundred and fifty Indians on horse- 
back, advancing in the direction from which the chief had come. 
In a twinkling his gun again covered Peu-peu-mox-mox, who was 
told that if his followers continued to approach, his own life would 
pay the forfeit; and, at a signal accompanied by a peculiar cry, the 
advancing party halted as if by magic, every one of whom dis- 
mounted and stood by his horse. The Chief asked if Nathan Olney? 
the Indian Agent, was with the soldiers; and on being told that he 
was, expressed a desire to see him. He stated that he wanted no 
fighting; that he had determined at first to make war on the whites, 
but, after reflection, had concluded that it was not policy for his 
people to do so; that he was willing to make all amends that lay 
in his power for what his tribe had done; and was anxious to se- 
cure a permanent peace. The Captain sent one of his men back to 
report, asking Colonel Kelly to come with Olney and meet the flag 
of truce party. Accordingly, the volunteers were halted in plain 
sight of the little squad on the hill, while the parties indicated, with 
John McBean for interpreter, went forward to meet the redoubtable 
chief. 

Considerable time was consumed in the conference; and, as it 
passed, gradually the main body of both Indians and volunteers 
approached the central group until all were together, the soldiers 
surrounding the flag party with the main force of Indians on the 
outside. Finally, the entire body moved toward the Indian village, 
until it was discovered that the trail they were following passed 
through a dangerous canyon, when another halt was made. A 
portion of the troops had already entered the canyon, among whom 
was Captain Cornoyer, who, on turning back to learn what caused 
the delay, found that fears were entertained by some of the officers 
that treachery was intended by Peu-peu-mox-mox. Captains Cor- 
noyer, Bennett, and others were of a different opinion ; they said 
treachery on his part would cost him his life, and he knew it. " Put 
him in my charge," said Captain Cornoyer, " he will then know that 



YAKIMA, WALLA WALLA AND PTTGET SOUND CAMPAIGNS. 415 

the first gun fired upon our ranks will be a signal of his own death, 
and there will he no danger. Let us go to their village to-night, 
and the peace he promises will be a certainty, for we will have them 
all in our power." This advice was not taken. Colonel Kelly and 
Nathan Olney insisted that if his professions were in good faith, 
they could be carried out the next day just as well as to run the 
risk of a dangerous pass that evening; and it was determined to 
move back on the trail a short distance and camp, supperless, for 
the night. The fla^ of truce Indians were taken with them, under 
close guard, as disarmed prisoners, held as hostages for the good 
conduct of the others until the next day, the chief being informed 
that he must so remain with them or his village would at once be 
attacked. 

That night the camp and its vicinity were the scene of stormy 
councils and of stormy elements. The volunteers were tired, hun- 
gry and dissatisfied, while the inhospitable elements, shedding their 
fleecy carpet of snow upon the ground for the soldiers to lie upon , 
made them angry and almost mutinous, in their belief that it was 
the prisoner's fault that had placed them in their disagreeable 
position. " Shoot the damned Indians I" was a cry frequently 
heard from different parts of the camp, and the captives became 
restless and ill at ease, believing that their lives were in danger. 
The chief requested to be given his freedom, and some of the officers 
were in favor of permitting him to go, while others were not. 
Finally, an Indian appeared on an adjacent hill who desired to talk 
with the chief, but would not come in ; and Captain Cornoyer went 
out to talk with him, accompanied by several, among whom was 
John McBean, the interpreter. The interview was unsatisfactory, 
as the Indian seemed only desirous of being heard by the captive 
chief, and talked in a very loud voice. What he said was not 
made clear to the Captain and his associates, and, concluding that 
all was not right, they took the loud-voiced messenger back with 
them a prisoner into camp. At different times in the night In- 
dians came around upon the hills and shouted communications to 
the chief, who told his captors that his people were becoming 
frightened for their own safety and his. Morning revealed the 
fact that the camp had been surrounded during the night by a 
cordon of mounted Indians, who evidently had listened to the 



416 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

threats, dissensions, and unfriendly talk in the volunteer camp, 
which was enough, in combination with the fact that their chief 
was a prisoner, to make them fear treachery on the part of the 
whites. 

All existing evidence goes to prove that this great Walla 
Walla leader came to sue for peace in good faith ; that his ad- 
vances were received with mistrust ; that he was taken prisoner 
while under a nag of truce, to make sure that he would do what he 
affirmed a willingness to do ; and that the actions and talk in camp 
that night made both him and his followers fear treachery from the 
whites, which caused the Indians to alter their plans. This change 
in policy was evidently made known to Peu-peumox-mox by 
those who shouted messages to him from the surrounding hills. 
In doing this they used the Cayuse tongue, a language unknown to 
the interpreter, and one not in general use, even by the Cayuse 
tribe themselves, Nez Perce being the common language of all 
these Indians. The next morning the captive chief, in pursuance 
of the new plans, secured a delay in moving, by urging that his 
people needed time to prepare breakfast for so many men. Shortly 
before noon the march was taken up, the dangerous canyon passed, 
and the village reached ; but no smoking repast or cordial welcome 
awaited them. The village was deserted, and as the hungry and 
disappointed men gathered around the still smoldering camp-fires, 
they knew that a battle must be fought. Straggling Indians could 
be seen on the surrounding hills, and three of them, one a son of 
the captive chief, came within speaking distance and demanded to 
see the prisoner. The son was persuaded to enter the camp, upon 
assurance of safety, and when he did so the father told him he 
wanted his people all to come in and make peace. The young man 
went away saying that he would do as requested, but nothing fur- 
ther was heard from him ; and, finally, Colonel Kelly proceeded to 
march his hungry command u to the mouth of the Touchet, with a 
view of going from thence to some spot near Whitman's Station, 
where I had intended to form a permanent camp for the winter." 
His report continues thus : "On the morning of the seventh, com- 
panies H and K crossed the Touchet, leading the column on the 
route to Whitman's Valley, and when formed on the plain were 
joined by Company B. A few persons in front were driving our 



YAKIMA, WALLA WALLA AND PTTGET SOUND CAMPAIGNS. 417 

cattle, and a few were on the flanks of the companies and near the 
foot of the hills that extend along the river. These persons, as 
well as I can ascertain, were fired on by the Indians." It is as- 
serted, however, by members of Company B, that one of the flank- 
ers of that company, a man called " Jont," fired the first shot, which 
was returned by the savages. Companies A and F were detailed 
to guard the baggage, and the remainder of the command made an 
immediate attack upon the enemy. The Indians were pursued a 
distance of seven miles across the hills and up the Walla Walla 
River, a running fight being kept up, until they made a temporary 
stand on Dry Creek. They again fled ; but four miles beyond Dry 
Creek they made a determined stand, near the cabin of a French 
Canadian named "La Rocque," where a desperate battle occurred. 
Their line extended from the hills across the flat to the river. 
Along the stream was a thick growth of cotton wood and under- 
brush, while the flat was covered with sage brush and sand knolls. 
These all furnished a good screen for Indians on foot, while mounted 
ones lined the hillsides. The report says : — 

When the volunteers reached this point there were not more than forty or fifty- 
men, being those mounted upon the fleetest horses. Upon these the Indians poured 
a murderous fire from the brushwood and willows along the river, and from the 
sage bushes along the plain, wounding a number of the volunteers. The men fell 
back. The moment was critical. They were commanded to cross the fence which 
surrounds La Rocque's field and charge upon the Indians in the brush. In execut- 
ing this order Lieutenant Burrows, of Company H, was killed, and Captain Mun- 
son, of Company I, Isaac Miller, Sergeant-Major, and G. W. Smith, of Company B, 
were wounded. A dispatch having been sent to Captain Wilson, of Company A, 
to come forward, he and his company came up on a gallop, dismounted at a slough, 
and with fixed bayonets pushed on through the brush. In the course of half an 
hour Captain Bennett was on the ground with Company F, and with this accession 
the enemy were steadily driven forward for two miles, when they took possession 
of a farm house and close fence (Tellier's), in attempting to carry which Captain 
Bennett, of Company F, and Privute Kelso, of Company A, were killed. A howit- 
zer found at Fort Walla W 7 alla, under charge of Captain Wilson, by this time was 
brought to bear upon the enemy. Four rounds were fired when the piece bursted, 
wounding Captain Wilson. The Indians then gave way at all points ; the house 
and fence were seized and held by the volunteers and the bodies of our men were 
recovered. These positions were held by us until nightfall, when the volunteers 
fell slowly back and returned unmolested, to camp around the cabin of La Rocque 
during the night. 

While the battle was progressing, there was enacted a scene 
which furnished General Wool with material for one of the most 
telling of his reflections upon the spirit evinced by the people in 



418 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

the conduct of the war. This was the killing of Peu-peu-inox-mox 
while a prisoner, held in duress in defiance of the rules of civilized 
war which guarantee the sanctity of a flag of truce. The details of 
this affair, as related by several eye-witnesses and participants, were 
as follows: The surgeons had decided to use LaBocque's cabin, 
where the Indians had made their first stand, as a hospital for the 
wounded. Near it the unfortunate Lieutenant J. M. Burrows lay 
dead, and several wounded were being attended to. The combatants 
had passed on up the valley, and the distant detonation of their 
guns could be heard. The flag of truce prisoners were there under 
guard, and every one seemed electrified with suppressed excitement. 
A wounded man came in with his shattered arm dangling at his side, 
and reported Captain Bennett killed at the front. This added to 
the excitement, and the attention of all was more or less attracted 
to the wounded man, when some one said, " Look out, or the Indi- 
ans will get away!" At this, seemingly, every one yelled, "Shoot 
'em! Shoot "em!" and on the instant there was a rattle of musketry 
on all sides. It was over in a minute, and three of the five pris- 
oners lay dead, another was rendered insensible by a blow, but re- 
covering in a few moments was shot to end his misery ; the fifth, 
being a Nez Perce, was spared, and the fact that they were able to 
control their excitement sufficiently to make this nice discrimination 
shows there was a " method in their madness. 17 Some of the wit- 
nesses say the shooting was caused by an attempt on the part of 
the prisoners to escape, but the greater number state that a refusal 
by Peu-peu-mox-mox to be tied led to a struggle which ended as 
above. The men were angry and preferred the excitement of the 
fight to the unpleasant duty of guarding Indians, and took the first 
good opportunity which offered to rid themselves of their incum- 
brances. Only one had an opportunity given him to fight for his 
life. This was a Willamette Indian named " Jim " or " Wolf Skin," 
who had a knife upon his person. Drawing this he fought des- 
perately until he was laid low with a blow on the head from a 
musket in the hands of a soldier who had approached him from 
behind. The dead prisoners were scalped in true barbaric style. 
This was not the end ; the scalp and ears of the great " Yellow 
Bird " were taken to the Willamette Valley as trophies of war, 
though at this late date it is difficult to conceive how the ears of a 



YAKIMA, WALLA WALLA AND PUGET SOUND CAMPAIGNS. 419 

slain prisoner, who had been captured under a flag of truce, could 
be looked upon in the light of honorable trophies of war. There 
is no question about this fact, and there are living in Oregon to-day 
many before whose eyes these trophies were displayed. The Ore- 
gonian of January 5, 1856, records the fact that on the thirty-first 
of December Dr. Shaw, Assistant Surgeon O. M. V., arrived in 
Portland, having in his possession the ears of Peu-peu-mox-mox, 
accompanied by Mr. Story, of Company A, who displayed the same 
chief's scalp. It can well be imagined with what telling effect 
General Wool related this incident in his official report, his various 
newspaper communications and private letters. 

The battle was renewed the following day and lasted four days 
longer. The incidents, as reported by Colonel Kelly, were as 
follows : — 

Early on the morning of the eighth the Indians appeared with increased forces, 
amounting to fully six hundred warriors. They were posted as usual in the thick 
brush by the river — among the sage bushes and sand knolls, and on the surround- 
ing hills. This day Lieutenant Pillow with Company A, and Lieutenant Hannon 
with Company H, were ordered to take and hold the brush skirting the river and 
sage bushes on the plain. Lieutenant Fellows with Company F was directed to 
take and keep the possession of the point at the foot of the hill. Lieutenant Jef- 
fries with Company B, Lieutenant Hand with Company I, and Captain Cornoyer 
with Company K, were posted on three several points on the hills with orders to 
maintain them and to assail the enemy on other points of the same hills. As usual, 
the Indians were driven from their position, although they fought with skill and 
bravery. On the ninth they did not make their appearance until about ten o'clock 
in the morning, and then in somewhat diminished numbers. As I had sent to 
Fort Henrietta for Companies D and E, and expected them on the tenth, I thought 
it best to act on the defensive and hold our positions which were the same as on 
the eighth, until we could get an accession to our forces sufficient to enable us to 
assail their rear and cut of! their retreat. An attack was made during the day on 
Companies A and H in the brushwood, and upon B on the hill, both of which were 
repulsed with great gallantry by those companies, and with considerable loss to the 
enemy. Companies F, I and K also did great honor to themselves in repelling all 
approaches to their positions, although in doing so one man in Company F and one 
in Company I were severely wounded. Darkness as usual closed the combat, by 
the enemy withdrawing from the field. Owing to the inclemency of the night the 
companies on the hill were withdrawn from their several positions, Company B 
abandoning its rifle pits which were made by the men of that company for its pro- 
tection. At early dawn on the next day the Indians were observed from our camp 
to be in possession of all points held by us on the preceding day. Upon seeing 
them Lieutenant McAuliff of Company B gallantly observed that his company 
had dujr those holes and after breakfast they would have them again, and well was 
his declaration fulfilled, for in less than half an hour, the enemy was driven from 
the pits and fled to an adjoining hill which they had occupied the day before. This 
position was at once assailed. Captain Cornoyer with Company K, and a portion 
of Company I, being mounted, gallantly charged the enemy on his right flank, 



420 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

while Lieutenant McAuliff with Company B dismounted, rushed up the hill in 
face of a heavy fire and scattered them in all directions. They at once fled in all 
directions to return to this battlefield no more, and thus ended our long contested 
fight. 

The bravery of the volunteers and their gallant conduct in 
charging and dispersing the enemy time after time, is worthy the 
highest praise. Veteran troops could not have done better service. 
The report says that it was learned from friendly Indians that the 
battle was participated in by Walla Wallas, Umatillas, Cayuses, 
Palouses, and Stock Whitley's band of Des Chutes ; and that after 
their defeat some of them went to Grand Ronde and others crossed 
to the north side of Snake River, while Stock Whitley, disgusted 
with the manner in which the others had fought, took his band to 
the Yakima country to join Kama-i-akun. The Indians were pur- 
sued a distance towards Snake River, and much provisions and 
cattle were captured. Narcisse Remond and the other French 
Canadians on the Walla Walla, appealed for protection, and were 
escorted to the temporary camp where they were exempt from 
danger of molestation. The report concludes : — 

We have now the undisputed possession of the country south of Snake River, 
and I would suggest the propriety of retaining this possession until such time as it 
can be occupied by the regular troops ; * * * \y n i j WO uld suggest the 
propriety of following up the Indians with all possible speed, now that their hopes 
are blighted and their spirits broken. Unless this is done they will perhaps rally 
again. I must earnestly ask that supplies may be sent forward to us without delay. 
For the last three days none of the volunteers, except the two companies from Fort 
Henrietta, have had any flour. None is here, and but little at that post. We are 
now living on beef and potatoes, which are found en cache, and the men are be- 
coming much discontented with this mode of living. Clothing for the men is much 
needed as the winter approaches. To-morrow we will remove to a more suitable 
point, where grass can be obtained in greater abundance for our worn-out horses. 
A place has been selected about two miles above Whitman Station, on the same 
(north) side of the Walla Walla, consequently I will abandon this fort, named in 
honor of Captain Bennett of Company F, who now sleeps beneath its stockade, and 
whose career of usefulness and bravery was here so sadly but nobly closed. 

The losses sustained by the volunteers in the five days' conflict 
were comparatively slight, only twenty being injured in any way*. 
The list is as follows : Killed, Captain Charles Bennett, Company 
F ; Lieutenant J. M. Burrows, Company H ; Private S. S. Van 
Hagerman, Company I. Mortally wounded, Privates Kelso and 
Joseph Flemming, Company A ; Henry Crow, Company H ; Joseph 
Sturdevant, Company B. Wounded, Captain Lyman B. Monson, 
Company I ; Captain A. V. Wilson, Company A ; Captain Davis 



YAKIMA, WALLA WALLA AND PUGET SOUND, CAMPAIGNS. 421 



Lavton, Company H ; Privates Casper Snook, T. J. Payne, F. 
Crabtree, Nathan Fry, Isaac Miller and A. M. Addington, Com- 
pany H ; J. B. Gervais, Company K ; G. W. Smith, Company B ; 
Franklin Duval, Company A ; and Sergeant Major Isaac Miller. 
The loss of the Indians was placed by Colonel Kelly at about 
seventy-five, his report stating that thirty -nine bodies had been 
found by the volunteers. It is difficult to understand the reason 
for such a marked contrast in the losses sustained by the two sides, 
especially since the volunteers acted on the offensive and the In- 
dians only fought when protected by natural defenses. The ten- 
dency to over-estimate the loss of the defeated enemy is not confined 
to Oregon ; it is as widespread as the earth's green carpet. The 
total footing of the estimated loss of the enemy reported by the 
commanders of the opposing forces during the Rebellion, was far 
in Excess of the actual number of killed, wounded and captured in 
both the Confederate and Union armies, including the deaths from 
disease, to which can be charged fully fifty per cent, of the mortality 
of war. 

News of the battle of Walla Walla reached The Dalles at the 
time General Wool was removing the regulars to Vancouver. The 
courier who brought the first intelligence had left the scene of con- 
flict while the fight of the second day was raging, and, consequently, 
could only say that a great battle was in progress, several volun- 
teers had been killed, and the result was yet in doubt. Adhering 
to his determination to let the volunteers conduct their operations 
— needless, in his opinion — unaided by the regular troops, the com- 
mander apparently paid no attention to the startling intelligence of 
the courier, who took passage from The Dalles upon the very boat 
which conveyed the troops to Vancouver. Not so the people. Ex- 
citement was raised to a high pitch, and many uncomplimentary 
remarks were made about the indifferent conduct of the troops. 
The Oregonian was especially bitter in its denunciations, calling 
attention to the circumstances of the courier and troops being upon 
the same steamer, in the following language: — 

It looks bad, to say the least, that a steamer should be loaded with U. S. troops 
coming out of the Indian country at the same time that news was being brought 
down of a severe and bloody conflict of five days' duration, between the volunteers 
and a large body of Indians ; particularly so when the volunteers were nearly out 
of provisions, short of ammunition, and entirely destitute of other necessary articles 



422 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

to carry out the war; and, withal, far in the Indian country, and, for aught any- 
body knew, surrounded by the enemy and in danger of being cut off' entirely. Are 
the people, the civilians, to protect themselves and defend the country from barba- 
rian marauders, while those who have contracted for that service remain idle and 
listless in their winter quarters, eating, drinking, and making merry? 

Also appeared the following remarks on the state of the war: — 

How goes on the war? We answer, that the IT. S. troops, who are paid for fight- 
ing, and who have been sent here at the expense of the General Government to pro- 
tect the people, are all housed up in good winter quarters, eating, drinking, and 
making merry, while a few bare-footed, half-starved volunteers, who came here at 
their own expense, are in the field fighting the battles of their country. In every 
fight north, they came out first best. Thus goes the war. Volunteers can go bare- 
footed, can sleep without blankets, eat their horses, if need be, while the " carpet 
knights" [he would have called them "Dudes" in this age of more ample epithet- 
ical vocabularly] of the regular service must be well fed, well shod, and well 
blanketed, and have howitzers, withal, or they can not take the field. The car- 
casses of one hundred and fifty dead Indians at Walla Walla plains show how goes 
on the war. 

Mr. Dryer, thinking Colonel Kelly's estimate of the number of 
" good Indians," made at AValla Walla, too modest, multiplied it 
by two. It was a little reckless under the circumstances, but such 
was the style of that paper when under that enthusiastic gentle- 
man's management. These uncomplimentary remarks were brought 
to the attention of General Wool, and the old veteran replied to 
the effect that he professed to do his duty as he understood it ; that 
the people of Oregon might say what they pleased, it was not the 
first time he had had dogs barking at his heels. This was too 
much for the Oregonian; it smote General Wool hip and thigh; 
said he was in his dotage, was an old woman, had insulted the 
people and called them dogs. The object of these fierce tirades 
made no reply, yet it may well be imagined that they only served 
to make him more set in his purpose to pay no attention whatever 
to the movements of Governor Curry's army, but to act entirely 
upon his own responsibility at his own chosen time. He had 
decided to occupy the Indian country with a strong force in the 
spring, and was awaiting the arrival of the 9th regiment to enable 
him to do so. In January he ordered Captain (now General) Ord's 
company of dragoons to San Francisco, and was abused for send- 
ing troops out of the country and depriving the people of the pro- 
tection they had a right to expect from the Government. These 
complaints were soon silenced by the arrival of the 9th regiment, six 
Jiundred of whom were landed at Vancouver the last week in January 



YAKIMA, WAI.f.A WALLA AND PUGET SOUND CAMPAIGNS. 423 

by the steamers Oregon and Republic, two hundred more being sent 
to the Sound. The San Francisco papers published interviews with 
the General, who had returned to that city, in which he was made to 
state that the troubles in Oregon were caused in both cases by the 
whites, and that alone the Columbia there was no war other than 
that created by tin 1 unwarranted conduct of Governor Curry in 
sending Oregon troops into Washington Territory, at great expense 
to the Government, to attack Indians from whom the people of 
Oregon had no reason to apprehend any danger to themselves 
whatever. This drew out two columns of the " Oregon style " 
from the exasperated editor of the Oregonian, was severely com- 
mented upon by the other papers, and caused much indignation 
among the people generally. It was at this time General Wool 
wrote the letter to the National Intelligencer, which has been 
referred to, giving a history of the cause and progress of the war, 
and laying particular stress upon the killing and mutilation of 
Peu-peu-rnox-mox. It was several months before a copy of this 
reached Oregon, but when it did another baptism of wrath was 
showered upon the gray hairs of the Mexican hero. On the ninth 
of February the Oregon Legislature addressed a memorial to the 
President, requesting the removal of General Wool from command 
of this department. iVbout the same time, Governor Stevens, who 
had returned in safety, addressed a long communication to the Sec- 
retary of War, stating his personal grievances and preferring charges 
against General Wool. He made it appear that his immediate and 
safe return was the great question of the hour, and in neglecting, or 
refusing, to provide for this the commanding officer had been 
guilt}' of a most heinous crime. General W T ool had taken the view 
that Governor Stevens 1 party was able to look out for itself ; that 
if tin- executive of Washington Territory did not return to the seat 
of Government for six months, the material interests of the Terri- 
tory would not be in the least jeopardized ; at least the necessity 
of his immediate return was not great enough to justify him in 
making an invasion of the Indian country in the dead of winter. 
Governor Stevens' opinion of his own importance seems to have 
been somewhat greater than this. From this letter of the Governor 
are gleaned the incidents attending his return journey. At the 
Hellgate he was met by fourteen Nez Perces, among whom were 



424 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Spotted Eagle, Looking Glass and Three Feathers, who, after a 
brief council, invited him to go to their country, where a large force 
of braves would escort him to The Dalles. They united with his 
party, and all crossed the Bitterroot Mountains on the fourteenth 
of November, passing through three feet of snow, and reached the 
Cceur d'Alene Mission on the twenty-fifth. Here he heard con- 
tradictory and vague rumors of the events happening below, and of 
the condition of affairs, nothing appearing certain except the fact 
that the Walla Wallas, Cayuses and Umatillas cherished a hostile 
spirit, rendering it dangerous for him to attempt to pass through 
that region without a strong escort. He pushed on to the Spokane 
country, where he held a council with the three tribes of Spokanes, 
Cceur d'Alenes and Colvilles, Mr. McDonald, Hudson's Bay Com- 
pany agent at Fort Colville, and the Jesuit Fathers stationed at 
that point, being present. The Indians were much excited and 
were wavering between peace and war. " After a stormy council 
of several days,'' so says the communication, "the Spokanes, Cceur 
d'Alenes and Cclvilles were entirely conciliated, and promised 
they would reject all overtures of the hostile Indians, and continue 
the firm friends of the whites." He augmented his party, and 
made a forced march to the Clearwater, at Lapwai, where the Nez 
Perces were assembled. He was there informed that the Walla 
Walla country was occupied by hostile Indians, and it would be 
unsafe to attempt a passage through unguarded. While nego- 
tiations were in progress for a body guard of one hundred and fifty 
braves to escort him to The Dalles, news was received that the 
hostiles had been driven out of the country by the volunteers ; and 
the next day he started with sixty -nine well armed Nez Perces, and 
reached Walla Walla without encountering any opposition. There 
he found the Oregon volunteers encamped, also the French settlers 
before alluded to, the friendly Indians, and B. F. Shaw, Colonel of 
Washington Territory Militia and Special Indian Agent. The 
Governor placed him in command, with instructions to fortify and 
maintain his ground in case the Oregon troops should return home. 
He then disbanded his Nez Perce auxiliaries, and continued his 
journey to the seat of government at Olympia. The communica- 
tion concludes with the following specific charges : — 



YAKIMA, WALLA WALLA AND PTTGET SOtJKD CAMPAIGNS. 425 



Mr. Secretary— Major General Wool, commanding the Pacific Division, neg- 
lected and refused to send a force to the relief of myself and party, when known to 
be in imminent danger, and believed by those who were not ltss capable of judging, 
to be coming on to certain death, and this when he had at his command an ifticitnt 
force of regular troops. He refused to sanction the agreement made between Gov- 
ernor Mason and Major Raines for troops to be sent to my assistance, and ordered 
them to disband. It was reserved for the Oregon troops to rescue us. The only 
demonstration made by Major Raines resulted in showing his utter incapacity to 
command in the field. As has heretofore been said, his expedition against the 
Yak i mas effected nothing but driving the Indians into the very country through 
which I must pass to reach the settlements. I therefore prefer charges against 
General Wool. I accuse him of utter and signal incapacity, of criminal neglect of 
my safety. I ask for an investigation into the matter, and for his removal from 
command. 

Until this epistle saw the light, it was the general opinion 
that Major Raines and Colonel Nesmith had accomplished consid- 
erable when they invaded the Yakima country and compelled 
the hostile bands of Kama-i-akun to evacuate it; but Governor 
Stevens, viewing it simply in the light of the effect it had upon 
him personally, and not with regard to the punishment of the In- 
dians or the safety of the people generally, charged Major Raines 
with "utter incapacity, 1 ' because he drove " the Indians into the 
very country through which I must pass." He also accused General 
Wool of u utter and signal incapacity,' 1 because of a "criminal neg- 
lect of my safety. 11 It is no wonder that neither the President nor 
the Secretary of War paid the least attention to such frivolous 
charges so gravely made. Nor did a memorial voted by the Ore- 
gon Legislature on the ninth of February, asking the removal of 
General Wool, receive any better treatment. 

The condition of affairs up to this time had been much compli- 
cated by the hostile attitude of Indians living along Puget Sound. 
When Major Haller started from The Dalles upon his unfortunate 
invasion of the Yakima country, it will be remembered that Lieu- 
tenant W. A. Slaughter undertook to go from Ft. Steilacoom 
through the Natchess Pass with forty men, and form a junction 
with him. Haller was defeated and Slaughter fell back to White 
River, where he was joined by Captain M. Maloney with seventy- 
five men. On the twenty-fourth of October Captain Gil more Hays 
joined him with a company of volunteers from Olympia, and the 
whole force took up its march for the Natchess Pass, expecting to 
co-operate with Major Raines and Colonel Nesmith. who were about 
to invade the Yakima country in force. A few days later, having 



426 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

been informed by courier that Major Raines would not start for 
some weeks, his provisions beginning to run low, and the lateness 
of the season threatening soon to blockade the mountains with 
snow, he deemed it judicious to return to Ft. Steilacoorn, especially 
as the Sound Indians were evincing a hostile spirit, and the invasion 
of warlike tribes from British Columbia was feared. These North- 
ern Indians, like the Saxons, Danes and Norsemen of old, were ac- 
customed to make long coasting voyages in their immense war ca- 
noes, and iDvade whatever region they might see fit. Puget Sound 
Indians and, after its settlement, the whites, were frequent sufferers 
from these plundering raids. While returning, Maloney and Hays 
were attacked by Indians on White River, and a severe engage- 
ment followed, resulting, as reported, in the death of one regular, 
the wounding of one volunteer, and the killing of forty Indians. 
The force continued its retreat to Ft. Steilacoom. The greatest 
alarm prevailed among the settlers of that region. They hastened 
to points of safety with their families, and built stockades and 
block-houses for their protection. Many of the abandoned cabins 
were destroyed by the Indians. 

This was the condition in which Governor Stevens found things 
when he reached Olympia on the nineteenth of January. Three 
days later he issued a call for six companies of volunteers to serve 
on the Sound, and three companies to be recruited along the Co- 
lumbia for service east of the mountains. He also made arrange- 
ments with Captain Gansevoort, of the United States steamer Active, 
to cruise on the Sound below Seattle, on the lookout for Northern 
Indians; and requested Governor Douglas, of the Hudson's Bay 
Company, to keep a vessel cruising in the vicinity of Victoria, and 
warn him of the approach of war canoes. A few days later the 
Indians attacked Seattle, burned and destroyed everything in King 
County, except Seattle itself, and the little settlement of Alki. 
About this time the force under Colonel Wright arrived from San 
Francisco, and Lieutenant- Colonel Casey was sent to Puget Sound 
with two hundred men. The organized forces on the Sound were 
divided into three battalions — " Northern," " Central " and " South- 
ern" — which established separate headquarters, and constructed a 
chain of block-houses from Yelm Prairie to Bellingham Bay. The 
central position of the regulars was at Muckleshoot Prairie. The 



YAKIMA, WALLA WALLA AND PUGET SOUND CAMPAIGNS. 427 

naval forces were stationed at Seattle, and were commanded at this 
time by Captain Swartwout. Thus was the Sound guarded while 
Governor Stevens was making preparations for an invasion of the 
country east of the mountains. A return to the Oregon volunteers 
left in winter camp at Walla Walla is now necessary. 

The Oregon troops held possession of the Walla Walla country 
during the winter, occasionally moving, for convenience, to a new 
camping ground. Though the route to The Dalles was open and 
comparatively free from danger of attack upon trains of supplies, 
but limited quantities of those necessaries reached the front. The 
troops depended chiefly upon meat, procured by killing captured 
stock, and, at times, being reduced to an uninviting fare of horse 
meat. The officers of the commissary department were too busy 
running up big bills of expense for the Government to pay, to give 
much attention to the suffering men in the field. Warmly clad and 
bountifully fed at The Dalles, how could they be expected to ap- 
preciate the necessities of the ragged and half-starved volunteers, 
bravely enduring the rigors of winter in the enemy's country? 

Soon after the battle of Walla Walla, Lieutenant-Colonel Kelly 
proceeded to the Willamette Valley temporarily, and during his 
absence an election occurred to fill the vacancies caused by the res- 
ignation of Colonel Nesmith and Major Armstrong, in pursuance 
of instructions from headquarters. This resulted in the choice of 
Captain Thomas R. Cornelius, Colonel, and Captain N. A. Cor- 
noyer, Major. About the middle of January Governor Curry issued 
a proclamation calling for five companies — one each from Linn, 
Marion, Polk, Yamhill, and Clackamas — to take the place of those 
disbanded, also forty men to recruit Cornoyer's company of scouts 
from French Prairie. These were in due time recruited, mustered 
in, and marched to the camp at Walla Walla. The French settlers 
and friendly Indians were sent to The Dalles, and on the tenth of 
March Colonel Cornelius marched with his entire command in search 
of the enemy. In two days they reached Snake River at Fish-hook 
Bend. On the opposite side was an Indian village, whose inhabi- 
tants, thinking the stream could not be crossed, were very insulting 
and defiant, until the most demonstrative one was laid low with a 
bullet. At the same time the volunteers launched the boats they 
had prepared, and the savages fled in terror. They were pursued 



428 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

by scouting parties, who overtook them as they were about cross- 
ing the Columbia near the mouth of the Yakima, and succeeded in 
killing one of them and capturing some horses. On the fourteenth 
the entire command moved up Palouse and Snake rivers, and en- 
camped three miles above the falls. Here they remained several 
days and were reduced to the necessity of subsisting upon horse 
meat. So poorly was the commissary department administered, 
that even in their winter camp they had been for weeks at a time 
without receiving supplies ; and now that they were on the move 
their chances for being fed upon regular rations were much less. 
A few days of Cayuse diet were all the fresh levies could stand. 
They had heard of some of the privations, including the equine 
provender, which the men at the front had endured; but it was as 
a " tale that is told," and made slight impression upon their minds. 
Here, however, was the actual reality experienced in their own 
proper persons, and the impression was on their stomach and more 
vivid and lasting. They mutinied, and declared an intention to 
march back to The Dalles at once. They were told of the disgrace 
of turning back in the face of the enemy, of the hardships of cold 
and hunger the veterans had endured, and were promised a remod- 
eling of the bill of fare as quickly as possible. They finally con- 
sented to give the commissary department one day of grace, and be- 
fore that time expired provisions arrived and the mutiny was at an 
end. The command marched to "White Bluffs, on the Columbia, 
without encountering any Indians. On the sixth of April they 
crossed to the west side of the river at the mouth of the Yakima, 
and followed the stream down to a point opposite Fort Walla 
Walla. Here a limited amount of supplies was received, and the 
homeward march to The Dalles was taken up by way of the 
Yakima country, 

About the sixteenth of April, the force reached the mouth of 
Satas Creek on the Yakima River, and went into camp. A divid- 
ing ridge only shut out from them a view of the valley of the reser- 
vation, where they had found plenty of cattle the fall before. 
Since leaving the -Palouse Falls, one-half their subsistence had been 
upon horse meat and they yearned for the fresh meat of the 
Yakimas. In the morning Captain Hembree, with five or six men, 
crossed the creek, and commenced ascending the bluffs to the north. 



YAKIMA, WALLA WALLA AND PUGET SOUND CAMPAIGNS. 429 

He was going a short distance to see if any beef cattle could be 
discovered, and, while passing to the right of a hill, the volunteers 
in camp discovered some forty loose horses galloping around the 
opposite side of it towards him. Suddenly, as those horses reached 
a point between the camp and the Captain, every one of them was 
found to have an Indian rider ; and the next instant, with a savage 
yell, the Yakimas charged upon the little squad of whites. Cap- 
tain Hembree fell from his horse, and in a minute was scalped and 
lifeless. Two of the assailants were shot by him in the brief 
struggle, and another was killed by one of the soldiers, all of whom 
broke through the lines and escaped. The Indians carried off their 
dead, but afterwards acknowledged the loss of two braves in the 
death struggle with the white chief. Upon the instant that the 
attack was discovered the alarm was given in camp, and Major 
Cornoyer, with a few hastily gathered men, dashed across to the 
rescue. They had hardly started when firing was commenced on 
the south side of the creek by the Indians, who were making a 
general move to stampede the soldiers' horses. Captain Hembree 
was found stretched upon the ground, naked, mutilated, dead. The 
effort to stampede the horses failed, and the Indians disappeared 
as suddenly as they had come. That day Major Cornoyer, in com- 
mand of several companies of the regiment, followed the enemy, 
and an engagement ensued that resulted in driving the Indians 
from their fortified stronghold, and the killing of six of them with 
no loss to the whites. The ensuing day saw the line of march for 
The Dalles resumed by the entire force, bearing with them the 
body of the gallant Hembree. Without incident, other than the 
killing of two Indians who were met in the trail, the volunteers 
reached Klickitat Valley, and camped to recruit their stock, and 
received orders for mustering out of service. While occupying 
this camp, April 28th, a band of some fifty hostiles made a dash 
upon the grazing stock of the command, and stampeding them, 
captured three hundred and ninety head of horses, which left the 
Oregon volunteers dismounted. The regulars at The Dalles came 
to their assistance, but having no orders to pursue the enemy, 
Kama-i-akun was left to fall back slowly to the north unmolested. 
Thus ended the campaign, and the volunteers who had so 
gallantly fought in the field and endured uncomplainingly so 



430 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

many unnecessary privations, were mustered out, with the excep- 
tion of the company from Clackamas, and found their way home- 
ward without even a word of thanks from the Governor, at whose 
call they had left their homes and business. They were poorer in 
purse, poorer in flesh and poorer still in their faith in humanity, 
but they had gained a vast fund of experience. The people, 
however, were more generous in their conduct. The citizens of 
Yamhill gave a grand banquet to the volunteers from that county, 
at Lafayette, on xhe fifteenth of May ; and the Washington county 
troops were entertained at Hillsboro on the thirty-first. Governor 
Curry called for two companies to guard the south side of the 
Columbia, and on this subject the Oregonian remarked : — 

None of those in the field were willing to volunteer for the required service, 
showing too plainly that their previous hardships had taken from them all desire 
to run any risk by a second campaign. Colonel Cornelius and his command have 
done all that it was possible to do ; they nobly responded to the call ; they left home 
when their services were needed ; they endured the exposure and fatigue of a cold, 
inclement winter; they were left (by somebody) to provision themselves. * * * 
They are left to thank themselves for the important services rendered the country. 
No executive official is present to welcome them back, and, in the name of the 
people, thank them for having so nobly done their duty. They arrive and are 
mustered out like so many heathen. 

The two companies were raised and left Portland on the four- 
teenth of June for The Dalles, commanded by Captains Wilson and 
Wilbur. 

The mal- administration of affairs in the commissary department 
was the subject of much controversy at the end of the campaign. 
Frequent complaints had been made during the winter, but the fol- 
lowing somewhat disconnected and incoherent, but easily compre- 
hended, communication, sent to the Oregonian from The Dalles on 
the twenty-first of April and signed u A Horse-fed Volunteer," was 
the signal for a war of words and printer's ink: — 

It has become my painful duty to announce, through your paper, to the citizens 
of the Willamette, the treatment the volunteers have received, and their apprecia- 
tion of the same. Six months ago they volunteered in good faith, to fight their 
country's foe. They expected to meet with ordinary hardships and privations, but 
they did not expect to starve, to eat poor old mares and colts. * * * Our 
business has been neglected, on account of which we have sustained heavy losses, 
our property has been sold to pay taxes, and all by the well-wishers of the Willam- 
ette; and now, when discharges are called for, the Governor says, "The country 
must be protected," and that, too, by us. If we had been treated as we should have 
been, we would willingly remain in the field till the close of the war. But since 
the congregated wisdom of Oregon Territory convened at Salem, decreed that a 



YAKIMA, WALLA WALLA AND PUGET SOUND CAMPAIGNS. 431 



Cayuse horse was worth as much as a volunteer and should receive the same pay ; 
notwithstanding, the pack masters, last winter, would load them down to the 
guards, one-half with oats and the other half with whisky, neither of which ever 
reached the half-clad, half starved volunteers, and the quartermaster politely prom- 
ises to pay to a transcendentally patriotic Jew S24.00 per dozen for hickory shirts, 
which cost that noble man from $3.50 to $4.00; the volunteers to pay $2 00 for each 
shirt. Now there are boys here who have the blood of '76 coursing through their 
veins with railroad velocity, who say. the country must and shall be protected, but 
they can not, and will not, endure such treatment; that they will come home and 
take the desperate chances with the citizens, at least till they can settle their ac- 
counts and outfit themselves for a new campaign, not being willing to trust to the 
Departments for the same. 

The discussion was very warm and was conducted on a political 
basis. Early in the campaign, the previous November, the acute 
sense of propriety possessed by Mr. Bush, editor of the Statesman, 
and other leaders of the Democracy, was shocked by the knowledge 
that a few Whigs and Know-nothings held positions in the army. 
There was a loud outcry at this infringement of the undisputed 
right of the party in possession of the government to hold all the 
offices and enjoy all the emoluments and perquisites. Spirited 
communications appeared in the Statesman, in which the motto, 
" To the victors belong the spoils,'' was frequently quoted as hav- 
ing the authority of law and the gospel. A. M. Belt, Surgeon 
General, was specially singled out for attack, and the Governor was 
informed that competent surgeons were to be found in the Demo- 
cratic ranks. Finally, a petition was circulated through the Valley, 
which received so many signatures that the Governor did not dare 
to longer remain unmindful of the wishes of his political support- 
ers. A clean sweep was made in every office occupied by a Whig 
where the executive possessed the appointing power, from the ob- 
noxious Surgeon to the officers and clerks in the commissary de- 
partment, contractors, and mule drivers, and a good Democrat given 
the position. This done, they deeply lamented the fact that many 
of the commissioned officers in the field were Whigs, but, being 
elected to their positions, could not be removed except for cause. 
Too much attention was paid to politics and securing the spoils, to 
provide for the wants of the men in the field. When the contro- 
versy arose the officers at The Dalles reported to the Governor that 
there had always been an ample supply of provisions on hand, but. 
that they could get no escorts for their safe transportation to the 
front. This Colonel Cornelius denied, and demanded a court of 



432 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

inquiry, which Governor Curry declined to order, taking care in 
his letter of refusal to state that the failure of supplies could not be 
attributed to any fault or carelessness of Colonel Cornelius, and to 
highly compliment him for his conduct during the campaign. Thus 
the officer was mollified and the dangerous breakers of an investi- 
gation were avoided. Governor Curry then sailed for the East to 
look after an appropriation by Congress to defray the expenses of 
his war. The subject had already come up, and General Wool's 
report, the character of which can be surmised from his previous 
conduct and expressed opinions, had caused the National Legisla- 
ture to refuse to appropriate anything whatever. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

CLOSING SCENES OF THE WAR ON ROGUE RIVER. 

Reorganization of the Volunteers — Appointment of General Lamerick — 
Removal of the Table Rock Band to the Coast Reservation, — The 
Flag <f Trace Incident — Battle of Eight- Dollar Mountain — Cam- 
paign to Big Meadows — Battle at the Bar — Fort Lamerich Built 
in Big Meadows — Massacre at Gold Beach — The Regidars Assume 
the Offensive — They Chastise the Indians at Different Places — Coun- 
cil of () ah Flat — Battle between Chief John and Captain Smith — 
The Volunteers defeat Limpy and George — All the Ilostiles Surren- 
der and are Taken to the Coast Reservation. 



D 



URING the winter of 1855-6 there was no fi^htins: in South- 
ern Oregon. The volunteers lay all winter stationed at all 
tie strategical points for the protection of the settlements from raids 
by the Indians, who remained secluded in the mountains. The ab- 
surdity of having two battalions with independent commanders was 
soon recognized, and on the seventh of December they were united 
and regimental officers elected. Robert L. Williams was chosen 
Colonel, W. J. Martin, Lieutenant- Colonel, and James Bruce, Major. 
The regiment, which was designated the " Second Regiment of 
Oregon Mounted Volunteers," consisted of the companies of Cap- 
tains Bailey, Buoy, Keeney, Rice, O'Neal, Wilkinson, Alcorn, Gor- 
don, Chapman, and Bledsoe, aggregating on paper nine hundred 
and one rank and file, the effective force being much less. In Feb- 
ruary Major Bruce and Captains O'Neal, Rice, Alcorn and Wilkin- 
son preferred charges against Colonel Williams, alleging intentional 
inactivity, etc. They were based upon the connection Colonel 
Williams was supposed to have with a clique of speculators, whose 
pecuniary interests lay in the direction of an indefinite prolongation 
of the war. The same speculative and political complications ex- 



434 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

isted here as we have seen were so productive of harm in the oper- 
ations along the Columbia, and it is unnecessary to refer to them 
in detail. It is enough to say that the war was declared a " God- 
send " by those who were of the ruling political faith and had any 
hold upon the Government; and the consequence was, that more 
than one man of influence would have been sorry to see it ter- 
minated too quickly. The outcome of the charges was the appoint- 
ment of J. K. Lamerick as Brigadier- General to take supreme com- 
mand of the forces, Colonel Williams being thus relieved of the 
responsibility, though retaining his command. In February two- 
thirds of the men received their discharge, and new companies were 
enlisted, commanded by O'Neal, Sheffield, George, Bushey, M. M. 
Williams, Wallan, Robertson, and Barnes. The companies were 
composed chiefly of discharged men, who re- enlisted almost unani- 
mously. On the eighteenth of March regimental officers were 
elected, John Kelsey becoming Colonel, W. W. Chapman, Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel, and James Bruce and W. L. Latshaw, Majors of the 
two battalions. 

Subsequent to the events just detailed, a transaction of con- 
siderable importance took place. This was the removal of Chief 
Sam's band to the reservation west of the Willamette Valley. The 
Table Bock band took no part in the massacre of the ninth of 
October. On the contrary, the members of that band crossed the 
river to Fort Lane, and besought the protection of Captain Smith 
from the violence of the white settlers, which, but for such protec- 
tion, would surely have befallen them. During the succeeding 
months they remained under the immediate care of Captain Smith 
and Agent Ambrose, and gave not the remotest cause for suspicion 
on the part of the whites. Finally, when the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs decided to remove all the natives from Southern Oregon, 
the Table Rock band was sent to the permanent reservation about 
Yaquina Bay. Such was the state of public sentiment that a 
guard of one hundred soldiers was deemed necessary in order to 
protect them on their progress northward. And this, notwith- 
standing the fact that by their friendship for the whites, they had 
incurred the enmity of all the hostile Indians on Rogue River. 
The people of the Willamette Valley, jealous of the removal of 
warriors into their neighborhood, and scarce understanding the 



CLOSING SCENES OF THE WAR ON ROGUE RIVER. 435 

situation of affairs, held public meetings to consider the question of 
raising an armed force to resist their coming ; but the excitement 
soon calmed, and the Indians found a final home by the shores of 
the Pacific. A few days later — about the middle of February, 
Chiefs Limpy and George, with thirty mounted warriors, went to 
Fort Lane with a flag of true?, desiring to have a talk and secure 
possession of some squaws. As soon as their presence was known, 
there was great excitement, and the volunteers prepared to attack 
them. They were, however, notified by Captain Smith that he 
recognized the flag of truce and would guard its sanctity ; and the 
result was the warriors were permitted to depart in safety. The 
indignation of the people was intense, and the regular army, from 
General Wool and Captain Smith down to the sutler, was anathe- 
matized. The Sentinel discharged fiery editorials, similar to those 
the Oregonian was about the same time directing at General Wool, 
and with no better result. All this abuse of the regular army be- 
cause its commanders insisted upon discharging their full duty and 
not being governed in their conduct by passion, prejudice or 
speculation, served only to delay and reduce the amount of Govern- 
ment appropriations for the expenses of the war, and proved very 
costly indeed for the contractors. 

Hostilities be^an in earnest towards the end of March. On the 
morning of the twenty-fourth word was received at the headquarters 
of General Lamerick, at Vannoy's Ferry, that two men had been 
killed while in camp at the base of Eight-Dollar Mountain, and 
another man mortally wounded in the same vicinity. Captain 
Hugh O'Neal hastened with his com pan y to Fort Hays, where was 
but a small garrison, and arrived just in time to be driven into the 
fort with the loss of one man. The Indians besieged the fort till 
morning, and then retired southward, capturing a pack train, and 
killing one man and wounding another. Here they were overtaken 
by Major Bruce at the head of several companies. The foremost 
of these engaged the enemy while yet the remainder were dis- 
mounting. All horses were left at the foot of the hill which it 
was necessary to ascend to find the enemy ; and a long b'ne of 
battle, reaching several hundred yards along the side of the moun- 
tain, was formed, and the troops advanced up the rise. The battle 
was a lively one ; the rattle of rifles and revolvers was almost con- 



436 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

tinuous, and frequent attempts were made by each party to charge 
the other. All sought cover, and there was little chance for life 
for the man who neglected thus to protect himself. At this inter- 
esting juncture a shout was raised that the Indians were making 
off with the horses, left at the foot of the hill. A number of the 
savages, spying the condition of affairs ran hastily to the spot and 
mounting some and leading others, escaped with some fifteen of 
the animals belonging to Abel George's Yreka company. The 
most of the fighting for a time was done by M. M. Williams and 
about a score of his bravest men, who stood their ground valiantly, 
and only retreated when the Indians had nearly or quite surrounded 
them. Alcorn's men and others fought well, also, but a great 
many either ran away during the fight, or else could not be brought 
into it at all. Over two hundred men were within sound of the 
firing, but not one-half that number took any part in the fight, and 
probably not over fifty engaged in it with energy and resolution. 
A hundred or more Indians held with determination the hill and 
the thick woods, and successfully barred the way. Against this 
force the volunteers effected nothing. They soon began to retire, 
and gaining the base of the hill, mounted and returned to Fort 
Hays, hardly yet sensible of a defeat. The Indians withdrew in 
their characteristic manner, and the battle of Eight-Dollar Moun- 
tain was ended. 

Early in April, General Lamerick determined upon a campaign 
to Big Meadows, the rendezvous of the hostiles. The Southern 
Battalion, under Lieutenant Colonel Chapman and Major Bruce, 
started on the fourteenth of April and marched down the south 
side of Rogue River, halting at Peavine Mountain. On the sev- 
enteenth, Colonel Kelsey and Major Latshaw marched from Fort 
Leland, on Grave Creek, with the Northern Battalion, and pro- 
ceeded to the Little Meadows of Rogue River, some twelve miles 
from the camp of the other battalion. Chapman and Bruce then 
joined him, raising the force to five hundred and thirty-five men. 
They camped two miles north of the river, on a high terrace, a 
breastwork of pine logs enclosing the encampment. Scouts located 
the Indian camp on a large bar on the south side of the river and 
three miles further down. Several days were spent in reconnoiter- 
ing, and then it was decided to make an attack. General Lame- 



CLOSING HEONES OF THE WAR ON ROGUE RIVER. 437 

rick ordered Major 13 race to cross the river and cut off the retreat 
of the Indians, while Colonel Kelsey was to move on the north side 
until directly opposite the camp, and then attack it from across the 
stream. Both detachments started out to execute these orders, but 
when the river was reached Bruce's men refused to cross in the two 
canvas boats brought for that purpose. This is a fair example of 
the difficulties the officers had to contend with. Every volunteer 
thought himself as good as his superior officers, and refused to obey 
all orders he did not deem judicious. Under such circumstances 
it is no wonder so large a force accomplished so little. 

Major Bruce being thus compelled to remain on the north side 
of the river, concluded to move down stream and join Colonel Kel- 
sey at the bar. Meanwhile, this commander had reached a point 
on the declivity nearly opposite his objective point, and started di- 
rectly down hill, following a ridge which afforded comparatively 
little obstruction to his advance. The detachment was formed in 
line of battle, and rushed down and took position on the bank of 
the river facing the Indian encampment on the bar, and opened a 
brisk fire upon the enemy. The savages were thrown into confu- 
sion by the sudden attack, and did not return the fire for some time. 
The women and children, the former carrying heavy packs, soon 
left the camp and passed up the hill toward the Illinois River, 
while a greater part of the males sought shelter in the edge of the 
fir woods behind their encampment, and watched the movements of 
the whites. Major Bruce arrived with his command, and taking a 
position on the left, began firing at the enemy, who, however, were 
in positions of comparative safety. Desultory and ineffectual firing 
was kept up all day, but no means of crossing the river being at 
hand, nothing could be done to complete the victory. It is sup- 
posed that quite a number of Indians were killed, while the only 
loss to the whites was the mortal wounding of Elias Mercer, and 
the severe wounding of John Henry Clifte. In the evening the 
whole force went into camp at the Big Meadows, six miles below 
the former camp. On the following morning Colonel Kelsey and 
Major Latshaw with one hundred and fifty men went to a point on 
the river two miles below the bar, with the expectation of crossing 
to the south side. At the same time Lieutenant- Colon el Chapman 
with one hundred men marched to the battle-ground of the pre- 



438 nisTOKY of Willamette valley. 

vious day to engage the enemy if still there. The former found 
Indians scattered along the shore, who showed fight, consequently 
the detachment did not cross. Lieutenant- Colonel Chapman found 
no Indians at the bar, and returned. Major Bruce had gone in 
another direction with one hundred men, and he also returned with- 
out having accomplished anything. On the twenty-ninth the regi- 
ment encamped on the bar from which the Indians had been driven. 
Scouts soon ascertained that the Indians had abandoned that region, 
and it being impracticable to follow them, the regiment broke camp 
on the first of May, five companies taking permanent station in Big 
Meadows, which was called " Fort Lamerick," and the others re- 
turning to Fort Leland. The chief accomplishment of this cam- 
paign was to add greatly to the bill for supplies which the con- 
tractors were running up against the day of settlement. 

In the Spring of 1856 a new complication was introduced into 
the troubles in Southern Oregon. The Indians of the coast had 
remained peaceful, though those living at and below the mouth of 
Rogue River were urgently solicited to join the hostiles. Their 
relations with the settlers and miners had been none too pleasant 
for a year past, and several incidents had occurred to intensify the 
natural feeling of race antagonism. Ben Wright, of Modoc fame, 
was the agent in charge of the Indians in that region, having his 
residence at Gold Beach at the mouth of Rogue River. At Port 
Orford, thirty miles north, was a military post known as " Fort 
Orford," and garrisoned by Captain Reynolds 1 company of the 3d 
Artillery. During the winter, and at the instance of Agent Wright, 
a volunteer company of thirty-three men, under Captain John Po- 
land, occupied a strongly fortified post at Big Bend, some fifteen 
miles up the river, where they served to separate the hostiles from 
the Indians below. About the first of February they abandoned 
this post and returned to Gold Beach. Wright, observing the grow- 
ing discontent of the natives, put forth every effort to induce them 
to go to the temporary reservation at Port Orford, where they would 
be safe from the attack of ill-disposed whites and the solicitations 
of hostile Indians. It has always been supposed that it was owing 
to the intriguing of one man that this effect was not brought about. 
This man was an Indian of some eastern tribe — Canadian, it was 
said — and had been with Fremont on his last expedition ten years 



CLOSING SCENES OF THE WAR ON ROGUE RIVER. 439 

before. Enos, called by the Indians u Acnes," had become a con- 
fidant of Wright's to the extent of knowing his plans for the peace- 
ful subjugation of the Indians. Enos laid with the braves a far- 
reaching plan to destroy utterly the small colony of whites; and 
this done, to join the bands of savages who were waging war, and 
to defeat and drive from the country the invaders who so harrowed 
the Indian soul. 

The first step in Enos' portentous plan was to slaughter Wright 
and the settlers along the coast. On the evening of February 22, 
having completed his arrangements, Enos, with a sufficient force of 
his Indians, fell upon the scattered settlement at the south side of 
the mouth of the river, and finding Agent Wright alone in his 
cabin, entered it seen, but unsuspected, by him, and with an axe or 
club slaughtered this hero of a hundred bloody fights. So died, 
perhaps, the greatest of Indian fighters whom this Coast ever knew. 
Concluding this villainy, the Indians sought new victims, and dur- 
ing the night killed mercilessly, with shot or blows, twenty -four or 
twenty-five persons, of whom the list is here presented as given by 
various authorities: Captain Ben Wright, Captain John Poland, 
John Geisel and three children, Joseph Seroc and two children, J. 
H. Brauu, E. W. Howe, Barney Castle, George McClusky, Patrick 
McCollough, Samuel Hendrick, W. R. Tullus, Joseph Wagoner, 

Seaman, Lorenzo Warner, George Reed, John Idles, Martin 

Reed, Henry Lawrence, Guy C. Holcomb, and Joseph Wilkinson. 
Mrs. Geisel and her remaining children, Mary and Annie, were 
taken prisoners. After suffering the worst of hardships at the 
hands of the Indians, they were delivered from them at a later date, 
and now live to recount with tears the story of their bereavement 
and captivity. A large portion of the inhabitants had gathered on 
that fateful night at Big Flat to attend a dance given there, and so 
failed of death; and on the morrow these set out for the village, and 
on arriving there found the fearful remains of the butchery. The 
corpses were buried; and the remaining population, numbering, 
perhaps, one hundred and thirty men, scantily supplied with fire- 
arms and provisions, sought protection in a fort which had been 
constructed in anticipation of such need. Here the survivors gath- 
ered and for a time sustained a state of siege with the added horrors 
of a possible death by starvation. Their only communication from 



440 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

without was by means of two small coasting schooners which made 
occasional trips to Port Orford or Crescent City. The Indians sur- 
rounded them and commanded every approach by land. Meantime, 
the savages were not idle. Every dwelling and every piece of 
property of whatever description that fire could touch was destroyed. 
The country was devastated, and, beside the fort besieged, only the 
station of Port Orford remained inhabited. The buildings at Gold 
Beach were all burned, and an estimate of the property destroyed 
along the coast fixes the damage at $125,000. (Subsequent to the 
first attack a number of other persons were killed by the Indians, 
these being Henry Bullen, L. W. Oliver, Daniel Richardson, Adolf 
Schmoldt, Oliver Cantwell, Stephen Taylor, and George Trickey. 
By an unhappy chance H. I, Gerow, merchant; John O'Brien, miner; 
Sylvester Long, farmer; William Thompson and Richard Gay, boat- 
men, and Felix McCue, were drowned in the breakers opposite the 
fort while bringing aid and provisions from Port Orford. Captain 
Davis and Henry Defremany succeeded in swimming ashore and 
reaching the fort. 

Messengers from the beleaguered settlers succeeded in reaching 
Port Orford and Crescent City. At the former place, Captain 
Reynolds, who only had twenty-six men, did not dare go to 
their aid and leave the place unprotected. The unfortunate party 
mentioned above at once started with provisions to their relief . At 
Crescent City was Captain Jones with a company of regulars, who, 
as he was under marching orders from General Wool for a concerted 
movement of all the troops against the hostiles, was not at liberty 
to go to the relief of the settlers at Gold Beach. The volunteers 
in Rogue River Valley, when appealed to, also declined to go, 
alleging a fear of leaving the settlements exposed. A company of 
volunteers was formed at Crescent City, commanded by Captain 
G. H. Abbott. On the eighth of March Lieutenant- Colonel 
Buchanan arrived at Crescent City from San Francisco with a 
company of regulars under Captain E. O. C. Ord, afterwards 
Major -General, and with Jones' regulars and Abbott's volunteers, 
marched northward. Abbott was some distance in advance, and 
encountered the Chetco and Pistol River Indians, losing one man 
and having several wounded. When the regulars arrived, and 
rescued them, they were surrounded by Indians and sheltered be- 



CLOSING SCENES OF THE WAR ON ROGUE RIVER. 441 

hind logs on the beach. The whole force remained in the vicinity 
a few days, until they had severely chastised the savages and 
destroyed their village. 

On the twentieth of March Lieutenant- Colonel Buchanan 
arrived at the mouth of Eogue River, having left Captain Abbott 
at Pistol River to keep open communications with Crescent City, 
the base of supplies. Operations began by an assault upon the 
Makanootenai rancheria, about ten miles up-stream and four or six 
below Big Bend. Captains Ord and Jones took the town, killing 
several Indians and driving the rest to their canoes. One man, 
Sergeant Nash, was severely wounded. A few days later Captain 
(now General) Augur, with a small detachment, reached the mouth 
of Illinois River and found some ten or twelve Indians belonging to 
John or Limpy's band, and fought them. The Indians strove des- 
perately and five of them fell dead before the conflict was decided. 
Captain Augur, after the fight, found it necessary to return toward 
Gold Beach. Captain Smith set out from Fort Lane about this 
time with eighty men — fifty dragoons and thirty infantrymen. All 
went on foot, and marched down Rogue River, up Slate Creek to 
Hays' farm, from thence to Deer Creek and thence down Illinois 
River to the Rogue, and encamped a few miles further down that 
stream, having come to their destination. 

Negotiations had been in progress for a few days, thanks to the 
exertions of Superintendent Palmer, and it was hoped that an 
agreement would be reached with the Coast Indians, who were now 
much scattered. Enos, with quite a number of his followers, had 
joined the up-river bands, who were lying on the river above the 
Big Bend. Others had gone to Port Orford and placed themselves 
under the protection of the military. On the twenty-seventh of 
March a party of regulars were fired upon from the brush while 
proceeding down the banks of the Rogue, whereupon they charged 
their assailants and killed eight or ten, with a loss to themselves of 
two wounded. On April 1st, Captain Creighton, with a company 
of citizens, attacked an Indian village near the mouth of the Co- 
quille River, killing nine men, wounding eleven and taking forty 
squaws and children prisoners. These Indians had been under the 
care of the Government authorities at Port Orford until a few days 
before the fight, and had left that place because some meddlesome 



442 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

whites had represented to them that it was the soldiers' intention 
to kill them. A party of volunteers intercepted several canoe 
loads of Indians near the mouth of Rogue River and killed eleven 
males and one squaw ; one male and two squaws only escaped. 
On the twenty-ninth of April a party of sixty regulars, con- 
voying a pack-train, were attacked near Chetco by the remnant 
of the band of savages of that name, supposed to number about 
sixty, but probably less, and two or three soldiers were killed or 
wounded. The battle ended by the defeat of the natives, who lost 
six braves killed, and several wounded. In the month of April 
three volunteer companies operated on the coast, and did much 
service in spite of their being badly armed and equipped. These 
were the Gold Beach Guards, the Coquille Guards and the Port 
Orford Minute Men. 

Besides tne regulars who were now hemming in the savages and 
cutting them off from all avenues of escape from the mountain 
fastnesses in which they had been so secure, the volunteers played 
an important part. Fort Lamerick had been built at Big Meadows 
by Major Bruce, who occupied it with a force of two hundred men, 
and was later reinforced by the entire body of volunteers, General 
Lamerick being present and in command. Hemmed in on all 
sides, without resources and with no hope of assistance, the hostiles 
began to feel their inability to cope with the forces now operating 
against them. 

On the twenty- first and twenty -second of May, Superintendent 
Palmer and Colonel Buchanan held a conference with the Indians. 
This is officially known as the " Council of Oak Flat," the locality 
being on the right bank of the Illinois River, some three miles 
above its mouth. Nearly all the regular troops were present, 
amounting to about two hundred. Almost all the hostiles were 
present, and most of them agreed to surrender on a certain day. 
Not so, however, with Chief John. This undaunted chieftain said 
to Colonel Buchanan : " You are a great chief ; so am I a great 
chief ; this is my country ; I was in it when these trees were very 
little, not higher than my head. My heart is 'sick fighting the 
whites, but I want to live in my country. I will not go out of my 
country. I will, if the whites are willing, go back to the Deer 
Creek country and live as I used to do among the whites ; they can 



CLOSING SCENES OF THE WAR ON ROGUE RIVER. 443 

visit my camp and I will visit theirs ; but I will not lay down my 
arms and go to the reserve. I will fight. Good bye." 

The result of the negotiations was the agreement of a great 
many Indians, notably the Coast bands, to give up their arms. 
On or before the twenty-sixth of May they were to assemble at the 
Big Meadows, several miles from the Big Meadows occupied by 
the volunteers, and be escorted thence to Port Orford. Ord's com- 
pany had been sent to Port Orford to escort a provision train to 
the command at Oak Flat. Reynolds' company was sent out to 
meet the same train, as its safety was very important. On the 
twenty -fourth Captain Smith left Oak Flat with his eighty dra- 
goons and infantrymen to proceed to Big Meadows and perform 
escort duty when the Indians surrendered. He encamped on the 
north side of the river, near the place fixed upon for the surrender. 
On the twenty -fifth the chief in command moved down the Illinois, 
and leaving Jones' company at its mouth, went across the Rogue 
with Augur's company, and set about opening a trail for the 
passage of the surrendered Indians with their guard, who were 
expected the next day. On the evening of May twenty-sixth 
Colonel Buchanan was on the north side of the river, some few 
miles from the mouth of the Illinois ; Captain Ord was about ten 
miles west of Oak Flat, with the train ; Jones was at the mouth of 
the Illinois ; Reynolds about ten miles below that point, on the 
Port Orford trail ; Smith at Big Meadows ; and the main body of 
the Indians were on the bank of the Rogue, about five miles above 
Smith. The twenty-sixth passed and no Indians came in, but 
Smith was informed that they were delayed by slippery roads, and 
would be in sometime the next day. During the evening of the same 
day, George, a well-known chief, caused it to become known to 
Captain Smith that an attack was meditated on his camp. He 
instantly set about moving his command to a much more secure 
position between two small creeks entering the main stream from 
the northwest. He occupied an oblong elevation some two hundred 
and fifty yards in length, and about twenty in width. Between 
this mound and the river is a narrow bottom called " Bier Meadows," 
but which was not the same locality designated by the volunteers 
as " Big Meadows," and whereon stood Fort Lamerick. The latter 
locality is several miles further up the river, and further removed 
from the stream. The top of the elevation on which Captain 



444 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Smith was now encamped formed a plateau of size sufficient for 
one company to encamp upon, and was of slight elevation. Directly 
to the north is another elevation of equal height and within rifle 
range of the first. Early in the morning of the twenty-seventh the 
savages came in from all directions and soon the north mound was 
covered with them. A body of forty warriors attempted to enter 
camp, but were halted on the spot and told to lay down their arms 
at a certain place. There being a howitzer planted so as to rake 
that approach, the Indians felt it best to retire. At ten o'clock in 
the forenoon the Indians made a sudden rush from both sides ; but 
they were repulsed by the howitzer and infantry. John developed 
all the tactics and strategy of a consummate general in his manage- 
ment of the battle. His method of attack was by means of small - 
arm fire at long range, charges by the larger bodies of braves, and 
unexpected attacks by smaller numbers, who sought to gain the 
mound by scaling the steeper portions where the guard was weak. 
Only thirty of Smith's men had arms adapted to long range shoot- 
ing, the musketoon of the dragoons being useless except at close 
quarters. John's men, on the contrary, possessed excellent pieces 
and shot effectively from long distances. At night the Indians 
drew off and encamped. Smith occupied his men in constructing 
rifle pits and building with his camp equipage temporary defences, 
and in procuring water from the river for his thirsty troops. On 
the following morning the Indians again opened fire and continued 
the battle. Old John put forth all his efforts to seize victory, as 
there was every chance that reinforcements for Smith would soon 
arrive ; but in spite of his generalship and personal bravery the 
assaults were successfully repulsed. About four o'clock in the 
afternoon the Indians formed in two bodies with the intention of 
attacking both flanks simultaneously. Just at the critical moment 
of their attack, Captain Augur's company was seen advancing. In 
conjunction with these Smith charged and dispersed the enemy, 
John and all the rest escaping into the woods. Smith's loss was 
twenty -nine in killed and wounded, the most of whom were hit by 
bullets from the -north mound. The loss of the Indians is unknown. 
To prevent any like attempts for the future, Buchanan concentrated 
his forces at the Big Meadows on the thirtieth of May, and re- 
mained there until the greater part of the Indians had surrendered. 






CLOSING SCEICES OF THE WAR ON ROGUE RIVER. 445 

While Captain Smith was thus contending with John, the vol- 
unteers, some miles up the river, were fighting Limpy and George. 
Major Latshaw left Fort Lamerick on the twenty- seventh with two 
hundred and thirteen men, and marched twelve miles down the 
river, and the next day skirmished with the Indians of some 
rancherias still lower down, killing some and taking fifteen prison- 
ers. On the twenty-ninth, the day following John's defeat by Cap- 
tain Smith, more skirmishing was done, and H. C. Houston, Ser- 
geant in Keith's company, was badly wounded. On the following 
dav fio-htino: took place on the south side of the river between a 
party of volunteers and some Indians, and Private Cooly, of Wal- 
lan's company, was wounded in the thigh and hand. On the thirty- 
first Major Latshaw, with one hundred and fifty men, moved to 
Buchanan's headquarters, at Big Meadows. They found here that 
Limpy and George had surrendered, with their bands, on May 
twenty- ninth, the day following their fight with the volunteers. On 
the fifth of June General Lamerick moved down the river and en- 
camped at Big Bend, where the regulars were lying. The next day 
a combined movement was made down the river by three com- 
panies of regulars and Captain Bledsoe : s company of volunteers, 
and an Indian encampment was destroyed, some twenty or more 
natives being killed or drowned in endeavoring to escape. Two 
volunteers were wounded. The main body of the Indians were en- 
camped on the river about fifteen miles below Big Bend, but their 
cabins were found deserted when the attacking party arrived. The 
remaining acts of the citizen soldiery can be briefly told. Major 
Bruce headed an expedition down the coast to the country of the 
Chetco and Pistol River bands, and killed three males and took fifty 
prisoners. On June twenty-second Major Latshaw, with Keith, 
Noland and Blakely's companies, marched from the mouth of the 
river via Fort Lamerick to Camas Prairie and Deer Creek, and the 
troops going to Eugene City were there disbanded. General Lam- 
erick, with Barnes 7 company, proceeded to Port Orford with orders 
for this organization to be mustered out on July first. Captain 
Bledsoe, with his men, remained in service for a short time subse- 
quently. 

On the twentieth of June Chief John sent five of his braves to 
Buchanan's head-quarters to announce that their leader would sur- 



446 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

render on the same terms as had Limpy, George and other chiefs, 
but he wished the whites to guarantee safety to Enos, who was an 
object of particular aversion to the volunteers. Previously, the 
chief had refused all overtures of peace, saying that war suited him, 
and that in spite of the desertion of all the other Indians he would 
remain in his beloved country and fight. By the first of July all 
the known hostiles had surrendered save a few about Pistol River, 
and John's own band. Sated with unequal combats, John surren- 
dered to the regular army, an escort of one hundred and ten soldiers 
being sent out to accompany him and his little band of thirty -five 
to Port Orford. 

The objects of the war were now accomplished. The last band 
of hostile Indians had surrendered. On the temporary reservation 
at Port Orford were gathered about one thousand three hundred 
Indians of various tribes, and including all the surviving members 
of the bands which had begun and carried on the war. The Coast 
Reservation was fixed upon as their future abode — a tract seventy 
miles long, lying upon the coast of Oregon and extending from 
Cape Perpetua to Cape Lookout, and from the Pacific Ocean to the 
western water-shed of the Willamette. By the first of September, 
1856, two thousand and seven hundred Indians had been removed 
there. Enos, too, was there for a time, but his restless habits got 
him into difficulties, and he made illicit expeditions to various parts 
of the State, and being detected therein was denounced by certain 
nervous people as a fire-brand who was seeking to again spread 
the flames of war. There is a tradition in Curry county that Enos 
was hanged upon Battle Rock at Port Orford ; but the Indian then 
executed was one of four Coquille Indians hanged for the murder 
of Venable and Burton. The fate of Enos is unknown. 



CHAPTEK XXVI. 

THE ATTACK ON THE CASCADES. 

Colonel Wright Assumes Command of the Regulars — His Instructions 
from General Wool — He Starts for the Walla Walla Country with 
a Strong Force — Fears of an Attack on the Cascades — The Atiack is 
Made on the Twenty-Sixth of March, 1856 — Details of the Affair — 
Colonel Wright Comes to the Rescue from The Dalles, arid Lieuten- 
ant Sheridan from Vancouver — Indians Captured and Hanged — 
List of Killed and Wounded — Intelligence of the Attack Creates 
Great Excitement in Portland and up the Valley — Two Volunteer 
Companies go to the Rescue — Panicy Rumors Distract the People — 
All Quiet on the Sandy. 

WHILE the command of Colonel Cornelius was hunting for 
Indians along the Snake and Columbia rivers, the people 
living in fancied security in the valley experienced the dread alarms 
of war. When the 9th Infantry arrived the entire force of regulars 
was placed under the command of Colonel George Wright. He 
received general instructions from his superior, who remained in 
San Francisco, to occupy winter quarters until a successful move- 
ment could be made in the spring, and then to establish a military 
station in the Walla Walla country, not for the purpose of making 
war upon the Indians, unless compelled so to do by their own con- 
duct, but for the protection of the Indians in their rights from un- 
lawful intrusion or conduct of white men, and to insure the safety 
of all such as might lawfully reside in the Indian country. This 
action was taken in view of the fact that the treaties had not yet 
been ratified by the Senate and were not in force, and consequently 
the rights of the Indians were more liable to be infringed than those 
of the whites. He was to establish and maintain peace. In pur- 
suance of this policy he moved a strong force to The Dalles, and set 



448 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

out for the Walla Walla country on the twenty-sixth of March. At 
that time the Oregon volunteers were campaigning about the mouth 
of Snake River, and all was quiet below them. 

Previous to this the possibility of an attack upon the Cascades 
Settlement by the Klickitats, had been anticipated. On the fifth of 
March the steamer Wasco was fired upon by Indians while opposite 
the mouth of Hood River. The day before they had burned the 
residence of E. S. Joslyn, on the Washington side, and the Wasco 
had on board Lieutenant Davidson and forty men on their way to 
the scene of the trouble, when she was fired upon. She returned to 
the south side of the stream. Soon the Mary came down the river 
with Major Haller and fifty men, and a landing was made, but no 
Indians could be found. From this and other indications the peo- 
ple living at the Cascades feared they might be attacked, and made 
preparations to take refuge in time of danger in the block -house 
which had been erected. There was at that time a railroad under 
construction from the Lower to the Upper Cascades, on the Wash- 
ington side, to be used as a freight and passenger portage between 
the Lower and Upper Columbia, and quite a force of workmen 
was employed. The block-house was at the Middle Cascades, while 
the majority of the workmen were at the upper landing, a store on 
the river bank serving as headquarters at the latter point. The 
following very accurate account of the attack was written by L. W. 
Coe a few days afterwards, addressed to Putnam Bradford, who, 
with his brother, Daniel F., was constructing the railroad, which 
was simply a wooden tramway:— 

On Wednesday, March 26, at about 8:30 A. M., after the men had gone to their 
work on the two bridges of the new railway, mostly on the bridge near Bush's 
house, the Yakimas came down on us. There was a line of them from Mill Creek 
above us to the big point at the head of the falls, firing simultaneously on the men ; 
and the first notice we had of them was the bullets and the crack of their guns. 
Of our men, at the first fire, one was killed and several wounded. I will give you 
a list hereinafter. Our men on seeing the Indians, all ran for our store through 
a shower of bullets, except three who started down stream for the middle block- 
house, distant one and a half miles. Bush and his family also ran into our store, 
leaving his own house vacant. The Watkins family came to the store after a Dutch 
boy, who was lame from a cut in the foot, — had been shot in their house. Watkins, 
Finlay and Baily were at work on the new warehouse on the island, around which 
the water was now high enough to run about three feet deep under the bridges. 
There was grand confusion in the store at first; and Sinclair, of Walla Walla, go- 
ing to the railroad door to look out, was shot from the bank above the store and in- 
stantly kiUed. Some of us then commenced getting the guns and rifles, which 




BLOCK HOUSE AT THE CASCADES.— See Pages 448, 452. 



THE ATTACK ON THE CASCADES. 449 

were ready loaded, from behind the counter. Fortunately, about an hour before, 
there had been left with us for transportation below, nine United States govern- 
ment rifles with cartridge boxes and ammunition. These saved us. As the upper 
story of the house was abandoned, Smith, the cook, having come below, and as the 
stairway was outside where we dare not go, the stovepipe was hauled down, the hole 
enlarged with axes, and a party of men crawled up, and the upper part of the house 
was soon secured. We were surprised that the Indians had not rushed into the 
upper story, as there was nothing or nobody to prevent them. 

Our men soon got some shots at the Indians on the bank above us. I saw Bush 
shoot an Indian, the first one killed, who was drawing a bead on Mrs. Watkins as 
she was running for our store. He dropped .instantly. Alexander and others 
mounted into the gable under the roof, and from there was done most of our firing, 
it being the best place of observation. In the meantime, we were barricading in 
the store, making port-holes and firing when opportunity presented. But the In- 
dians were soon very cautious about exposing themselves. I took charge of the 
store, Dan Bradford of the second floor, and Alexander of the garret and roof. 

The steamer Mary was lying in the mouth of Mill Creek, and the wind was 
blowing hard down stream. When we saw Indians running toward her and heard 
the shots, we supposed she would be taken ; and as she lay just out of our sight, and 
we saw smoke rising from her, concluded she was burning, but what was our glad 
surprise after a while to see her put out and run across the river. I will give an 
account of the attack on her hereinafter. 

The Indians now 7 returned in force to us, and we gave every one a shot who 
showed himself. They were nearly naked, painted red, and had guns and bows 
and arrows. After a while Finlay came creeping around the lower point of the 
island toward our house. We halloed to him to lie down behind a rock, and he 
did so. He called that he could not get to the store as the bank above us was cov- 
ered with Indians. He saw Watkin's house burn while there. The Indians first 
took out all they wanted— blankets, clothes, guns, etc. By this time the Indians 
had crossed in canoes to the island, and we saw them coming, as we supposed, after 
Finlay. We then saw Watkins and Bailey running around the river side towards 
the place where Finlay was, and the Indians in lull chase after them. As our own 
men came around the point in full view, Bailey was shot through the arm and leg. 
He continued on, and, plunging into the river, swam to the front of our store and 
came in safely, except for his wounds. He narrowly escaped going over the falls. 
Finlay also swam across and got in unharmed, which was wonderful, as there was 
a shower of bullets around them. 

Watkins next came running around the point, and we called to him to lie down 
behind a rock, but before he could do so he was shot in the wrist, the ball going up 
the arm and out above the elbow. He dropped behind a rock just as the pursuing 
Indians came following around the point, but we gave them so hot a reception from 
our house that they backed out and left poor Watkins where he lay. We called to 
Watkins to lie still and we would get him off; but we were not able to do so until 
after the arrival from The Dalles of the steamer Mary with troops— two days and 
nights afterwards. During this time Watkins fainted several times from weakness 
and exposure, the weather being very cold, and he was stripped down to his under- 
clothes for swimming. When he fainted he would roll down the steep bank into 
the river, and the ice-cold water reviving him, he would crawl back under tire to 
his retreat behind the rock. Meantime, his wife and children were in the store, in 
full view, and moaning piteously at his terrible situation. He died from exhaus- 
tion two days alter he was rescued. 

The Indians were now pitching into us "right smart." They tried to burn us 
out; threw rocks and firebrands, hot irons, pitch wood — everything on to the roof 



450 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

that would burn. But you will recollect that for a short distance back the bank 
inclined toward the house, and we could see and shoot the Indians who appeared 
there. So they had to throw from such a distance that the largest rocks and bun- 
dles of fire did not quite reach us ; and what did, generally rolled off the roof. 
Sometimes the roof got on fire, and we cut it out, or with cups of brine drawn from 
pork barrels, put it out, or with long sticks shoved off the fire balls. The kitchen 
roof troubled us the most. How they did pepper us with rocks; some of the big 
ones would shake the house all over. 

There were now forty men, women and children in the house — four women and 
eighteen men that could fight and eighteen wounded men and children. The 
steamer Wasco was on the Oregon side of the river. We saw her steam up and 
leave for The Dalles. Shortly after, the steamer Mary also left. She had to take 
Atwell's fence rails for wood. So passed the day, during which the Indians had 
burned Inman's two houses, your saw-mill and houses, and the lumber yards at 
the mouth of Mill Creek. At daylight they set fire to your new warehouse on the 
island, making it as light as day around us. I suppose they reserved this building 
for night that we might not get Watkins off. They did not attack us at night, but 
the second morning commenced as lively as ever. We had no water, but did have 
about two dozen ale and a few bottles of whisky. These gave out during the day. 
During the night, a Spokane Indian who was traveling with Sinclair, and was in 
the store w r ith us, volunteered to get a pail of water from the river- I consented, 
and he stripped himself naked, jumped out and down the bank, and was back in 
no time. By this time we looked for the steamer from The Dalles, and were greatly 
disappointed at her non-arrival. We weathered it out during the day, every man 
keeping his post, and never relaxing in vigilance. Every moving object, shadow, 
or suspicious bush on the hill received a shot. The Indians must have thought 
the house a bombshell. To our ceaseless vigilance I ascribe our safety. Night 
came again ; we saw Sheppard's house burn ; Bush's house near by was also fired, 
and kept us in light until about four a. m., when darkness returning, I sent the 
Spokane Indian for water from the river, and he filled two barrels. He went to 
and fro like lightning. W T e also slipped poor James Sinclair's body down the slide 
outside, as the corpse was quite offensive. 

The two steamers now having exceeded the length of time we gave them in 
which to return from The Dalles, we made up our miuds for a long siege and until 
relief came from below. We could not account for it, but supposed the ninth regi- 
ment had left The Dalles for Walla Walla, and had proceeded too far to return. 
The third morning dawned, and lo ! the Mary and the Wasco, blue with soldiers, 
and towing a flat-boat with dragoon horses, hove in in sight : such a hallo as we 
gave. 

As the steamer landed the Indians fired twenty or thirty shots into them, but 
we could not ascertain with any effect. The soldiers as they got ashore could not 
be restrained, and plunged into the woods in every direction, while the howitzers 
sent grape after the retreating redskins. The soldiers were soon at our storej and 
we, I think I may say, experienced quite a feeling of relief on opening our doors. 

During this time we had not heard from below. A company of dragoons under 
Colonel Steptoe went on down. Dan went with them. The block-house at the 
Middle Cascades still held out. Allen's house was burned and every other one be- 
low. George W. J.ohnson's, S. M. Hamilton's F. A. Chenoweth's, the wharf boat 
at Cascades— all gone up. Next in order comes the attack on the Mary. She lay 
in Mill Creek, no fires, and wind hard ashore. Jim Thompson, John Woodard, 
and Jim Herman were just going up to the boat from our store, and had nearly 
reached her as they were fired upon. Herman asked if they had any guns. No. 
He went on up to In man's house, the rest staying to help get the steamer out. 



THE ATTACK ON THE CASCADES. 451 

Capt. Dan Baughman and Thompson were ashore on the upper side of the creek 
hauling on lines, when the firing from the Indians became so hot that they ran for 
the woods, past Inman's house. The fireman, James Lindsay, was shot through 
the shoulder. Engineer Buckminster shot an Indian with his revolver on the 
gang-plank, and little Johnny Chance went climbing up on the hurricane deck, 
with an old dragoon pistol, killed his Indian ; but he was shot through the leg in 
doing so. Dick Turpin, half crazy, probably, taking the only gun on the steam- 
boat, jumped into a flat-boat lying alongside, was shot, and jumped overboard and 
was drowned. Fires were soon started under the boiler and steam was raising. 
About this time, Jesse Kempton, shot while driving an ox team from the saw-mill, 
got on board; also a half-breed named "Bourbon," who was shot through the body. 
After sufficient steam to move was raised, Hardin Chenoweth ran up into the pilot- 
house, and, lying on the floor, turned the wheel as he was directed from the lower 
deck. It is almost needless to say that the pilot-house was a target for the Indians. 
After the steamer was fairly backed out and turned around, he did toot that whistle 
at them good. Toot! toot ! toot ! it was music in our ears. The steamer picked up 
Herman on the bank above. Inman's family, Sheppard, and Vanderpool all got 
across the river in skiffs, and boarding the Mary, went to the Dalles. 

Colonel George Wright and the ninth regiment, Second Dragoons, and Third 
Artillery, had started for Walla Walla, and were out five miles, camped. They re- 
ceived news of the attack at eleven p. M., and by daylight were back at The Dalles. 
Starting down, they only reached Wind Mountain that night, as the Mary's boiler 
was in bad order, because of a new fireman the day before. They reached us the 
next morning at six o'clock. 

Now for below. George Johnson was about to get a boat's crew of Indians, when 
Indian Jack came running to him, saying the Yakimas had attacked the block- 
house. He did not believe it, although he heard the cannon. He went up to the In- 
dian village on the sand-bar to get his crew ; saw some of the Cascade Indians, who 
said they thought the Yakimas had come, and George now hearing the muskets, 
ran for home. E. W. Baughman was with him. Bill Murphy had left the block- 
house early for the Indian camp, and had nearly returned before he saw the Indi- 
ans or was shot at. He returned, two others with him, and ran for George John- 
son's, about thirty Indians in chase. After reaching Johnson's, Murphy continued 
on and gave Hamilton and all below warning, and the families embarked in small 
boats for Vancouver. The men would have barricaded in the wharf-boat but for 
want of ammunition. There was considerable government freight in the wharf- 
boat. They stayed about the wharf-boat and schooner nearly all day, and until the 
Indians commenced firing upon them from the zinc house on the bank. They 
then shoved out. Tommy Price was shot through the leg in getting the boats into 
the stream. Floating down they met the steamer Belle with Phil Sheridan and 
forty men, sent up on report of an express carried down by Indian Simpson in the 
morning. George and those with him went on board the steamer and volunteered 
to serve under Sheridan, who landed at George's place and found everything 
burned. The steamer returned, and the Indians pitched into Sheridan, fought 
him all day, and drove him with forty men and ten volunteers to below Hamil- 
ton's, notwithstanding he had a small cannon— one soldier killed. 

The steamer Belle returned the next day (third of the attack) and brought am- 
munition for the block-house. Your partner, Bishop, who was in Portland, came 
up on her. Steamer Fashion, with volunteers from Portland, came at the same 
time. The volunteers remained at the Lower Cascades. Sheridan took his com- 
mand, and with a bateaux loaded with ammunition, crossed to Bradford's Island 
on the Oregon side, where they found most of the Cascade Indians, they having 
been advised by George Johnson to go on there the first day of the attack. They 



452 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

were crossing and recrossing all the time, and Sheridan made them prisoners. He 
pressed a boat's crew, and as they towed up to the head of the island and above, 
saw great numbers of Indians on the Washington Territory side and opposite them. 
Sheridan expected them to cross and fight him, and between them and the friendly (?) 
Indians in his charge, thought he had his hands full. 

Just then Sheridan discovered Steptoe and his dragoon infantry and volunteers 
coming down from the Mary, surprising completely the Indians, who were cooking 
beef and watching Sheridan across the river. But on the sound of the bugle the 
Indians fled like deer to the woods, with the loss of only one killed—" old Joanam." 
But for the bugle they ought to have captured fifty. 

The ninth regiment are building a block-house on the hill above us, also at 
George Johnson's, and will hereafter keep a strong force here. Lieutenant Bissell 
and twelve men who were stationed at the Upper Cascades, were ordered away, and 
left for The Dalles two days before the attack was made upon us. 

The Indians Sheridan took on the island were closely guarded. Old Chenowith 
(chief) was brought up before Colonel Wright, tried, and sentenced to be hung. 
The Cascade Indians, being under treaty, were adjudged guilty of treason in fight- 
ing. Chenowith died game : was hung on the upper side of Mill Creek. I acted as 
interpreter. He offered ten horses, two squaws, and a little something to every 
u tyee," for his life ; said he was afraid of the grave in the ground, and begged to be 
put into an Indian dead house. He gave a terrific warwhoop while the rope was 
being put around his neck. I thought he expected the Indians to come and rescue 
him. The rope did not work well, and while hanging he muttered, " Wake nika 
krvass kopa memaloose /" (I'm not afraid to die.) fie was then shot. I w T as glad 
to see he old devil killed, being satisfied that he was at the bottom of all trouble. 
But I can not detail at too great length. 

The next day Tecomeoc and Cap. Jo were hung. Cap. Jo said all the Cascade 
Indians were in the fight. The next day Tsy, Sim Lasselas, and Four-fingered 
Johnny were hung. The next day Chenowith Jim, Tumalth, and Old Skein were 
hung, and Kanewake sentenced, but reprieved on the scaffold. Nine in all were exe- 
cuted. Banaha is a prisoner at Vancouver and decorated with ball and chain. The 
rest of the Cascade Indians are on your island, and will be shot ir seen off of it. 
Such are Colonel Wright's orders. Dow, Watiquin, Peter, Mahooka John, Kotyue ? 
and maybe more of them, have gone with the Yakimas. 

I forgot to mention that your house at the Lower Cascades, also Bishop's, was 
burned ; also to account for Capt. Dan. Baughman and Jim. Thompson. They put 
back into the mountains, and at night came down to the river at Vanderpool's 
place, fished up an old boat and crossed to the Oregon side. They concealed them- 
selves in the rocks on the river bank opposite, where they could watch us ; and at 
night went back into the mountains to sleep. They came in safely after the troops 
arrived. 

We do not know how many Indians there were. They attacked the block-house, 
our place, and drove Sheridan all at the same time. We fhink there was not less 
than two or three hundred. When the attack was made on us three of our carpen- 
ters ran for the middle block-house, overtook the cars at the salmon house, cut the 
mules loose, and, with the car drivers, all kept on. They were not fired on until 
they got to the spring on the railroad, but from there they ran the gauntlet of bul- 
lets and arrows to the fort. Little Jake was killed in the run. Several were wounded. 

I append a list of killed and wounded. But this is a long letter ; but knowing you 
would be anxious to hear all the particulars, I have endeavored to give you a true 
description. Dan is writing to others at home, and has read this letter. We have 
got to work again building and transporting ; are going to build a saw-mill as soon 
as we can. We had but few poor specimens of men here during the fight, generally 



THE ATTACK ON THE CASCADES. 453 

all behaving well. There was, however, one notable exception— a person who ar- 
rived at the store but a lew minutes before the fight commenced, and whose name 
I will give you in person. Am a little afraid to go to Rock Creek to fish, in fact 
haw had no time 90 tar. Don't think I shall have much fishing this summer. 
Wish you were back. 

Killed— George Griswold, B. W. Brown and wife, killed at the saw-mill, bodies 
found stripped naked in Mill Creek; Jimmy Watkins, driving team at mill; Henry 
Hagar, shot in Watkins' house, body burned ; Jake Kyle, German boy ; Jacob 
White, sawyer at mill ; Bourbon, half-breed, died on the Mary going to The Dalles ; 
James Sinclair, of the Hudson's Bay Company, Walla Walla; Dick Turpin, colored 
cook on the steamer Mary ; Norman Palmer, driving team at mill ; Calderwood, 
working at mill ; three United States soldiers, names unknown ; George Watkins, 
lived four days ; Jacob Roush, carpenter, lived six days. 

Wounded.— Fletcher Murphy, arm ; J. Lindsey, shoulder ; Tommy Price, thigh ; 
Moffat, railroad, hand ; M. Bailey, leg and arm ; two soldiers, United States army ; 
P. Snooks, boy, leg ; Jesse Kempton, shoulder; H. Kyle, German ; Johnny Chance, 
leg ; J. Algin, slightly. 

The conduct of Colonel Wright in this affair was highly praised 
by the press and people. Although in camp, on his way to Walla 
Walla, when the courier brought him news of the attack just be- 
fore midnight, he at once roused his men and marched the whole 
command, infantry, artillery and dragoons back to The Dalies, 
loaded all of them he could possibly crowd upon the steamers and 
barge, and hastened to the rescue. They were delayed by the con- 
dition of the boilers, but when they finally reached the scene of 
action Colonel Wright and Colonel Step toe led the troops in per- 
son in a charge before which the enemy fled like sheep. No less 
gallant was the conduct of Lieutenant Phil Sheridan. The news 
reached Vancouver late in the evening of the attack, and at five 
next morning he started up the river with forty dragoons and a 
few volunteers. His conduct while there has been related. 

The intelligence reached Portland late on the night of the 
twenty- sixth, and created great excitement. A public meeting was 
called, and a company of volunteers organized the next day. They 
were refused the use of Territorial arms by those who had them 
in charge, and having picked up twenty pieces of various descrip- 
tions, started early in the morning of the twenty -eighth, on the 
steamer Fashion. The company was forty strong, and was com- 
manded by Captain L. J. Powell and Lieutenant A. B. Stewart. 
Procuring arms and ammunition at Vancouver, after much delay, 
they arrived at the Lower Cascades too late to be of any assistance 
to Lieutenant Sheridan, and but a short time before the Indians 



454 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

were scattered by Colonel Wright. Later, a company of sixty- 
eight men, commanded by Captain S. Coffin and Lieutenants E. N. 
McLaren and J. M. Breck, went up on the steamer Jennie Clark, 
and, finding everything quiet, returned to the city. A second 
public meeting was held in Portland on the twenty -eighth. In 
times of excitement there are always to be found plenty of men 
who seem to find pleasure in intensifying the panic by inconsider- 
ate language, lugubrious predictions and rash conduct. People of 
this character having conceived the idea that Portland was in 
danger of attack, though just why they were never able to explain, 
called a meeting for the purpose of taking measures to defend the 
city. H. W. Davis was appointed to the command of the forces 
to be raised, and two hundred men enrolled their names in response 
to a call for volunteers. Before the company was fully organized 
the absurdity of the whole proceeding became apparent, and the 
matter was quietly dropped. 

The latest exhibition of anxiety was the departure from Portland, 
on the fifth of April, of a mounted company of twenty-five rangers, 
under Captain W. S. Buckley and Lieutenant L. J. Powell, who 
made a fruitless scout in the direction of the Sandy, in search of 
Indians who might harbor evil designs upon the peace and welfare 
of the city. Not finding any, they returned, and the people, now 
relieved of all anxiety, again abandoned themselves to "the sweet 
vicissitudes of pleasure and repose." 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

CAMPAIGNS OF COLONELS WRIGHT, STEPTOE AND SHAW. 

Additional Defenses at the Cascades — Colonel Wright Invades the Yak- 
ima Country — He Fails to Negotiate with Kama-i-akun, and Re- 
turns to The Dalles — Plans of Governor Stevens — He sends the 
Second Regiment into the Walla Walla Country in two Battalions-— 
Composition of the Regiment — Battle of Grand Ronde — Battle of 
Burnt River — Killed and Wounded — Colonel Shaw Averts a War 
with the Nex Perces — Colonel Steptoe sent to Walla Walla to Build 
a Fort — His Proclamation that the Indian Treaties were not yet in 
Force — Governor Stevens Invites the Tribes to Hold a Council at 
Walla Walla — The Council an Unfriendly one — lack of Harmony 
between Stevens and Steptoe — Stevens Attacked' by the Indians and 
is Resetted by Steptoe — A Block-house Built and Garrisoned and 
Troops Return to The Dalles — Colonel Wright Leads an Expedition 
to Walla Walla — He holds a Council and Arranges a Peace upon the 
Grounds of Mutual Forgiveness for the " Late Unpleasantness "— 
Governor Stevens' Treaties and his Opinion oj Wrighfs Treaty — 
Northern Indians Invade Puget Sound — Erection of Fort Walla 
Walla — Situation of affairs in the Indian Country — Colonel Step- 
toe's Defeat in the Palouse Country — His Disastrous Retreat South 
of Snitke River- -A Record of Heroism and Cowardice — Colonel 
Wright Chastises the Indians at Medical Lake — The Sjwkanes, Yak- 
ifnas ond Palouses Sue for Peace and Surrender Unconditionally 
— Hostages Taken and Twelve Indians Hung — The Walla Wallas 
Tamely Submit to the Hanging of Four of their Number. 

THE proposed movement into the Walla Walla country, so 
suddenly interrupted by the attack upon the Cascades, was 
abandoned by Colonel Wright, whose forces camped for a time at 
The Dalles. Two block -houses were built at the Cascades, one at 
the Upper landing and one at the Lower, which vvere well gar- 
risoned and provisioned. A large block-house was also built at 



456 HISTOKY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Vancouver, in the rear of the barracks. Having thus fortified 
those points against attack, and leaving a strong force at The 
Dalles, Colonel Wright moved north into the Yakima country, ex- 
pecting to form a junction at the Natchess Pass with Colonel 
Casey, whom he had ordered to move with two companies across 
the mountains to meet him. His object was not to make an attack 
upon the Indians, but, in pursuance of the instructions of General 
Wool, to meet Kama-i-akun in council and agree upon the basis 
of a lasting peace. He moved north early in May, and on the 
eighth met the Indians near the Natchess River. He undertook to 
negotiate with them, but failed utterly to accomplish anything. 
On the eleventh, having ascertained that at least one thousand 
warriors confronted him, representatives being present from nearly 
all the disaffected tribes, he dispatched a courier to The Dalles for 
reinforcements. Three companies at once moved to his aid, raising 
his effective force to two hundred and fifty men. There he re- 
mained for several weeks, vainly endeavoring to hold a council 
with Kama-i-akun. A few Indians visited his camp from time to 
time, more for the purpose of keeping posted on his movements 
than anything else, but no chiefs came near him. He constructed 
a fort on the bank of the Natchess, where the stream was two 
hundred feet wide ; and the Indians, having been reduced to living 
upon their horses and what salmon could be caught, moved away. 
Colonel Wright then returned to The Dalles, having accomplished 
nothing of importance, unless it was to more firmly settle the In- 
dians in their previous opinion that the settlers and the troops 
were distinct peoples, and the latter would not aid the former to 
fight them. 

Meanwhile, the two companies, called out by Governor Curry, 
had taken station at The Dalles, and Governor Stevens was pre- 
paring for a campaign on his own account. He was fearful that if 
something was not done at once to humble the hostiles, they would 
corrupt the Nez Perces, Spokanes, Colvilles and Cceur d'Alenes, 
and a most powerful combination be formed against the whites. 
Quiet had been restored on the Sound, the last sign of war being a 
brief battle on the Nesqually early in April, between Indians and 
Captain Maxon's company. Consequently, Governor Stevens began 
early in May, while Colonel Wright was in the Yakima country, to 




SCENE AT THE UPPER CASCADES.-See Pages 448, 452. 



CAMPAIGNS OF COLONELS WRIGHT, STEPTOE AND SHAW. 457 

organize a force to accomplish his purpose of making a proper dis- 
play of power where it would have the desired effect. His ideas, 
plans and movements are fully detailed in the following extracts 
from letters addressed by him to the Secretary of War, at Wash- 
ington. D. C. On the twenty-third of May he wrote : — 

Two hundred horsemen on the Natchess, well supplied, mounted and under a 
vigorous officer, at this juncture, will, with the operation of the regular troops, 
drive him (the enemy) across the Columbia. This force I am now organizing at 
Camp Montgomery, and it will be ready in ten days. In this view the Walla 
Walla country must be held; communication be established with the Nez Perce 
auxiliaries, and the enemy restricted to the country north of the Snake, and on the 
immediate banks of the Columbia, north of the Snake. I am organizing a force of 
two hundred men to occupy the Walla Walla. One hundred men are already at 
The Dalles. They will move with one hundred days' provisions, and some to spare 
for the Nez Perce auxiliaries and the troops which may be concentrated there from 
the Yakima country. The Yakima and Walla Walla country firmly held, the 
passes well watched over the Cascades, the main force of the enemy on the Snake 
and Upper Columbia, we may then be able to disband the bulk of the remaining 
volunteers on the Sound. This most favorable view of the progress of the war, 
which can not be developed in a shorter period than four to six weeks, will prac- 
tically keep in service all the volunteers for their six months' term of service, and 
may render it necessary to extend the term on the part of those occupying the 
Walla Walla. * * Thus, to transfer the war from the settlements on the 
Sound and the Columbia River to the interior, to strike such blows as opportunities 
may offer, and to be in readiness to prepare for a vigorous winter campaign, I shall, 
in ten days, be ready to move over the Natchess with two hundred horsemen and 
one hundred and fifty pack animals, and to the Walla Walla with two hundred 
horsemen and one hundred days' provisions. 

Under date of June 8th, he says : — 

The two expeditions referred to, one over the Cascades into the Yakima 
country, the other from The Dalles to the Walla Walla, are nearly ready for the 
movements. Both expeditions I deem of vital consequence, in view of the present 
condition of things in the interior. All the information which I have received, 
goes to satisfy me, that unless the most vigorous action is at once taken, all the 
tribes from the Cascades to the Bitterroot will be in the war, a portion of the Nez 
Perces alone excepted. I shall to-morrow push to The Dalles, and urge the Walla 
Walla expedition forward with all possible dispatch. I trust it will be in season. 
The troops all reached The Dalles on yesterday, but it was supposed that a portion 
of the animals which were taken on the emigrant trail from the Willamette to The 
Dalles, will be a day or two behind. If the troops reach the Walla Walla before an 
overt act has been committed, I am certain that the combination can be broken up, 
and that the Nez Perces and the Indians on and in the neighborhood of the 
Spokanes will remain friendly. 

July 7th, the Governor details additional events as follows : — 

The force from the Sound, under the immediate command of Lieut. Col. B. F. 
Shaw, moved from Camp Montgomery on Wednesday and Thursday, June 11th 
and 12th, and crossing the mountains with the loss of only one animal, camped on 
the Wenass on the twentieth. At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Shaw received 



458 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE V ALLEY. 

orders from me to push to the Walla Walla, unite his force with that moving from 
The Dalles, and take command of the whole. The force from The Dalles moved 
from the camp five miles beyond the Des Chutes River, on Wednesday, June 25th, 
and was expected to reach the Walla Walla on the fourth of July. Each column 
numbered nearly two hundred men. The whole force consists of three hundred 
and fifty enlisted men, and about one hundred quartermaster and Indian employes. 
From the Walla Walla, Indian supplies will be pushed to the Nez Perces and 
Spokanes, and an escort will accompany them, should the simple presence of a 
force in the Walla Walla valley be not sufficient to insure the safety of the train, 
protected, as it is expected it will be, by Indian auxiliaries. Letters have been 
received from Lieut. Col. Wm. Craig, agent of the Nez Perces, of the twenty-ninth 
of May and eighth of June, speaking more favorably of the condition of things in 
the interior. Kama-i-akun, at a council held with the Spokanes on the twenty- 
fifth of May, wherein he urged that tribe to join the war, received a negative to his 
proposition. The Spokanes, however, harbor the hostile Cay uses, which has caused 
me to be somewhat apprehensive of the sincerity of their professions. I was at 
The Dalles from Saturday, June 14th, to Monday, June 30th, getting the expedition 
off and collecting information in relation to the Indians. At that time the hostile 
bands were much scattered. Some three hundred hostiles were at the head of John 
Day's River ; a large camp of hostiles, supposed to be Walla Wallas under the son 
of Peu-peu-mox-mox, were at Fort Walla Walla. The Cay uses w€re on the 
Spokane. The Klickitats and Yakimas were on the Pischouse River, and probably 
small parties at Priest's Rapids. The large camp reported by Lieutenant-Colonel 
Craig, in his letter of May 27th, and composed of individuals of several tribes, in- 
cluding the Snakes, I have no information that they have moved from the place 
where they were when Colonel Craig wrote. There were Snakes with the party at 
the head of John Day's River, and the force was increasing. It is proposed to 
strike the party at the head of John Day's River, by a force of about one hundred 
and seventy-five men, consisting of one hundred volunteers of Oregon, under 
Major Lay ton, and seventy-five volunteers of Washington, under Captain Goff. 
The plan was to move from Well Springs on the thirtieth of June, which point is 
on the emigrant road, some eighty-five miles from The Dalles. 

The force which thus invaded the Walla Walla country - was 
known officially as the " Second Regiment W. T. Mounted Volun- 
teers," and was under the command of Colonel B. F. Shaw. The 
Lieutenant- Colonel was William Craig, the old mountaineer who 
was living among the Nez Perces, and had organized a company of 
sixty of these friendly Indians to co-operate with the volunteers. 
They were led by Spotted Eagle. George Blankenship and H. J. 
G. Maxon were Majors of the first and second battalions. There 
were six companies of volunteers, amounting to a total of three 
hundred and fifty men, one each raised by H. J. G. Maxon in 
Clarke County ; by Captain Achilles on Lewis River ; by B. L. 
Henness in Thurston County, and by Bluford Miller and M. P. 
Goff in the Willamette Valley. The two Oregon companies, re- 
ferred to in the Governor's letters, as commanded by Major Lay- 



CAMPAIGNS OF COLONELS WRIGHT, STEPTOE AND SHAW. 459 

ton, were those called out by Governor Curry, to guard the 
Columbia. 

Immediately after going into camp on Mill Creek, two miles 
above the present city of Walla Walla, one hundred mule packs of 
Indian supplies were sent with a light escort to the friendly Nez 
Perces, under the charge of A. H. Robie, as special agent. On 
the fourteenth of July Colonel Shaw moved with one hundred and 
sixty men and ten days 1 rations, to attack a band of hostiles who 
were reported as concentrating in the Grand Ronde Valley. He 
was guided through the Blue Mountains by Captain John, a Nez 
Perce chief. The following account of his movements is taken 
from his official report : — 

We arrived in the Grand Ronde Valley on the evening of the sixteenth, and 
camped on a branch of the Graud Ronde River in the timber, sending spies in ad- 
vance, who returned and reported no fresh sign. On the morning of the seven- 
teenth, leaving Major Blankenship of the Central, and Captain Miller of the South- 
ern battalions, assisted by Captain DeLacy, to take up the line of march for the 
main valley, I proceeded ahead to reconnoitre, accompanied by Major Maxon, Mi- 
chael March mean, Captain John, and Dr. Burns. After proceeding about tive miles 
we ascended a knoll in the valley, from which we discovered dust arising along the 
timber of the river. I immediately sent Major Maxon and Captain John forward 
to reconnoitre, and returned to hurry up the command which was not far distant. 
The command was instantly formed in order; Captain Miller's company in ad- 
vance, supported by Mixon, Henness and Powell's companies; leaving the pack 
train in charge of the guard under Lieutenant Goodwin, with a detachment of 
Goff's company under Lieutenant Wait ; and Lieutenant William's company in 
reserve, with orders to follow on alter the command. 

The whole command moved on quietly in this order, until within half a mile of 
the Indian village, where we discovered that the pack train had moved to the left, 
down the Grand Ronde River. At this moment, a large body of warriors came 
forward, singing and whooping, and one of them, waving a white man's scalp on 
a pole. One of them signified a desire to speak, whereupon 1 sent Captain John 
to meet him and formed the command in line of battle. When Captain John came 
up to the Indians, they cried out to one another to shoot him, when he retreated to 
the command, and I ordered the four companies to charge. 

The design of the enemy evidently was to draw us into the brush along the 
river, where, from our exposed position, they would have the advantage— they no 
doubt having placed an ambush there. To avoid this, I charged down the river 
toward the pack train. The warriors then split, part going across the river, and 
part down toward the pack train. These were soon overtaken and engaged. The 
charge was vigorous and so well sustained that they were broken, dispersed and 
slain before us. After a short time, I sent Captain Miller to the left and Major 
Maxon to the right, the latter to cross the stream and cut them off from a point 
near which a large body of warriors had collected, apparently to fight, while I 
moved forward with the commands of Captain Henness and Lieutenant Powell to 
attack them in front. The Major could not cross the river, and, on our moving 
forward the enemy fled, after firing a few guns, part taking to the left, and part 
continuing forward. 



460 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Those who took to the left fell in with Captain Miller's company, who killed 
five on the spot, and the rest were not less successful in the pursuit, which was con- 
tinued to the crossing of the river, where the enemy had taken a stand to defend 
the ford. Being here rejoined by Captain Miller and by Lieutenant Curtis with 
part of Maxon's company, we fired a volley, and I ordered a charge across the river, 
which was gallantly executed. In doing this, Private Shirley Ensign of Henness' 
company, who was in the front, was wounded in the face. Several of the enemy 
were killed at this point. We continued the pursuit until the enemy had reached 
the rocky canyons leading towards Powder river and commenced scattering in ev- 
ery direction, when, finding that I had but five men with me, and the rest of the 
command scattered in the rear, most of the horses being completely exhausted — I 
called a halt, and fell back, calculating to remount the men on the captured horses 
and continue the pursuit after night. 

I found the pack train, guard and reserve, encamped on a small creek not far 
from the crossing, as I had previously ordered them to do, and learned that a body 
of the enemy had followed them up all day, and annoyed them, but had inflicted 
no damage beyond capturing many of the animals which we had taken in charge, 
and left behind. 

I learned, also, that Major Maxon had crossed the river with a small party, and 
was engaged with the enemy, and wanted assistance. I immediately dispatched a 
detachment under Lieutenants Williams and Wait, sending the man who brought 
the information back with them as a guide. They returned after dark, without find- 
ing the Major, but brought in one of his men whom they found in the brush, and 
who stated that one of the Major's men was killed, and that the last he saw of them 
they were fighting with the Indians, At daylight I sent out Captain Miller with 
seventy men, who scouted around the whole valley without finding him, but who, 
unfortunately, had one man killed and another wounded whilst pursuing some In- 
dians. I resolved to move camp the next day to the head of the valley, where the 
emigrant trail crosses it, and continue the search until we became certain of their 
fate. The same evening I took sixty men under Captain Henness, and struck upon 
the mountain and crossed the heads of the canyons to see if I could not strike his 
trail. Finding no sign I returned to the place where the Major had last been seen, 
and there made search in different directions, and finally found the body of one of 
his men (Tooley) and where the Major had encamped in the brush. From other 
signs it became evident to me that the Major had returned to this post by the same 
trail by which we first entered the valley. 

Being nearly out of provisions, and unable to follow the Indians from this 
delay, I concluded to return to camp, recruit for another expedition in conjunc- 
tion with Captain Goff, who had, I presumed, returned from his expedition to John 
Day's River. 

I should have mentioned previously that in the charge, the command captured 
and afterwards destroyed about one hundred and fifty horse loads lacamas, dried 
beef, tents, some flour, coffee, sugar, and about one hundred pounds of ammunition 
and a great quantity of tools and kitchen furniture. We took also about two hun- 
dred horses, most of which were shot, there being but about one hundred service- 
able animals. 

There were present on the ground from what I saw, and from information re- 
ceived from two squaws taken prisoners, about three hundred warriors of the Cay- 
use, Walla Walla, Umatilla, Tygh, John Day and DesChutes tribes, commanded by 
the following chiefs: Stock Whitley and Sim-mis-tas-tas (DesChutes and Tygh) ; 
Chick-iah, Plyon, Wic-e-cai, Wat-ah-stuartih, Win-im-snoot (Cayuses) ; Tah-kin 
Cay use, the son of Peu-peu-mox-mox (Walla Walla), and other chiefs of leas note. 



CAMPAIGNS OF COLONELS WRIGHT, STEPTOE AND SHAW. 461 

The whole command, officers and men, behaved well. The enemy was run on 
the gallop fifteen miles, and most of them who fell were shot with the revolver. 
It is impossible to state how many of the enemy were killed. Twenty-seven bodies 
were counted by one individual, and many others we know to have fallen and been 
left, but were so scattered about that it was impossible to get count of them. When 
to these we add those killed by Major Maxon's command on the other side of the 
river, we may safely conclude that at least forty of the enemy were slain, and 
many went off wounded. When we left the valley there was not an Indian in it ; 
and all the signs went to show that they had gone a great distance from it. 

On the twenty-first instant we left the valley by the emigrant road, and com- 
menced our return to camp. During the night Lieutenant Hunter, of the Wash- 
ington Territory volunteers, came into camp with an express from Captain GofT. 
I learned, to my surprise, that the Captain and Major Layton had seen Indians 
on John Day's River ; had followed them over to the head of Burnt River, and had 
had a fight with them, in which Lieutenant Eustus and one private were killed, 
and some seven Indians. They were shaping their course for the Grand Ronde 
Valley, and had sent for provisions and fresh horses. I immediately sent Lieuten- 
ant Williams back with all my spare provisions and horses, and continued my 
march. On Wild Horse Creek I came across Mr. Fites, a pack master, who had 
been left in camp, who informed me, to my extreme satisfaction, that Major Maxon 
and his command arrived safe in camp, and were then near us with provisions and 
ammunition. These I sent on immediately to Captain Goff. 

I learned that Major Maxon had been attacked in the valley by a large force of 
Indians on the day of the fight; had gained the brush and killed many of them; 
that at night he tried to find our camp, and hearing a noise like a child crying, 
probably one of the captured squaws, had concluded that my command had gone on 
to Powder River, and that the Indians had returned to the valley by another can- 
yon. He moved his position that night, and the next day saw the scout looking for 
him, but in the distance thought it was a band of Indians hunting his trail. Con- 
ceiving himself cut off from the command, he thought it best to return to his camp, 
thinking that we would be on our way back to Grand Ronde with provisions and 
ammunition. 

The force under Captain F. M. P. Goff, seventy-five men, and 
Major Layton, one hundred men, had moved up the John Day, and 
crossing the Blue Mountains reached the vicinity of Burnt River on 
the twelfth of July. Owing to severe illness of Captain Goff, he 
was forced to remain in camp until the fifteenth, with a portion of 
his command, while the remainder of the force, under Major Lay- 
ton, was scouting in search of the enemy. Lay ton's scouts reached 
the head of Burnt River on the fifteenth and camped, w r hen Lieu- 
tenant John Eustus, with two men, proposed ascending a neighbor- 
ing bluff to get a view of the surrounding country. They were 
advised not to attempt it, but determined to do so, and, as they ap- 
proached the summit, were fired upon by ambushed hostiles, the 
Lieutenant and Daniel Smith of Company K being killed. The 
third man made a miraculous escape, and was met in his wild flight 
by comrades coming to his assistance, before he reached the camp 



462 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

that lay in plain view below. Lieutenant Hunter, at the head of 
his command, charged up the hill, drove the Indians off from it, re- 
covered the bodies of the dead soldiers, and then fell back to camp. 
The next morning found them surrounded by the enemy, and a 
skirmishing engagement followed through the day, which resulted 
in nothing decisive except the wounding of one soldier named 
Cheney, the wounding of one, and killing of three Indians. On the 
seventeenth, as Captain Golf approached the battle ground with 
his company, the hostiles disappeared, and, on the eighteenth, the 
line of march in the direction of Grand Ronde was resumed. Form- 
ing a junction with Major Maxon, both forces moved to the general 
camp on Mill Creek. 

In the battles on Burnt River and in Grand Ronde Valley, the 
following casualties occurred: Killed, Lieutenant John Eustus, and 
privates Daniel Smith, William Holmes, of Company K; William 
Irven, William F. Tooley, of Company A. Wounded, James Che- 
ney, of Company K; Thomas Conio, of Company A; Shirley En- 
sign, of Company C; William Downy, of Company D; T. N. Lilley, 
of Company I. 

When Colonel Shaw reached Mill Creek, he found Agent Robie 
there, having been ordered out of the Nez Perce country with his 
goods, and having made a forced march of one hundred miles to 
reach a place of safety. From this it was apparent that the war 
party in that tribe had gained the ascendency. The danger which 
Governor Stevens had feared was imminent; but Colonel Shaw 
acted promptly in the emergency, using the prestige of his recent 
victory at Grand Ronde to the best possible advantage. He sent 
the Nez Perce chief, Captain John, to his countrymen at Lapwai 
with intelligence of recent events; and charged him to convey to 
them the following message: U I am your friend. I have not come 
to fight you, but the hostiles; but, if you beat your drums for war, 
I will parade my men for battle." This news and message was 
enough. The peace party again gained control of the tribe and the 
threatened danger was averted. Had the Nez Perces gone to war, 
every tribe between the Cascade and Rocky Mountains would have 
joined in a war of extermination, and the settlements on Puget 
Sound, in the Willamette Valley and in Southern Oregon would 
have been hemmed in and threatened? if not actually attacked, by 



CAMPAIGNS OF COLONELS WRIGHT, STEPTOE AND SHAW. 463 

a cordon of warriors extending from California to British Columbia, 
until a sufficient force of troops could be sent to their relief. What 
horrors might have resulted, appals the mind to contemplate. 

Colonel Shaw remained in camp on Mill Creek to hold the key 
to the Indian country and retain the advantages gained by so 
great a sacrifice. Meanwhile, Colonel Wright had returned to The 
Dalles from his fruitless expedition into the Yakima country, and 
proceeded to carry out his previous design of establishing a 
military post in the Walla Walla country, which had been so 
hastily abandoned when the attack was made upon the Cascades. 
He assigned this duty to Lieutenant- Colonel E. J. Steptoe, placing 
at his disposal a battalion of two hundred and fifty men. It was 
then determined to do what should have been done in the first 
place — to notify the people that the treaties were not yet in force, 
and every one must remain out of the Indian country until the 
pending treaties were ratified, except the servants of the Hudson's 
Bay Company and others who, like that corporation, had made 
special arrangements with the Indians. Before starting, therefore, 
Colonel Steptoe made the following announcement : — 

Fort Dalles, O. T., August 20, 1856. 
The undersigned, having been designated to establish a military post in the 
Walla Walla country, and with a view to prevent all misunderstanding on the sub- 
ject, believes it proper to make known the following instruction he has received 
from the Pacific Military Department : — 

"No emigrant or other white person, except the Hudson's Bay Company, or 
persons having ceded rights from the Indians, will be permitted to settle or to re- 
main in the Indian country, or on land not settled, or not confirmed by the Senate 
and approved by the President of the United States." 

These orders are not, however, to apply to the miners engaged in collecting gold 
at Colville mines. 

[Signed] E. J. STEPTOE, 

i Brevet Colonel U. S. A. 

Five days before the issuance of this proclamation, Governor 
Stevens, having conferred with Colonel Wright as to his plans, 
went up to the Walla Walla camp for the purpose of mustering 
out the volunteers, whose term of service expired on the eighth of 
September, as soon as Steptoe should arrive to relieve them. He 
also proposed to hold councils with the tribes and agree upon 
terms of a permanent peace. When he arrived at Colonel Shaw's 
camp, on Mill Creek, near the present city of Walla Walla, he 
sent out runners to all the tribes, inviting them to attend a general 



464 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY, 

council in the Walla Walla Valley. Colonel Steptoe arrived on 
the fifth of September, and went into camp, five miles below the 
proposed council ground. What occurred there is related by 
Governor Stevens in a letter to the Secretary of War, and, in 
perusing it the reader is cautioned to keep constantly in mind the 
strong prejudices and marked egotism of the author. The events 
related are no doubt correct, but inferences drawn and opinions 
expressed fall short of doing full justice to the regulars, or repre- 
senting their conduct in the proper light. Throughout the whole 
war, as has been amply shown by previous events, he acted as 
though every one, including the officers of the regular army, must 
bend to his ideas ; everything must be measured with his tape line ; 
his idea of co-operation was for the regulars to be guided entirely 
by him ; when they failed so to do he freely charged them with 
incompetency and willful misconduct, and in that spirit this letter 
was written. It says : — 

On the evening of the tenth, the Indians being all in except the Yakimas, and 
none friendly except a portion of the Nez Perces, and orders having been given to 
all the volunteers to go home the next day, I made a requisition upon Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Steptoe for two companies of his troops and his mountain howitzers, 
and to my surprise, learned from his answer that he had moved his camp to a point 
on Mill Creek some seven or eight miles above my camp, and that his orders from 
General Wool did not allow him to comply with my requisition. I say to my sur- 
prise, for in my interview with Colonel Wright at Vancouver, referred to in my 
report of the fourteenth of August, I understood, as I went to the interior in my 
capacity simply of Superintendent of Indian Affairs, that in effecting the objects of 
the council, I was to have the co-operation of the military force he^was about to send 
there ; a co-operation which the good of the service most urgently demanded. I 
had already raised nearly two hundred six months' men to strengthen the command 
of Lieutenant-Colonel Shaw, under a proclamation issued immediately after the re- 
ceipt of the news of the battle of Grand Ronde, and I had four months' supplies to 
subsist them. This proclamation was revoked on my arrival at Vancouver, and the 
troops raised under it disbanded. In interviews held afterwards with Colonel 
Wright at The Dalles, I dwelt upon the objects to be gained by the council ; referred 
to the effect of the presence of his troops there, and left him with the belief that it 
was an arranged and agreed on thing between the Colonel and myself, that I was 
to have the countenance and support of the regular force in the Walla Walla to 
carry into effect the beneficent designs of the council. Colonel Wright stated that 
other duties would prevent his accompanying me ; that he had entire confidence in 
Lieutenant-Colonel Steptoe, the officer in command, and his presence would be un- 
necessary. Accordingly, previous to Lieutenant-Colonel Steptoe's reaching the 
valley, I sent him two letters, each urging him to camp near me ; my object being 
to show the Indians the strength of our people, and the unity of our councils ; and 
I also wrote Captain D. Russell, on his way from the Yakimas with three com- 
panies, to the same effect. On the arrival of Lieutenant-Colonel Steptoe in the 
valley, I urged him personally to camp near me. The requisition was refused and 



CAMPAIGNS OF COLONELS WRIGHT, STEPTOE AND SHAW. 465 

I was therefore obliged to countermand the order sending home the volunteers 
whose terra of enlistment had all expired, and of which only Goff's company, sixty- 
nine rank and file, remained, a portion of whom were on their way down, and had 
to be called back. This force only remained to guard my camp. 

The council opened on the eleventh and continued on the twelfth and thirteenth, 
when so alarming was the condition of affairs, that I deemed it my duty, on the 
morning of the thirteenth, to address a confidential note to Steptoe, advising him 
that one-half of the Nez Perces were unquestionably hostile; that all the other 
tribes were hostile, with a very few exceptions, and that a company of his troops 
was essential to the security of my camp ; and at his suggestion I moved my party, 
train and supplies, with Goff's company of volunteers, to the vicinity of his camp. 
I met Kama-i-akun and his followers on my way there, and it is probably owing to 
no one being advised of my intention to move till the order was given an hour be- 
fore I started, that I was not attacked on the road. Kama-i-akun had unquestion- 
ably an understanding, as subsequent events showed, with all the Indians, except 
the friendly Nez Perces (about one-half the nation), and a small number of friendly 
Indians of the other tribes, to make an attack that day or evening upon my camp. 
He found me on the road to his great surprise, and had no time to perfect his ar- 
rangements. I had learned in the night that Kama-i-akun had encamped on the 
Touchet the night before, and that he would be in this day. The council re-opened 
on the sixteenth; all the Indians were camped near, Kama-i-akun and his band 
being only separated from the council ground by a narrow skirt of woods in the 
bottom of Mill Creek ; and was closed the next day, all my efforts, both to make an 
arrangement with the hostiles, and to do away with the disaffection of the Nez 
Perces having proved abortive. On the eighteenth, at a separate council with the 
Nez Perces, all, both hostile and friendly Nez Perces, advised the sub-agent, Wm. 
Craig, not to return to the Nez Perce country as his life would be in danger, and 
they were afraid he would be killed. At the conclusion of this council, in a brief 
address to the Indians, I expressed my regrets that I had failed in my mission ; 
that no one said " Yes " to my propositions, and now had only to say, M Follow your 
own hearts; those who wish to go into war, go." My propositions were uncondi- 
tional submission to the justice and mercy of the Government, and the rendition 
for trial of murderers. 

In the afternoon Lieutenant-Colonel Steptoe informed these Indians that he 
came there to establish a post, not to fight them ; trusted they should get along as 
friends, and appointed the next day, a little after noon, for a special conference. 
The Indians did not, however, come to see Steptoe at the time appointed. They 
previously set fire to his grass, and following me as I set out about eleven o'clock 
on my way to The Dalles, they attacked me within three miles of Steptoe's camp 
at about one o'clock in the afternoon. So satisfied was I that the Indians would 
carry into effect their avowed determination in the councils in their own camps for 
several nights previously to attack me, that, in starting I formed my whole party 
and moved in order of battle. I moved on under fire one mile to water, when 
forming a corral of the wagons and holding the adjacent hills and the brush on the 
stream by pickets, I made my arrangements to defend my position and fight the 
Indians. Our position in a low open basin, five or six hundred yards across, was 
good, and with the aid of our corral, we could defend ourselves against a vastly 
superior force of the enemy. The fight continued till late in the night. Two 
charges were made to disperse the Indians, the last led by Lieutenant-Colonel 
Shaw in person with twenty-four men ; but, whilst driving before him some one 
hundred and fifty Indians, an equal number pushed into his rear, and he was com- 
pelled to cut his way through them towards camp, when, drawing up his men, and 
aided by the teamsters and pickets, who gallantly sprang forward, he drove the 



466 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Indians back in full charge upon the corral. Just before the charge the friendly 
Nez Perces, fifty in number, who had been assigned to hold the ridge on the south 
side of the corral, were told by the enemy, they came not to fight the Nez Perces, 
but the whites. "Go to your camp," said they, "or we will wipe it out!" Their 
camp, with the women and children, was on a stream about a mile distant ; and I 
directed them to retire as I did not require their assistance, and was fearful that my 
men might not be able to distinguish them from hostiles, and thus friendly Indians 
be killed. 

Towards night I notified Lieutenant-Colonel Steptoe that I was fighting the 
Indians; that I should move the next morning, and expressed the opinion that a 
company of his troops would be of service. In his reply he stated that the Indians 
had burnt up his grass, and suggested that I should return to his camp, and place 
at his disposal my wagons, in order that he might move his whole command and 
his supplies to the Umatilla or some other point, where sustenance could be found 
for his animals. To this arrangement I assented, and Lieutenant-Colonel Steptoe 
sent to my camp Lieutenant Davidson, with detachments from the companies of 
dragoons and artillery with a mountain howitzer. They reached my camp about 
two o'clock in the morning, everything in good order, and most of the men at the 
corral asleep. A picket had been driven in an hour and a half before by the 
enemy: that on the hill south of the corral, but the enemy was immediately dis- 
lodged and ground pits being dug, all the points were held. The howitzer having 
been fired on the way out, it was believed nothing would be gained by waiting till 
morning, and the whole force immediately returned to Lieutenant-Colonel Step- 
toe's camp. Soon after sunrise, the enemy attacked the camp, but were soon dis- 
lodged by the howitzer and a charge by a detachment from Steptoe's command. 
On my arrival at the camp, I urged Lieutenant-Colonel Steptoe to build a block- 
house immediately ; to leave one company to defend it with all his supplies ; then 
to march below and return with an additional force and additional supplies, and 
by a vigorous winter campaign to whip the Indians into submission. I placed at 
his disposal for the building, my teams and Indian employes. The block-house 
and stockade were built in a little more than ten days. My Indian storeroom was 
rebuilt at one corner of the stockade. On the twenty -third September, we started 
for The Dalles, which we reached on the second October. Nothing of interest 
occurred on the road. 

In the action of the nineteenth, my whole force consisted of Golf's company of 
sixty-nine rank and file, the teamsters, herders and Indian employes, numbering 
about fifty men. Our train consisted of about five hundred animals, not one of 
which was captured by the enemy. We fought four hundred and fifty Indians, 
and had one man mortally, one dangerously, and two slightly wounded. We 
killed and wounded thirteen Indians. One-half the Nez Perces, one hundred and 
twenty warriors, all of the Yakimas and Palouse, two hundred warriors ; the great 

bulk of the Cayuses and Umatillas, warriors ; , of the Walla 

Wallas and Indians from other bands, were in the fight. The principal war chiefs 
were the son of Ouhi, Isle de Pere and chief Qui torn ee; the latter of whom had two 
horses shot under him, and who showed me a letter from Colonel Wright, acknowl- 
edging his valuable services in bringing about the peace of the Yakimas. I have 
failed, therefore, in making the desired arrangements with the Indians in the 
Walla Walla, and the failure, to be attributed in part to the want of co-operation 
with me as Superintendent of Indian Affairs on the part of the regular troops, has 
its causes also in the whole plan of operations of the troops since Colonel Wright 
assumed command. I state boldly, that the cause of the Nez Perces becoming 
disaffected and finally going into war, is the operations of Colonel Wright east of 
the Cascades— operations so feeble, so procrastinating, so entirely unequal to the 



CAMPAIGNS OF COLONELS WRIGHT, STEPTOE AND SHAW. 467 

emergency, that not only has a most severe blow been struck at the credit of the 
Government and the prosperity and character of this remote section of country, but 
the impression has been made upon the Indians that the people and the soldiers 
were a different people. I repeat to you officially that when the Indians attacked 
me, they expected Colonel Steptoe would not assist me, and when they awoke 
from their delusion, Kama-iakun said, "I will now let these people know who 
Kama-i-akun is." One of the good effects of the fight is, that the Indians have 
learned that we are one people, a fact which had not previously been made apparent 
to them by the operations of the regular troops. Is, sir, the army sent here to pro- 
tect our people and to punish Indian tribes, who without cause, and in cold blood, 
and in spite of solemn treaties, murder our people, burn our houses, and wipe out 
entire settlements? Is it the duty of General Wool and his officers to refuse to co- 
operate with me in my appropriate duties as Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and 
thus practically to assume those duties themselves? Is it the duty of General 
Wool, in his schemes of pacifying the Indians, to trample down the laws of Con- 
gress; to issue edicts prohibiting settlers returning to their claims, and thus for at 
least one county, the Walla Walla, make himself dictator of the country? 

Early in November the regulars again marched into the Walla 
Walla country, Colonel Wright taking command of the expedition 
in person, and camped on Mill Creek on the site of the city of 
Walla Walla. Here he held a council with the tribes and agreed 
upon terms of peace. He promised them immunity from punish- 
ment for their past conduct, and that the treaties should not be en- 
forced until duly ratified by the Senate and promulgated by the 
President, until which time no white man would be permitted to 
settle in their country without their permission. Thus ended the 
war. That this did not meet with the approval of Governor Ste- 
vens can well be imagined. He had always maintained that the In- 
dians had bound themselves by solemn obligations, which they had 
deliberately broken, and for which conduct they were deserving of 
severe chastisement. It is one of the simplest rules of equity that 
a contract must be equally binding upon both parties to be valid. 
Governor Stevens knew this ; and yet he insisted that these treaties 
were in full force with the Indians while as yet they were not bind- 
ing upon the Government, being as yet unratified. Had he, as the 
Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Washington, and his associate 
official in Oregon, Joel Palmer, acted prudently, and, instead of 
hastening to notify the people that the Indian title had been ex- 
tinguished by treaty, cautioned them, that, as yet, the treaties were 
but blank paper, and no rights whatever had been acquired under 
them by the whites, the whole difficulty, with its attendant train 
of bloodshed and expense, might, perhaps, have been averted. It 



468 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

is not certain that such would have been the case, but beyond a 
doubt there would have been one powerful disturbing element ab- 
sent. The Governor relieved his feelings in another of those long 
letters to the Secretary of War, none of which seem to have influ- 
enced the Department to remove, or even censure, General Wool or 
Colonel Wright. He closed his epistle with the following para- 
graph: " I now make the direct issue with Colonel Wright; that 
he has made a concession to the Indians which he had no authority 
to make; that by so doing, he has done nothing but to get the sem- 
blance of a peace. [This was, in a measure, true; for the Indians 
still entertained their bitter feelings against the Americans, and 
exhibited a very defiant spirit] ; and that by his acts he has, in a 
measure, weakened the influence of the service having the authority 
to make treaties and having in charge the friendly Indians. [Gov- 
ernor Stevens himself was responsible for weakening the influence 
of the treaty-making power, by endeavoring to enforce treaties he 
well knew were not in effect.] He has, in my judgment, abandoned 
his own duty, which was to reduce the Indians to submission [to 
Governor Stevens], and has trenched upon and usurped mine." 
It is well enough to let -the matter drop; the war was ended, and the 
people had a large bill against the General Government, which was, 
finally, after experiencing the usual vicissitudes and procrastina- 
tions of Congressional action, paid in a somewhat modified form. 
It was subsequent to this affair at Walla Walla, and after all 
the volunteers had been disbanded, that the long dreaded invasion 
of Northern Indians occurred on Puget Sound. Information was 
received by Captain S. Swartwout on the eighteenth of November, 
1856, that Northern Indians were committing depredations in the 
vicinity of Steilacoom, and he at once set sail from Seattle to inter- 
cept them. Learning at Steilacoom that the Reservation Indians 
had defeated these Northern intruders in battle, killed two of them 
and captured one canoe, Swartwout pursued the retreating savages 
down the Sound. Passing Port Madison, where they had commit- 
ted ravages, he continued on to Port Gamble, where, on the twen- 
tieth he found them encamped in force. An effort to open a peace 
talk was fruitless, as they would not permit a boat to land. Ac- 
cordingly, Lieutenant Young was dispatched with three boats, forty- 
five men and a howitzer, to escort an interpreter, who was to offer 



CAMPAIGNS OF mH.dXKI.s WRICfHT, STEPTOE ANJ> SHAW. 468 

tlieni pcarc if they would abandon the Sound. They refused to 
accept the terms, and insultingly challenged the marines to fight. 

Lieutenant Young returned on board, and Captain Swartwout de- 
termined to attack them in the morning. During the night the 
ship was moved in shore, and anchored with her broadside bearing 
upon the camp, only six hundred yards distant. Tn the morning 
Lieutenant Semmes went in the first cutter to the consort Steamer 
Traveller, which was anchored above the camp so that it could be 
raked by the held pieces on board. From there he landed with 
Lieutenant Forest and twentv-nine sailors and marines, wading 
waist deep to reach the shore and carrying a howitzer in their arms. 
Witt them went the interpreter to carry a final proposition of peace. 
Instead of being daunted by the formidable preparations for their 
subjugation, the Indians refused to accept the terms offered, and 
taking shelter behind trees and logs pointed their guns at the little 
party on the beach. The Traveller at once opened fire upon them 
from her held guns, the first discharge being simultaneous with the 
first volley fired by the savages. Instantly the ship poured a broad- 
side of round shot and grape into the camp and woods where they 
were concealed, while the howitzer on the beach also sent in its 
compliments. Under cover of the guns, the little party made a 
bold charge and drove the Indians from their camp into the woods. 
< ►wing to the density of underbrush and fallen timber, it was im- 
possible to follow them, and, after destroying the camp and prop- 
erty of the marauders and disabling all but one of their canoes, 
Lieutenants Semmes and Forest returned on board. During the 
day tlie guns played upon the woods wherever an Indian could be 
seen, and it was thought the execution was considerable. On the 
part of the assailants, one man was killed and another wounded. 
The next day the Indians sent two of their chiefs on board to beg for 
mercy and offer to surrender unconditionally. They said that they 
had lost twenty-seven of their number, besides many wounded, that 
their property and canoe- were destroyed and they had been with- 
out food two days. They were all supplied with food, taken on 
board the <hip, and carried t<» Victoria, promising never to return. 
Never after that were the white settlements molested by marauding 
savages from the north, though the aborigines of the Sound have 
frequently suffered from their hostile incursions. 



470 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

There was now a semblance of peace everywhere. The volun- 
teers had all been disbanded, and an ample force of regulars was 
stationed in Southern Oregon, on the Columbia and on Puget 
Sound. A strong force occupied the Walla Walla country, and 
endeavored, while the treaties were being ground through the 
official mill at Washington, to stand as a bulwark between the 
two races, and prevent either from infringing the rights of the 
other. A small saw mill was taken up in the spring of 1857, and 
lumber cut for the erection of barracks and officers' quarters, which 
were built within the present limits of the city of Walla Walla. 
In the command of this post was Lieutenant- Colonel E. J. Step- 
toe, the garrison consisting of several companies of the 9th In- 
fantry. The Indians were still in a hostile frame of mind, and 
the presence of the troops in their country was distasteful to them, 
the feeling extending to, and affecting, the tribes as far north as the 
Spokanes. This feeling is revealed in a letter written April 15, 
1857, by Father A. Hoeken, of the Flat Head Mission, addressed 
to a brother priest. A paragraph of that epistle says : — 

Father Ravalli labored as much as he could to pacify the tribes which reside 
towards the west, namely: the Cayuses, the Yakimas, the Opelouses [Palouses], 
etc As our neophytes [Flat Heads and Coeur d'Alenes] hitherto have taken no 
part in the war, the country is as safe for us as ever. We can go freely wherever 
we desire. No one is ignorant that the Black Gowns [Catholic priestsj are not 
enemies — those, at least, who are among the Indians. Almost all the Coeur 
d'Alenes, in order to shield themselves from the hostilities of the Indians, and to 
avoid all relations with them, are gone bison hunting. 'A few days since, Father 
Joset wrote me that Father Ravalli had already written him several weeks before. 
I fear a general rising among the Indians toward the commencement of spring. 
Let us pray, and let us engage others to pray with us, to avert this calamity. I 
think that it will be well to add to the ordinary prayers of the mass, the collect for 
peace. 

The outbreak did not occur as predicted, owing, possibly, to 
the efficacy of the worthy missionaries' prayers, but apparently due 
to an absence of a sufficient provocation which might serve as a 
pretext for war. That not much of a provocation was required 
was made evident the following year. 

In the spring of 1858 Palouse Indians stole some stock from 
the troops at Walla Walla, and on the eighth of May Colonel 
Steptoe marched north, with a force of one hundred and fifty men, 
intending to visit Fort Colville, and on his return to capture the 
thieving Indians. This expedition met with signal disaster, 



CAMPAIGNS OF COLONELS WRIGHT, STEPTOE AND SHAW. 4 t 1 

through most unmilitary carelessness. One hundred mules were 
detailed for the pack train, and when these were loaded it was 
found that there was no room for the surplus ammunition which 
had been set out This was taken back to the magazine, and the 
command marched with only the ammunition carried in the car- 
tridge boxes of the men. Such carelessness invited the disaster 
which followed. 

Steptoe crossed Snake River, near the mouth of the Alpowa 
where he was joined by a friendly Nez Perce chief named " Timo- 
thy. " and three of his warriors. Continuing north, he approached 
four lakes lying north of Pine Creek, the Indians gradually collect- 
ing in great numbers. Here he was informed by them that he 
must leave this region and return to Walla Walla, or they would 
attack him. Camping at the lakes for the night, the command be- 
gan its retrograde march at three o'clock on the morning of the 
seventeenth of April, the Indians continually hovering on its flanks. 
Steptoe held a conference with Saltees, a Coeur d' Alene chief, Father 
Joseph acting as interpreter, being assured that no attack would be 
made upon him. The chief then shouted something to his follow- 
ers, when one of the friendly Nez Perces, named Levi, struck him 
on the head witlva whip, saying, " What for you say l no fight' and 
then tell your people ' wait awhile' ? You talk two tongues." About 
nine o'clock in the morning, as the command approached Pine Creek, 
near the present town of Rosalia, passing down a natural " wash," 
it was fired upon by Indians secreted in the timber across the stream, 
and occupying elevated positions on the flank. Lieutenant Gaston 
promptly charged and cleared an opening to the highlands south 
of the creek, being followed by the entire force. The howitzer 
was unlimbered and discharged, killing no one, but serving, by its 
noi>e. to somewhat intimidate the assailants. By charging then], 
the enemy were cleared away, and the retreat was resumed with 
the pack train in the van, the flanks and rear being covered. Lieu- 
tenant James Wheeler was on the right, Lieutenant William Gaston 
on the left, and Captain O. H. P. Taylor guarded the rear, each 
with a company. Charge after charge of the enemy was repulsed, 
men falling continually and being left to the tender mercy of the 
savages in many cases where it was impossible to carry them away. 
At last many of Lieutenant Gaston's men used their last round of 



472 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

ammunition, and he sent an orderly to Colonel Steptoe, who was 
with the train in the van, asking that the command be halted until 
more could be issued; but the request was not granted. Captain 
Taylor's company next fired its last shot, and this fact, as well as 
the fall of Gaston, was communicated to the superior officer. He 
then ordered a halt. The contest in the rear was now a desperate 
hand to haud struggle. Both Gaston and Taylor lay on the ground, 
their men fighting stubbornly for possession of their bodies. Among 
them was a private named DeMay, who had been an officer in the 
French army in Algiers and the Crimea, and was an excellent 
swordsman. Clubbing his musket he made a furious onslaught 
upon the assailing savages, and as he was borne down by numbers 
he cried, " Mon Dieu, Mon Dieu, mine saber!" At last the Indians 
were driven back and the body of Captain Taylor was rescued. 
So demoralized had become the main body of the troops, that the 
call of Lieutenant Gregg for volunteers to go to the assistance of 
the hard-pressed rear guard, was answered by only ten men. He 
then led a charge, but soon found himself alone and rode back with- 
out uttering a word. To save the retreat from becoming a com- 
plete rout, which would have resulted in the utter annihilation of 
the force, Colonel Steptoe went into camp and threw out a strong 
line of pickets. The Indians encamped near by, apparently will- 
ing to bide their time, feeling certain of their victims. Every 
avenue of escape was guarded but one, and that one was a difficult 
pass which they supposed the soldiers could not travel. The Nez 
Perce chief was then their savior. When the night was well ad- 
vanced, having cached the howitzers and left their surplus stores to 
engage the attention of the savages, so as to delay pursuit in the 
morning, the troops mounted and followed Timothy in single file, 
as he led them through the unguarded pass. 

The wounded of each company were placed in charge of some 
of their comrades, a few of them being so badly hurt as to be 
utterly helpless. These were tied upon pack animals. Two of 
them, Sergeant Williams and Private McCrosson, suffered such ex- 
cruciating agony from the motion of the animals, that they begged 
to be killed, to be given poison, or a pistol with which to end their 
misery. Both of them succeeded in wriggling off from the animals 
they rode in different places ; and their comrades, cutting them 



CAMPAIGNS OF roLONELS WRIGHT, STEPTOE AND SHAW. 473 

free from the lashings, left them lying on the ground, and rode 
away into the darkness unmindful of their pleadings for something 
with which to end their misery and save themselves from the tor- 
tures of their cruel pursuers. One by one the wounded, such as 
could not take care of themselves, were left behind, and the men 
hastened forward, intent only upon putting the swift current of 
Snake River between themselves and the cruel enemy in their rear. 
Seventy miles were traversed in twenty-four hours, when they 
reached the river near the mouth of the Alpowa, where lived 
Timothy's band of Nez Perces. Summoning his people, the chief 
placed the warriors on guard in the rear, while the women ferried 
the exhausted soldiers, with their animals and effects, across the 
stream. It took a day to accomplish this task, and then they 
moved on to the Pataha, where they were met by Captain Dent, 
with supplies and reinforcements. Here, also, they were overtaken 
by a war party of Nez Perces under Lawyer, who desired them to 
return and give the Indians battle ; but they desired no more fight- 
ing for the present, and the march to Walla Walla was continued. 
Two officers and sixteen men were left upon the field or along the 
Hue of the retreat, while more than a score of those who found 
safety by crossing Snake River, were severely wounded. 

Intelligence of this disaster was conveyed to General Clark, 
successor of General Wool in command of the department, and he 
ordered all available troops on the Coast to assemble at Walla 
Walla, for the purpose of administering to the Indians such a 
castigation as would teach them the power of the Government. 
This force was placed under the command of Colonel Wright. A 
base of operations, named " Fort Taylor," was established on the 
south side of Snake River, near the Tukannon, and on the 
twenty-seventh of August Colonel Wright moved forward with 
six hundred and eighty soldiers, thirty Nez Perce allies, and two 
hundred packers, herders, etc. On the first of September he en- 
countered the hostiles near Medical Lake, and whipped them 
severely. They were driven from the timber and hills by the 
howitzers, and a charge by the troojDS, and attempting to make a 
stand on the open plain, were mowed down by the fire of the 
steadily advancing troops, who were armed with long range guns 
for the first time in their encounter with Indians. When they 



1 
J 



474 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

broke, two hundred dragoons, under the command of Major 
AYilliam N. Grier, swooped down upon them, and they fled in a 
panic, the companies of the dead Taylor and Gaston taking grim 
revenge upon the fleeing savages who had slain their commanders. 
How many were killed is not known, as all but those who fell 
during the last charge were carried from the field. Seventeen 
bodies were left upon the ground, which was strewn with blankets, 
robes, guns and the miscellaneous paraphernalia of Indian war- 
riors. Not a soldier was killed in the battle. 

Four days later the command reached Spokane River, six miles 
below the falls, having driven the hostiles before them for fourteen 
miles, killing many of them. This was the end ; the Indians fled 
in terror, and dared not again offer battle to such a terrible foe. 
Colonel Wright pushed on toward the Coeur d'Alene Mission, and 
was met by Gearry, chief of the Spokanes, who asked for peace. 
The stern avenger told the suppliant chief that he came to fight, 
not to make peace ; that he had force enough to whip the com- 
bined tribes of that whole region ; that he offered no terms of 
peace, the Indians, men, women .and children, must come in and 
trust to his mercy ; otherwise he would exterminate the tribe. On 
the eighth Wright captured nine hundred and eighty-six horses 
from the Palouses, and, knowing how vital they were in Indian 
warfare, he ordered every one of them to be shot! This was more 
than they could endure, and the concurrent appearance of a 
brilliant comet in the heavens, made them think Colonel Wright 
was a scourge sent by the Great Spirit, who hung his flaming 
sword in the sky as a sign of his anger. They sued for peace. 

Councils were held with the various tribes, at which, upon the 
demand of Colonel Wright, the men who had commenced the attack 
upon Colonel Step toe were delivered up for punishment, and hos- 
tages were given for their future good conduct. Twelve of the 
guilty ones were hanged, among whom was Qualchien, who had 
killed Agent Bolan in 1855. His father, Owhi, second chief of 
the Yakimas, was a prisoner, and attempting to escape near Fort 
Taylor, was killed by the guard. On the seventh of October the 
bones of those who fell in Steptoe's battle were buried at Fort 
Walla W T alla, and Wright then held a council with the Walla Walla 
tribe. So great had become the fear of him, that when he called 



CAMPAIGNS OK COLONELS WRIGHT, STEPTOE AND SHAW. 475 

for all those who had taken part in the battle to stand up, thirty - 
five warriors promptly rose to their feet. Four of these were 
selected for execution, and their hanging was witnessed by their 
people with fear and trembling. This was the end, and until chief 
Joseph and his small band of Nez Perces broke out twenty years 
later, not an Indian of all those tribes went again upon the war 
path against the whites. 

Colonel Wright was promoted during the civil war to the rank 
of Brigadier, and commanded the Department of the Pacific. His 
energy, watchfulness, and sterling patriotism kept down the ever- 
rising flame of treason, and held the Coast loyal to the Government 
throughout the bloody struggle. He became very dear to the peo- 
ple who had so long relied upon him for protection, and it was a 
day of mourning when the sad news came that he had found a 
watery grave. With his family and staff he was engulfed in the 
stormy waters of the Pacific, when, off Crescent City on the thir- 
tieth of July, 1855, the Brother Jonathan carried her human cargo 
to a resting place beneath the billows. 

The financial history of these Indian Wars presents considerable 
of importance to interest the reader. It has been mentioned that 
the demands of the war of 1853 were paid in full two years later, 
through the action of General Lane and others. The accounts 
growing out of the Walker expedition in 1854, " To fight the emi- 
grants," as some facetious ones have termed it, were paid subse- 
quent to the War of the Rebellion. The act of Congress which au- 
thorized their payment, was based upon a previous act approved 
July 17, 1854, entitled "An act to authorize the Secretary of War 
to settle and adjust the expenses of the Rogue River War [of 
1853]," which was extended to cover the case of Captain Walker's 
company. The claims growing out of the last Indian war achieved 
quite a history. In the summer of 1856 the matter of these claims 
was brought before Congress by the Oregon Delegate, General 
Lane, and being referred to the Committee on Military Affairs, a 
recommendation was made favorable to the payment of the ex- 
penses of the wars in Oregon and Washington, the two sets of 
claims — arising from the Rogue River and the Yakima wars — be- 
coming mingled in all Congressional and official reports. In con- 
sequence of this recommendation Congress, on the eighteenth of 



476 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

August, passed an act, one of whose provisions is: " Be in enacted. 
That the Secretary of War be directed to examine into the amount 
of expenses necessarily incurred in the suppression of hostilities in 
the late Indian war in Oregon and Washington by the Territorial 
Governments in the maintenance of the volunteer forces engaged, in- 
cluding pay of volunteers, and he may, if he deem it necessary, 
direct a commission of three to report these expenses to him," etc. 
In consequence a commission, consisting of Captain Andrew J. 
Smith, previously many times mentioned in the account of the wars, 
Captain Rufus Ingalls, now General, and Lafayette Grover, of Sa- 
lem, Oregon, was appointed to make the examination. They began 
work in October, 1856, and after spending more than a year in a 
careful investigation of these claims, "traveling over the whole 
field of operations occupied by the volunteers, during hostilities, 
and becoming thoroughly conversant with the matter," made their 
report to the Secretary of War. According to their examination 
the sum of $4,449,949.33 was due as the expenses on the part of 
Oregon. The muster-rolls of companies represented an indebted- 
ness, after deducting stoppages for clothing, etc., of $1,409,644.53; 
while scrip had been issued to the extent of $3,040,344.80 in 
payment of supplies, etc., furnished. This aggregate was exclusive 
of claims for spoliation by Indians, and included only what were 
thought to be the legitimate expenses of maintaining the volunteer 
force in the field. The report and accompanying documents were 
transmitted to Congress, and on the eighth of February, 1859, a 
resolution paesed the House of Representatives, providing that it 
should be the duty of the Third Auditor of the Treasury to exam- 
ine the vouchers and papers connected with the subject, and make 
a report in the December following of the amount due each indi- 
vidual engaged in the military service of the two Territories during 
the war. The resolution also provided that he should allow the 
volunteers no higher pay than was received by the officers and sol- 
diers of like grade in the regular army, including the extra pay of 
two dollars per month conferred by act of Congress of 1852 on 
troops serving on the Pacific Coast; that he was to recognize no 
company or individual as entitled to pay except such as had been 
duly called into service by the Territorial authorities; that in au- 
diting claims for supplies, transportation, etc., he was directed to 



CAMPAIGNS OF COLONELS WRIGHT, STEPTOE AND SHAW. 477 

have a due regard to the number of troops, to their period of ser- 
vice and to the prices which were current at the time and place. 
On February 7, 1860, R. J. Atkinson, Third Auditor, made his 
report. It was an exhaustive and voluminous document, and it 
reduced the grand total of the claims of various sorts, acted on by 
the three commissioners, from $6,011,457.36 to §2,714,808.55, a 
reduction of about fifty -five per cent. This estimate w T as taken as 
a basis for these claims, and by a subsequent act of Congress a sum 
of money to correspond was appropriated to pay them, the greater 
portion of which has been disbursed. 



CHAPTEE XXVIII. 



ABORIGINAL INHABITANTS. 



Character of the Indians of the Valley — Destructive I?ifluences — Sources 
of Indian History — Extract from Lewis and Clarke's Narratwe — 
Various Tribes Recounted — Their Locations — The Klickitat Inva- 
sion — The Chinook Family — Ethnology — Habits and Appearance 
\ — Tattooing — Clothing — Habitations — Food — Easy Ways of Life — 
Salmon Catching — Canoes — Tribal Government — Weapons — Habits 
of War — Diseases and Treatment — The Vapor Bath — Disposition 
of Dead Bodies — Influence of the Missions — Antiquities of Linn 
County — Their Probable Origin — Indian Names of Localities — Good 
Taste Demands their Perpetuation. 

THE subject of the aboriginal inhabitants of the Willamette 
Valley presents little of interest or importance. When the 
early white explorers arrived, they found the banks of the streams 
thinly populated with savages, who were generally the most peace- 
ful of their kind and a world different from the sanguinary red- 
skins of the plains. With these Indians the whites held agreeable 
enough relations, except the occurrence of a few slight jars, and 
there is little thereof to chronicle. The most pertinent fact of which 
we have to make note, is that the Indians speedily died out, and 
to-day scarcely a hundred individuals exist, the relics of once numer- 
ous tribes. The causes of that circumstance are neither lamentable 
nor difficult to ascertain. Fire-water, restriction within narrow 
bounds, loss of freedom, the prevalence of diseases, u the influence 
of civilization," each of these, probably, had its weight. The same 
causes have acted in the extinction of hundreds of other Indian 
tribes who have died and left no sign. 

The principal evidence on the subject of aborigines, is derived 
from the following works : Lewis and Clarke's Travels, Parker's 



ABORIGINAL INHABITANTS. 479 

Exploring Tour, Stuart's Annates des Voyages, Morse's Reports, 
Hunter's Captivity. Schoolcraft's Archeology, Wilkes' United States 
Exploring Expedition, Ross' Adventures, Domenech's Deserts, Mo- 
fras 1 Explorations, Gass' Journal, and 77/? London Geographical 
Society s Journal. The recollections of various old settlers have 
also been made use of. 

Of the Willamette Valley nations. Lewis and Clarke, wrote 
thus : ki The nations who inhabit this fertile neighborhood are 
very numerous. The Wappatoo inlet extends three hundred yards 
wide, for ten or twelve miles, as far as the hills, from which it re- 
ceives the waters of a small creek, whose sources are not far from 
tho<e of the Killamuek [Tillamook] River. On that creek resides 
the Clackstar nation, a people of twelve hundred souls, who subsist 
on fish and wappato, and who trade by means of the Killamuek 
River, with the nation of that name on the coast. Lower down the 
inlet, towards the Columbia, is the tribe called the Cathlacumup. 
On the sluice which connects the inlet with the Multnomah, are 
the tribes Cathlaiiahquiah and Cathlacomatup : and on Wappatoo 
Island, Clannaminamnn and Clahnaquah. Immediately opposite, 
on the north side of the Columbia, are the Quathlapotles, and the 
Shotos. All these tribes, as well as the Cathlahaws, who live 
lower on the river, and have an old village on Deer Island, may 
be considered parts of the great Multnomah Xation, which has its 
principal residence on Wappatoo Island, near the mouth of the 
large river to which they give their name [The Willamette]. 
Forty miles above its junction with the Columbia, it receives the 
waters of the Clackamas, a river which may be traced through a 
wooded and fertile country, to its source in Mount Jefferson, almost 
to the foot of which it is navigable for canoes. A nation of the 
same name resides in eleven villages on the borders ; they live 
chiefly on grass and roots, which abound in the Clackamas and 
along its banks, though they sometimes descend to the Columbia 
to gather wappatoo, where they cannot be distinguished by dress 
or manners or language from the tribes of the Multnomahs. Two 
day- journey from the Columbia, or about twenty miles beyond 
tlie entrance t<> the Clackamas, are the falls of the Multnomah. 
At this place are the permanent residences <>f the Cushooks and 
Chaheowahs, two tribes who are attracted to that place bj the 



480 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

fish, and by the conveniences of trading across the mountains and 
down the Killainuck River, with the nation of Killamucks, from 
whom they procure train-oil. These falls are occasioned by the 
passage of a high range of mountains, beyond which the country 
stretches into a high level plain, wholly destitute of timber. As 
far as the Indians, with whom we conversed, had ever penetrated 
that country, it was inhabited by a nation called Calahpoewah, a 
very numerous people, whose villages, nearly forty in number, are 
scattered along each side of the Multnomah, which furnishes them 
with their chief subsistence — fish, and the roots along its banks." 
In Schoolcraft's Archaeology the names are subjected to a slightly 
different spelling : Calapooyas, Clackamas. The former tribe 
" live in the Upper Willamette Valley." According to Stuart's 
Annates des Voyages, the Cathlacamaps lived at the mouth of the 
Oullammat ; the Cathlapoutles opposite ; the Cathlanaminimins on 
an island a little higher up ; the Mathlanobes [Multnomahs] on 
the upper part of the same island ; the Cathlapouyeas just above 
the falls ; the Cathlacklas on the eastern branch higher up ; and 
still higher, the Chochonis. According to Morse's Reports, the 
Cathlathlas lived u sixty miles above the mouth of the Wallaumut," 
while the Multnomahs or Mathlanobs at the upper end of the 
island, m the mouth of the Wallaumut. Morse speaks of the 
Nemalquinners, on the northeast side of the Wallaumut. 

By numerous early writers we are told of the Calapooias' 
residence on the Upper Willamette, and the name is spelt with all 
imaginable variations. Some have it Kalapuyas ; others Vule 
Puyas, Kalapooyahs, Callipooyas, Calapooah, Callawpohyeaas, and 
Callapohyeaass. The Calapooias are divided by one writer into 
the Wacomeapp, Naumooit, Chillychandize, Shookany, Coupe, 
Shehee, Long- tongue- buff, Lamalle, and Pecyou tribes. The 
Clackamas, on Clackamas river, are variously spoken of as the 
Clackemas, Clakamus, Klakamus and Clarkamees. Of nine sub- 
divisions, the Katlawewallas [Clough-e- wallas] lived at the Falls 
of the Wallamet. The " Nemskees extend eastward of the head- 
waters of the Multnomah toward a large lake." The Leeshteelosh 
occupied the headwater of the Multnomah. The Cloughewallhah 
lived a little below the falls. Yhe Yamkallies [Yoneallas | dwelt be- 
yond the sources of the Wallamut River, in the beautiful valley now 



ABORIGINAL INHABITANTS. 481 

known by this name. The Yamhills lived in the county of that 
name. Their cognomen is corrupted from Che-um-il, a ford, we 
are told. 

The Mol alias resided not far from Oregon City, and in the 
region now known as Marion and Clackamas counties. They are 
described as having been of different extraction and habits fro.m 
the neighboring nations, and are said to have been an offshoot from 
the Cayuse tribe of Eastern Oregon. For purposes of war or 
trade some Cayuses had removed temporarily to the west of the 
Cascades, and were unable to return, owing to the hostility of the 
tribes of the Des Chutes, by whom they were cut off from their 
own country. They settled in the valley and remained there until 
overtaken for the most part by the fate which met their neighbors. 
In person they were larger and more prepossessing than the 
Chinook peoples. A small number of them settled in the eastern 
part of Douglas County at some period within the memory of 
white men, and their descendants, to the number of a dozen or so, 
live there yet, in the possession of farms, which they cultivate with 
quite as much industry and judgment as their white neighbors. 
This fact argues an extraction many grades higher than the com- 
mon run of Indians, and far beyond the capacity of the Chinook 
tribes. 

At a time, subsequent to the arrival of the whites, and before 
their numbers and influence became overpowering, the Klickitats, 
a restless and enterprising tribe, whose home is on the north side of 
the Columbia, emigrated from the broad plains of that region, and 
settled in the Willamette Valley. Some say that they conquered 
the peaceful and inoffensive Calapooias, and made vassals of them ; 
but this is uncertain. It is more likely that they merely settled 
among them. The characteristics of the invaders, according to 
some, entitle them to the name of the Jews of the Northwest, for 
their peculiarities are seen more in barter and commerce than in 
aught else. As for their warlike tastes it is related that upon the 
breaking out of the first Indian war in Southern Oregon, a band of 
Klickitats offered their services to the Territorial Government, pro- 
posing to serve against the Rogue River tribes, and there were 
many who were of opinion that they would have been able to 
bring the latter to subjection very quickly. This, however, is only 



482 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

supposition, as these tribes knew nothing of each other, being 
always separated by hundreds of miles. Toward the whites the 
Klickitats ever maintained a peaceful attitude, though numerous 
enough to have occasioned infinite trouble. Their forbearance was 
ill appreciated ; and this fine tribe, after occupying a part of the 
valley for several years, was, at last, compelled to withdraw, 
owing to the aggressions of the incoming white settlers. They 
were, at one time, in a fair way to become permanent cultivators 
of the soil, and had, in many cases, taken up land, acquiring it by 
trade from the Calapooias, its previous possessors. About 1854 
they returned to their own country in the north. 

According to Bancroft the Indians of the Willamette Valley 
possessed analogies to those of the Lower Columbia River in general, 
and he has erected them into a group, which he styles the Chinook 
family. Originally the name Chinook was restricted to a small 
tribe living on the north bank of the Columbia, near its mouth. 
The Indians of the Chinook family once formed numerous and 
powerful communities, but are now represented by a few squalid 
and miserable survivors, especially where the country has been oc- 
cupied thickly by whites, as in this valley. " Whole tribes have 
been exterminated by war and disease, and in the few miserable 
remnants collected on reservations or straggling about Oregon 
towns, no trace is present of the independent, easy-living bands of 
the not remote past. It is, however, to be noted that at no time 
since this region has been known to Europeans has the Indian pop- 
ulation been at all in proportion to the supporting capacity of the 
land while yet in a state of nature, with its fertile soil and well 
stocked streams and forests." 

In stature the Indians of the Valley rarely exceeded five feet, six 
inches, while the females were scarcely above five feet. Both sexes 
were strongly built, but loosely. They were said to have improved 
physically in proportion to their distance from the Columbia and 
its fisheries, which is a consequence of the often observed fact that 
the fish -eaters were, and always are, inferior to hunting tribes. The 
Calapooias on • the Upper Willamette were thought to have been 
the finest in physique. Some observers have noticed a similarity 
between the Chinook and the Mongolian visages, in the matter of 
the broad and flat noses, and the eyes turned obliquely upward at 



ABORIGINAL INHABITANTS. 483 

the outer corners. The Chinook nostrils were large, the month 
wide and thick-lipped, the teeth irregular and frequently much 
worn, the eyes black, dull and expressionless, though some have 
credited them with possessing bright eyes and an aspect of liveliness. 
Their features, though in general coarse, were sometimes regular, 
and not disagreeable, especially among the women, who have often 
been credited, in individual cases, with at least ordinary charms. 
The Chinook family generally conformed to the habit of flattening 
the heads of young children, which unique custom extended as far 
southward as the Falls of the Willamette. The subject is referred 
to in Bancroft's incomparable ethnological work, the Native Races 
of the Pacific Coast, but he declares himself ignorant of the origin 
of this strange freak, but supposes it to spring from the innate love 
of ornamentation. (See vol. I, pages 226-7.) 

Another hideous custom, and a more general one, was that of 
slitting their noses and wearing; a string; of beads or shells therein. 
Tattooing is said not to have been practiced universally as in the 
more southern tribes, but was frequent, especially among the fe- 
males. It usually consisted of lines of clots pricked into the limbs 
and cheeks with pulverized charcoal. The women were fond of 
daubing the body with bright colored earths and the juice of ber- 
ries, and grease was extensively applied. The hair was worn long 
and was a great source of filth. The women wore it braided in 
two tails. As is customary with Indians, they preferred to go as 
nearly naked as the weather would permit. However, females wore 
nearly always a skirt of cedar bark-fibre, hanging to the knees. 
Other garments were composed of the skins of beasts sown together 
and sometimes ornamented with fringes or paints. 

The houses of the Chinooks were usually taken down each year 
and re-erected to get rid of vermin. They were built of wood; 
often of the bark of trees, or, in some cases, of cedar planks, though 
this degree of advancement was not possessed by many. The 
planks were fastened by strings of bark, by which they were tied 
to upright posts forming a frame. The ordinary dimensions of 
these houses were, length, twenty-five to seventy-five feet; width, fif- 
teen to twenty- five feet. The door was just large enough to admit 
the body, and there was no window nor chimney; for convenience 
of fire there were fire-places sunk in the dirt floor, and the smoke 



484 HISTOKY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

fouud its way out through the cracks in the sides of the roof. Several 
families occupied each house ordinarily, sleeping in raised berths 
along the sides of the building. These structures were the houses 
of the permanently located and more wealthy classes. The very 
poor Indians lived in huts built of sticks and mud, or of sticks 
covered with mats, bark, rushes or skins. " The interior and ex- 
terior of all dwellings were in a state of chronic filth." Lewis and 
Clarke saw a house in the Willamette Valley which was two hun- 
dred and twenty-six feet long, divided into two ranges of apart- 
ments, separated by an alley four feet wide. It should be recollected 
that these Indians remained habitually in one location instead of, 
like the nomadic tribes of the interior, changing their habitation 
frequently. 

The Indians of the valley raised corn, beans and squashes. Nuts, 
berries, wild fruits and roots were in much use as food. Wild fowl 
were snared or shot, and elk and deer were killed with arrows or 
caught in pit-falls. The wapato, a bulbous roct which grows in 
shallow ponds, was much relied on by them for food, and was 
gathered by the squaws, who sought it with their feet as they waded. 
Fish formed a very important part of the Indian diet. The enor- 
mous abundance of salmon supplied them with a very nutritious 
and easily procured aliment, upon which they lived for a great part 
of the year. Those of the tribes who lived about the mouth of the 
Willamette, were expert fishers and followed that pursuit more 
closely than further removed tribes on the upper river. It is well 
understood that the Columbia was, and is, the greatest natural de- 
pot of salmon in the known world. It is an apparently inexhaus- 
tible store-house for that noble fish, and the natives made such use 
of it as their desires prompted. They had, in the season, fresh 
salmon upon which they feasted with delight, and were provident 
enough to cure and put aside a sufficient quantity to serve as their 
support until the next "run." They caught them with nets, or, 
perhaps more frequently, by spearing. The Falls of the Willamette 
was a very celebrated place for salmon catching, and in the neigh- 
borhood there resided a large number of natives. There they 
speared them by standing on rocks or on scaffolds, and watching 
their attempted ascent of the falls, or they scooped them up in small 
dip-nets, or caught them with large fish-hooks used as gaffs. Such 



ABORIGINAL INHABITANTS. 485 

fish as were killed by accident — and there are always a great many 
such — were gathered up from the rocks whereon they had fallen in 
their efforts to pass the obstructions, and added to their store. Such 
is the abundance of these fish that the rudest means are sufficient to 
secure an unlimited quantity at the season of their runs. When 
taken, the fish were cut open by the women — the universal drudges 
— dried in the sun, and smoked in the lodges. They were some- 
times powdered finely after being dried, and packed away in mats 
for winter use. The sturgeon was caught by the Lower Willamette 
Indians, as also were other varieties. It will be seen that no other 
country on earth possessed such resources for the support of a savage 
population, and considered as beings whose utmost desires were an 
easy living, we shall have to admit that the Willamette tribes were 
fortunately located. 

They were somewhat expert in the management of canoes, of 
which they possessed a great number. These vessels were always 
dug out of a single log of fir, cedar or pine, and varied in length 
from ten to fifty feet, and were often made with much skill. The 
Willamette tribes, however, were less expert in the management of 
their boats than the Coast Indians, and their vessels vvere less skill- 
fully constructed, as they were only in use for navigating the placid 
waters of the interior streams. 

The government of the tribes was by the usual institution of 
chiefs, of whom there was one to each village. At one time, we 
are told, there were four principal chiefs in the valley, holding au- 
thority over the nine tribes which then existed. The chiefships 
were sometimes hereditary, though probably more often selected 
because of wealth and consequent influence. Offenses against 
tribal regulations were generally expiated by a fine or by the pay- 
ment of pecuniary recompense to the party injured. 

Slavery existed, as among all the west coast tribes, the slaves 
being obtained by purchase from other tribes. Like all North 
American Indians, those of the Willamette were fond of strong 
drink, and indulged inordinately in it whenever it was procurable. 
They gambled as a steady habit, and sacrificed their property, their 
wives and children, and their own liberty in order to satisfy their 
devotion to that vice. 



486 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

The aboriginal weapons were those in common use among the 
North American tribes, being the bow and arrow. The former was 
from two and a half to four feet long, and usually made of cedar. 
The arrow heads were composed of bone, flint, chert or copper, and 
were of the usual forms of fabrication. Bancroft regards it as very 
doubtful if they ever used either spears, tomahawks or scalping 
knives, though many travelers and settlers have spoken confi- 
dently of seeing such. They, however, commonly used a wooden 
sword, double-edged and two or three feet long. They were in the 
habit of wearing in time of war a thick arrow-proof armor of elk - 
skin or of short sticks bound together with grass. Their quarrels 
were frequent but not blood-thirsty. They never, in time of war, 
resorted to night attacks, surprise, or the massacre of children and 
w^omen. They never approached near enough for hand-to-hand 
fighting, and as their clothes were arrow-proof, they were subject 
to no great casualties. 

The principal diseases among these Indians were consumption, 
various fevers, liver complaint and ophthalmia. Their treatment 
of such was simple; it consisted of sweat baths followed by a plunge 
into a running stream — a method of doubtful utility in any case 
and almost uniformly fatal in the treatment of fever. This custom 
is common to a great many of the tribes of the Pacific Coast, ex- 
tending as far as the frontiers of Mexico to the south, and to an 
unknown distance toward the north. The sweat house — a struc- 
ture devoted to the vapor bath — was seen in nearly every village, 
the whole population of which were accustomed to avail themselves 
of it at frequent intervals, though not at all for the purposes of 
cleanliness. As among most, if not all other tribes in America, 
there were medicine men, whose functions were divination, the cure 
of diseases, etc.; and singing, the beating of sticks and pressure 
and kneading of the patient's body, made up the principal medical 
treatment. These doctors, if unsuccessful in their ministrations, 
were sometimes subjected to beatings and even put to death. 

About the mouth of the Willamette the Indians were in the 
habit of burying their dead in canoes, the deceased's property being 
placed in the vessel with him and the whole being placed in a tree 
top, or upon an eminence. Several rocky bluffs along the Colum- 
bia were favorite places for the bestowal of the remains, and such 



ABOEIGINAL INHABITANTS. 487 

have received names to denote that use. At other places a kind of 
vault was made of planks and earth, and the deceased, tied up in 
mats, placed therein. The Calapooias buried their dead in regular 
graves, erecting over them a head -board. 

In regard to the Indians' susceptibility for civilization, we can 
hardly form an opinion, as the poor creatures did not live long 
enough to give it a fair trial. In 1834 the Methodist Missionaries 
founded a mission near Salem, as narrated in another part of this 
work, and began giving instruction. It appears that the natives 
took kindly to the matter, and several of them became apt pupils. 
The teachers were much encouraged, but the institution was not 
fully the success that had been expected. Several causes con- 
tributed to this, and, in spite of the ardor with which the mission- 
aries labored, but a few years elapsed before the supply of pupils 
ran out, and the self-denying ministrations of the good missionaries 
was changed to other directions. The Indians 1 numbers decreased 
frightfully in the years immediately succeeding the comiug of 
the whites, and of the Calapooias, who were thought to number 
eight thousand in 1836, only six hundred could be found in 1840. 
It is probable that the Kev. Mr. Perkins, who made the former 
computation was in error ; but it is a well- attested fact that there 
was a very serious diminution in their numbers between the years 
mentioned, and also for each succeeding year until their final ex- 
tinction, which may be said to be about accomplished now. The 
number existing at present is thought not to exceed one hundred 
persons, and these are mainly, if not all, of mixed blood. 

Some interesting discoveries of antique remains, presumably of 
Indian origin, were made in the early months of 1884, by Dr. J. L. 
Hill, of Albany. Seven miles southwest of that town, and also in 
Linn County, exist some artificial mounds of earth, which, until 
then, had never been examined. Quite a number of mounds, of a 
nearly uniform size and shape, are said to exist in that locality, 
the one selected for examination being two hundred feet long, by 
one hundred wide, the height not being stated. Within this mound 
there was found four skeletons, which had been buried therein 
with care, and were accompanied with various implements, which, 
in the life-time of their owners, had probably been objects of great 
value. As given in Dr. Hill's account, these objects were as fol- 



488 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

lows : flints, rudimentary arrowheads, beaver tusks, awls com- 
posed of " bones about three inches long and tapering to a point ;*' 
a pipe three and one-half inches long, one and one-half inches wide 
at top, and one inch at bottom ; spoon of wood or bone, necklace 
of copper rolls (tubes), white beads, matting, solid copper rings 
encircling the arm ; "ugly green glass beads," stone beads, flat 
headed, square brass nails with sharp points ; curiously formed 
bone implements for weaving, bone spatula like a paper knife, 
and minute brass bells for ornament. The skeletons found were 
in a good state of preservation, and would seem to be somewhat 
unlike the framework of the ordinary Indian of to-day, being with- 
out the frontal ridge, and having a peculiarly receding forehead. 
The explorer seems inclined to the belief that the remains belonged 
to some tribe which inhabited the region anterior to the Calapooias, 
but the relics would not seem to warrant such a belief, as they 
may have been derived from recent sources, and, indeed, are 
familiar to the ethnologist as articles of esteemed value and com- 
mon occurrence among the Indians of to-day. It is worthy of re- 
mark that these burial mounds have been found at various points 
on the Northwest Coast. There are thousands of them at Tenino, 
near Olympia, on the Northern Pacific Railway, which, for a time, 
formed a great puzzle to the antiquary, but are now satisfactorily 
settled to be nothing more nor less than burial places, most 
probably constructed by the ancestors of the present race of In- 
dians. To such an origin it would seem proper to assign the 
mounds of Linn County. 

Quite a large number of geographical names constitute the only 
legacy of the aborigines to the present population of the valley. 
Willamette is the corruption of the former designation, Wallamet, 
by which the earlier explorers and settlers knew this river and val- 
ley. The name, in its corrupted form, is now universally known, 
and the task of restoring its more characteristic, suitable and manly 
spelling is, doubtless, impossible. In conformity with general usage 
this volume retains the spurious orthography, although its com- 
pilers are perfectly sensible of the superior fitness of the former 
style. The name is thought to have been derived from the tribe of 
Indians who lived near the Falls, and who are mentioned herein 
as the Clough-e-walhahs ; the name being supposed to be taken 




COFFIN ROCK-INDIAN BURIAL PLACE. -See Page 486. 



ABORIGINAL INHABITANTS. 489 

from the latter syllables. As this tribe have long since perished, 
and their language with them, the efforts of etymologists are di- 
rected in vain to the perfect solution of the question, but enough 
is known to make this hypothesis the only tenable one. We owe 
the Frenchified form of the name to the ill-judgment of Wilkes, 
who was the first, as far as is known, to adopt the present spelling. 
The Willamette, or more properly speaking, the Wallamet River, 
was once known to some few as the McKay River, but this desig- 
nation did not long adhere. It is said that this name was given by 
D. McKenzie. 

The uncertainty of tracing etymological derivations is, in these 
instances, largely increased by the fact of the purely arbitrary 
spelling necessarily employed to represent the sound of Indian 
words. To this difficulty must be added that produced by the 
habitually indistinct tones of an Indian's voice, and the almost 
impossibility of representing those tones by means of combinations 
of the twenty-six letters of our alphabet. Perfect rendition of their 
tones cannot be achieved, and the task of approximation is no easy 
one. Under such circumstances, nothing of value has been re- 
tained of the extinct languages of these tribes, and the names 
which have been perpetuated are, probably, in no case, more than 
a loose approximation to the original sound. No two observers, 
hearing the Indian designation of a place, will spell the sound in 
the same way. This is proved by the multiplicity of forms which 
the spelling of geographical words has taken, such as Calapooia, 
for example. Long Tom is the name of a stream in the upper end 
of the valley. It is supposed, by most people, to be a name of 
American extraction, but, in reality, is the modification of its 
Indian name, Lung - turn- lev. 

Notwithstanding the uncertainty of meaning and pronunciation 
of these aboriginal terms, good taste demands their perpetuation. 
They are preferable, in all respects, to the hackneyed and com- 
monplace names which are so generally bestowed upon geographical 
localities. It is greatly to be deplored that the authorities have 
seen fit to change the appropriate and mellifluous Indian designa- 
tions to worn and every-day terms. Salem was formerly called 
Che-mek-e-te, which, we are told, meant gravelly. The legislature 
in 1854 made Ta-ke-nah into Albany, and, by universal usage, the 



490 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

river Han-chi-u-ke degenerated into Pudding ! The lofty snow- 
clad summits of the Cascades have mostly the names of dis- 
tinguished white men, and, like the level lands of the Northwest, 
are thickly sown with Washingtons, Jeffersons, Adamses and 
Jacksons. This lack of taste and fitness wdll be bewailed more 
and more with the flight of time, but the objectionable names will 
then have become immovably fixed, and posterity can never revenge 
itself. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 



HISTORY OF RAILWAYS. 



Primitive Ideas — Pioneer Railway Projects — Elliott's Plan of a Rail- 
way from Portland to California — incorporation of the Astoria <& 
Willamette R. R. Co. — .Names of the Incorporators — The East Side 
Railway — Ben Ilolladay — The Oregon Central R. R. Co. — Anecdote 
— Need of Railways — The West Side R. R. Co. — A Railroad Boom 
in Oregon — Effect of the Introduction of Railways — Public Opinion 
— Dissolution of the Oregon Central and Organization of the Oregon 
and California Company — Officers of the New Company — River 
Transportation — Ilolladay Bays a Newspaper — Its Character — 
Issue of Boiids of the 0. dfc C. R. R. — Completion of the Railway 
to Roseburg — Want of Economy — Cessation of Railway Building — 
Resumption of Work in 1883 — Railways Needed in Southern Oregon 
- — The Railroad leased to the Oregon and Transcontinental Co. — The 
West Side Road — Ilolladay ] s Shrewdness — Portland's Princely Gift 
— Progress of the West Side Road — Two Pactions — Exit Ilolladay 
— Land Grants — The Conguerer Appears — A Giants Plans — Vil- 
lard — The Narrow-Gauge Road — The Oregon Pacific — Railroad 
Lands — Railway Officials — Concluding Remarks. 

THE railroad and telegraph are now everywhere recognized as 
necessary accompaniments in the grand procession in which 
the world is marching onward toward a perfected state of social 
and commercial relations. Without these adjuncts the growth of 
any country, when growth is possible, is slow, enterprise hindered, 
and prosperity comes on with sluggish steps and the most toilsome 
efforts of the people. As the old process by which the scribes in 
ancient times wrote a single book in years of constant labor, and a 
duplicate could only be had by a repetition of the task, compares 
with the method by which thousands of volumes can now be made 
in a single day, so the means of communication and travel possessed 



492 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

for the first quarter of a century by the people who settled the 
Willamette Valley compare with the facilities which now enable a 
resident of Portland to reach Chicago in less time than it would 
have taken him to go to Jacksonville, in our own state, twenty 
years ago. All the people of the Willamette Valley now have 
daily communication with the commercial centers, and ready trans- 
portation, at reasonable rates, for their various products. 

For some time after the great resources of Oregon were pretty 
generally known by the civilized world, but few of her people were 
sanguine enough to entertain a hope that they would live to see the 
completion of a railroad connecting this part of the Pacific Coast, 
by a continuous line, with the Atlantic Seaboard. Twenty-five 
years ago, however, it was thought that the commercial relations of 
the Southern and Northern Coast would ultimately necessitate the 
construction of a railway from San Francisco to tide water on the 
Columbia. But little happened, however, at that early period to 
encourage this idea, and in the unsettled condition of financial af- 
fairs throughout the country, consequent upon the civil war then 
going on, no enterprise of the kind made any headway. However, 
men who foreseen the necessity were agitaxing the question, and in 
November, 1863, a meeting was held in Eugene City at which, per- 
haps, the first decided expression of opinion was set forth. There 
were present quite a number of prominent citizens of Oregon, 
among whom were Col. W. W. Chapman, Jesse Applegate, Judge 
A. J. Thayer, and others. The Oregon and California line was dis- 
tinctly contemplated in the discussion which took place, and resolu- 
tions were passed favoring and supporting that project. The pro- 
vision, however, was included that Oregon directors were to have a 
voice in the distribution of the proceeds of public lands given by 
Congress to aid the enterprise, and that the work of construction 
should begin simultaneously at Portland and Sacramento, or some 
other point in California. 

In December of the same year (1863) S. G. Elliott made public 
a report of a survey of a route from Marvsville, California, to Port- 
land, Oregon, a distance of six hundred and thirty-five and one-half 
miles, the estimated cost of construction being $30,472,000, or 
an average of about $48,000 per mile; the most expensive por- 
tion of the route lying within this State being the twelve miles 



HISTORY OF RAILWAYS. 493 

just south of Canyonville, in Douglas County, to cost $100,000 
per mile, and the least expensive the one hundred and fifty miles 
from the head of the Willamette Valley to Portland, which could 
be built for §35,000 per mile. Under these estimates the total cost 
of the road from Roseburg to Portland would have been a little less 
than 87,000,000. What it cost under the Holladay regime will be 
seen further on. 

This survey was the first step in railroad enterprises in the Wil- 
lamette Valley which culminated in actual effort at construction 
and ultimately in tangible results, though agitation of the question 
was rife several years previous and some corporations had been 
formed with glaring prospectuses and millions of money on paper. 
In 1858 an act was passed incorporating the Astoria and Willam- 
ette Valley Railroad Company. Among the incorporators Avere 
the following named gentlemen, some of whom have been quite 
prominently identified with other and more permanent enterprises 
of the kind in the country: John Adair, John McClure, J. Im- 
brie, Wm. Wilson, James Taylor, J. Welch, C. Boelling, W. W. 
Parker, P. Wilkes, W. R. Bassett, T. R. Cornelius, Chas. McKay, 
M. Wolf, R. C. Kinney, Jo. Meek, R. Bean, W. T. Newby, Andy 
Shuck, Edward Shiel, J. D. Boon, J. H. Moores, W. C. Griswold, 
S. Parker, Jacob Conser, Jos. Holman, AV. H. Rector, L. Westa- 
cott, L. F. Grover, E. F. Skinner, E. Bristow, G. Humphrey, Jos. 
Teal, I. R. Moores, P. Brattain, A. A. Smith, W. C. Gallagher, B. 
F. Whitson, Thos. Kendall, W. Blair, Chas. Drain, R. Newell, J. 
H. Stevens, J. D. Crawford, H. N. V. Holmes, A. C. R. Shaw, J. 
H. Lewis, B. F. Burch, H. Linville, J. Thorp, J. C. Avery, J. 
Barnhart, I. N. Smith, Jno. Kelsay, A. J. Thayer, W T m. Gird, I. 
Moore, J. Dohse, Leonard & Green, Ladd & Co., Thos. Pritch- 
ard, Job McNamee, Thos. Carter, D. H. Lownsdale, J. S. Rinear- 
son, S. W. Moss, Geo. Abernethy, W. C. Bowring, Thos. H. Smfth 
and H. Stevens. These men were all well known in Oregon at 
that day and their names as incorporators gave an air of responsi- 
bility to the enterprise that was regarded by many as an augury 
of success. But many of them, though possessing much knowledge 
of frontier life and good talent for the ordinary business of the 
country in that day, had not even a faint idea of the expense or 
difficulty of building railroads. The capital stock was fixed at first 



494 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

at $5,000,000 and was afterwards increased to $10,000,000, and the 
proposed road was to run from Astoria to Salem and thence to Eu- 
gene City; work of construction to begin in two years and the road, 
to be built in ten years. But further than securing its charter and 
exciting some hopes in the breasts of sanguine people, the company 
did nothing. Dying in a few months, it "left no sign" that it had 
ever existed. Other corporations were formed to build other roads 
to run from and to almost every prominent point in the valley, 
with no greater results and except the short lines built, owned and 
run by the Oregon Steam Navigation Company, on the portages at 
the Cascades and The Dalles, Oregon had not a foot of railway 
until the East Side road was built, ground being broken for that 
enterprise on the sixteenth day of April, 1868, though the work of 
construction progressed very slowly for a year or two. The first 
rails were laid in October of the following year when twenty-three 
miles were ready for the iron and the road was finished to the 
Molalla River on the third of July, 1870, and the first train arrived 
at Salem in the latter part of October the same year. 

About the middle of December the line was completed to Al- 
bany, and an excursion was given to that place from Portland, upon 
which occasion there was a good deal of enthusiasm and some ag- 
gravations of the ill-feeling which had been engendered against 
Ben Holladay by the active part which he had taken in political 
affairs. Hon. Geo. R. Helm, a prominent lawyer of Linn county, 
had been selected by the citizens of Albany as one of the speakers 
on the occasion, and on arriving there Holladay gave him an un- 
deserved snubbing in the presence of a number of distinguished 
guests, to which Mr. Helm retaliated fittingly, and for a time there 
was much less shouting than swearing. The occurrence, in one 
way, forcibly illustrated Holladay 's character. He would brook 
no opposition. Imperious as Caesar, his very friends were com- 
pelled to accept his policy or submit to his denunciations, which 
were not generally delivered in language or manner that at all co- 
incided with Chesterfieldian rules. With power irrevocably in his 
hands he would have been a great tyrant, but in a republican 
community he used the necessary policy more to fortify his own 
prominent position and to clinch his hold on the country, than be- 
cause he set any great store on the will of the people in the abstract. 



HISTORY OF RAILWAYS. 495 

While, lie was for such reasons, disliked as a man, he was, in many 
respects, well fitted to pioneer the enterprise of which he was the 
head. Many obstacles were in his way, many conflicting interests 
had to be reconciled. While there was a universal popular desire 
to see the road built, there were various antagonistic influences 
tending to hinder and obstruct the work in its very incipiency. 

Four or five corporations were in existence when Mr. Holladay 
first turned his attention to the State, having been formed to take ad- 
vantage of any National or State aid that might be given to railroads, 
but none of these corporations had the influence to secure such aid, 
the energy to begin the work, or the means, financially, to carry it 
on. They were all sickly, moneyless institutions, existing only on 
paper, the members themselves having little or no knowledge of 
railroad building and little or no intention of ever undertaking the 
real work. These corporations, though utterly powerless to do 
anything themselves, stood much in the way of any enterprise giv- 
ing promise of actual, tangible results, and Holladay's first object 
was necessarily to secure control of some one of these corporations, 
remodel it and place it upon a substantial basis. As presenting 
the best nucleus, the Oregon Central Railroad Company was se- 
lected. It had been organized some time, but had done nothing 
looking to the accomplishment of the ostensible object of its form- 
ation. Its Directors were George L. Woods, I. R. Moores, E. N. 
Cooke, J. H. Douthit, J. H. Moores, T. McF. Patton, Jacob Con- 
ser, A. M. Loryea, H. Boyd, A. L. Lovejoy, Phil. Wasserman, F. 

A. Chenoweth, S. Ellsworth, S. F. Chadwick, J. P. Russ, S. A. 
Clarke, J. H. D. Henderson, Jno. F. Miller, A. F. Hedges and S. 

B. Parrish. The board was officered as follows: President, I. R. 
Moores; Vice President, A. M. Loryea; Treasurer, E. N. Cooke; 
Secretary, S. A. Clarke. Holladay took hold of this organization 
in 1868 and at once infused it with some life and vigor; proposing 
to build the line from Portland, through the valley on the east side 
of the Willamette River and on to the southern boundary of the 
State, where it was to connect with the California and Oregon Road 
coming northward from San Francisco. Operations were soon be- 
gun. Ground was broken with much eclat, at East Portland on 
the sixteenth of April, 1868, in the presence of five thousand in- 
terested spectators, addresses being made by Hons. J. H. Mitchell, 



496 history of Willamette valley. 

John F. Caples, Rev. J. L. Parrish, and others. Mr. Parrish threw 
the first earth with a shovel made of Oregon silver. 

The capital stock of the company was $7,250,000, of which it 
was proposed to raise $4,800,000 on the first mortgage bonds, and 
the company promised to raise $450,000 in cash. With this 
financial basis, actual work was begun and pushed ahead with a 
good deal of vigor. Some embarrassments were created by the 
demands of the land owners along the line of the road for the 
right of way. Exorbitant prices were asked in many cases. Geo. 
E. Cole was authorized to negotiate for the right of way, and Hon. 
C. A. Dolph accompanied him most of the time as attorney for the 
company. On their return they related some very amusing 
anecdotes of their adventures and encounters with the Oregon 
pioneers, some of which forcibly illustrate the idea which people 
then had of the operations of railroad builders. They believed 
that the company had such an enormous quantity of money, that 
they would as soon give a thousand dollars for the right of way 
across a tract of land as to give a hundred. But when they met 
the company's agent they soon found their mistake, for while he 
was willing to pay all that was reasonable, he positively refused 
to accede to the extravagant demands made by many of the land 
owners along the route. A rancher in Clackamas County, whose 
claim of three hundred and twenty acres was, as improved, worth not 
to exceed $2,000, asked $3,000 for a strip through it, containing 
about fifteen acres. " What," said Mr. Cole, u that is more than the 
value of your entire claim. I will give you $300." " No, sir," 
replied the rancher, " we will never take it, will we wife," appeal- 
ing to his better half, who was present. " No, sir," she responded, 
" we'll law 'em till doomsday before we'll take it." After further 
consultation, the man and his wife fixed their very lowest price at 
$1,500, but the agent had made up his mind before he saw them, 
what he was going to give, and felt pretty sure, when they began 
to come down, that they would, at last, come to his figures. It 
took a good deal of talk, and the land owner and his wife argued 
long and earnestly to get the agent to raise his figures to $500, and 
seemed determined to stand by that sum, even to the extent of a 
law suit. Mr. Cole opened his grip sack, filled with $20 pieces, 
and counting out fifteen of them, tendered the man the $300, ask- 



HISTORY OF RAILWAYS. 497 

ing him and his wife to sign the deed of the right of way, which 
the attorney had all ready. It was refused, and the agent and 
lawyer started for their conveyance, which stood at the gate. As 
they reached the door, the man, seeing that business was meant, 
recalled them, and, with a good deal of seeming reluctance, con- 
sented to accept what was about four times as much for his land 
as he could have got for it, from any one else in the world. His 
claim is now worth $30 an acre, an increase in value largely 
attributable to the fact that the road was built across it, an event 
which he so strenuously endeavored to prevent. A great many 
others exhibited the same spirit, and had all the demands of the 
land owners along the line been complied with, the entire capital 
stock would scarcely have been sufficient to purchase the right of 
way. There were, however, some who were liberal to the com-, 
pany, beyond expectation, and gave every encouragement to 
the enterprise which was in their power. Lands for stations, 
side tracks, etc., were often secured at almost nominal rates. 
The people generally were anxious for the road, and if its 
completion has not filled their expectations of the benefits to 
be derived from it, every one who views the matter in its 
proper* light admits that those who opposed and hampered it 
in its incipiency, opposed the true interests of the country. And 
while there may be some who occasionally long for the return to 
muddy roads and ox teams, almost al) are willing to admit that 
the railroad era in Oregon was the great impetus, if not the begin- 
ning of its prosperity. 

The Willamette Valley alone contains over three million 
acres of agricultural land, of which, at least, one million is well 
adapted to the production of grain, and, in ordinary years, with 
proper cultivation, will produce an average of twenty bushels to 
the acre of wheat or barley, or thirty bushels of oats. Other 
products, equal in quantity, are possible, with the mild climate and 
prolific soil, and this valley alone, did the markets of the world 
furnish the demand, would yield fifty million tons of food products. 
With such a possible capacity and such a climate, the future of 
the Willamette can not be said to be doubtful. Without extremes 
of heat or cold, free from violent storms, earthquakes or other 
interruptions of nature's even course, no floods nor drouths, where 



498 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

good crops are the almost unexceptional rule, the products 
possible being almost everything growing any where in the tem- 
perate zone, a dense and prosperous population is certain in the 
future to mate this valley the garden spot of the country, unexcelled 
in its producing power by any region of the same size on the face 
of the earth. Hence, it was no short-sighted policy, or failure to 
predict the future, that led to the investment of capital in enter- 
prises looking toward doing the carrying trade of such a country. 
With the country sparsely settled, as it then was, and isolated by 
the vast distances from the densely -peopled countries of the world, 
it required a full comprehension of the advantages which Oregon 
offered to induce the undertaking, with years of efforts to be cer- 
tainly a necessity before paying returns could be expected. But 
those who undertook the task " built wisely," for they calculated 
upon a future which was almost assured. With two lines of rail- 
way from tide water, one on each side of the river, to the head of 
the valley, and feeders out into the tributary sections, a business 
will, in the not very distant future, be built up, that in magnitude 
ought to exceed that of any other system, of the same extent, in 
the world, and, as large quantities make cheap rates, the people of 
this valley ought then to enjoy a freedom from everything savoring 
of burdensome freight charges. 

The enthusiasm with which ground was broken for the East 
Side road had not abated when, with similar demonstrations, the 
same ceremony was gone through with on this side the river, with 
reference to the beginning of the West Side road. The commence- 
ment of these two roads at Portland, both in the same week, created 
the first real railroad boom which Portland enjoyed or suffered — 
the reader, if a Portlander, will take whichever of the terms suits 
him, according to the ultimate effects of the boom upon his indi- 
vidual financial interests. Other booms, from similar causes, have 
been experienced since. They come to every town to or through 
which a railroad is being built, their aggregate effects being some- 
what like those of the waves of the ocean upon the beach. If the 
mariner who is trying to reach the land strikes the wave right at its 
flood, he is carried to the firm shore, but coming upon it at its ebb, 
he is most probably carried back into the billows, and, without un- 
usual^effort, or extreme good fortune, engulfed and lost. In the 



HISTORY OF RAILWAYS. 499 

booms which Portland and Oregon have experienced in times of 
railroad or mining excitement, a few men have been fortunate 
enough to be landed by the wave upon financial terra fir ma, but a 
great many others have struck the boom at the wrong end and have 
been swept back into the yawning gulf of poverty by the tide which 
they expected would carry them to the golden shore of competence, 
if not of substantial wealth. The advantages which a country gets 
from the construction and operation of railways are not to be meas- 
ured by these temporary excitements in which business of all kinds 
is inflated beyond the ordinary demand or exigencies of the times, 
or what the actual bedrock facts of the situation require. These 
booms are, it is true, generally regarded as prosperous times, but 
they are not so much so as the surface of things indicate, and every 
good business man knows that the prosperity which they excite is 
of the mushroom character, and that the part of wisdom is to be pre- 
pared for the reactionary period which is sure to follow. 

Upon the beginning of railroad work in Oregon the usual effect 
was everywhere observable. The expenditure of large sums by 
the company was anticipated by the enlargement of investments 
in business of other kinds. Supplies of all commodities, which men 
buy a»d sell, were increased. Augmented facilities were added ; 
larger stores, and more of them, were demanded, rents went up, 
and real estate doubled or trebled in value, or rather in prices. 
Speculation was rife in everything, and, more especially, in land. 
Money was, or seemed to be, plenty, and many men engaged in 
business, apparently with the idea that this state of affairs would 
continue. Debts were incurred, upon the supposition that when 
they became due, the means to liquidate would be as easily 
obtainable as when they were contracted. Men paid high prices 
for things, of which they had no real need, and out of which no 
immediate profit could be expected, calculating upon a long con- 
tinued advance in values, not regarding the fact that values were 
fictitious, or, that when the public pulse began to indicate a de- 
cline of the fever, the vitality of speculation would suddenly 
weaken, and many enterprises possessed of much seeming vigor, 
would greatly relax, or totally collapse. Many, who then looked 
only at the shining side of the subject, now see their mistake, and 
regret that railroads were ever introduced into Oregon. But all 



500 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

who have been guided by their better judgment, who, in the times 
of excitement and inflation, kept in mind the fact that all former 
experience was to the effect that reaction would most certainly 
come, and regulated their affairs accordingly, now admit the great 
advantage which the country has derived from the work of those 
who first seriously undertook these great enterprises in the North- 
west. They see that the benefit was not the flush times or era of 
undue speculation, incident to the building of the roads, but in the 
gradual and permanent development of the country, which would 
follow upon the revolution of the transportation business, the in- 
creased facilities for intercourse and trade, and the impetus given 
to the general progress of the people toward what is regarded as 
the highest state of civilization. The greatest prosperity is not 
that which gives the speculator the largest returns on his venture, 
but that in which the whole people are inspired with confidence in 
the business situation, and feel a reasonable degree of assurance in 
the success of obtaining the united returns for the labor they per- 
form and the capital they invest in legitimate enterprises. Infla- 
tion and fluctuation of values always militate against that safe and 
permanent condition of affairs in which public confidence is most 
prevalent. The " greatest good," which the building of railways 
through a country, gives to the greatest number, is realized not in 
the era of speculation incident to the work of construction, but 
afterward, when the operation of such roads is the means by which 
the business pulse of the country is quickened, and a healthy busi- 
ness activity brought about. 

Such, notwithstanding the murmurs of the croakers, has been 
the effect of railroad enterprises in Oregon, and with a continuance 
of that fairness which has characterized their operations under the 
present management, the time will come when none will be found 
to regret that the days of pack trains and ox wagons, over long, 
rough and muddy roads in Oregon, have forever passed away. 

At the time ground was broken on the east side of the river, 
the company was known as the Oregon Central Railroad Company of 
Salem, the late I. R. Moores being President andS. A. Clarke, Sec- 
retary, but the leading spirits were Ben Holladay and C. Temple 
Emmett, and the company remained in existence and continued 
work under the old name until March, 1870, when The Oregon 



HISTORY OF RAILWAYS. 501 

Central was dissolved and The Oregon & California was organized 
with a new board of directors, as follows: Ben Holladay, W. L. 
Halsey, C. Temple Emmett, Geo. W. Weidler, I. R. Moores, C. H. 
Lewis, J. C. HaAvthorne and Medorem Crawford. Ben Holladay 
was chosen President, W. L. Halsey, Vice President, and A. G. 
Cunningham, the Secretary. The capital stock was fixed at $20,- 
000,000. This company also proposed to build the road on the 
east side of the river, extending it south through the Umpqua and 
Rogue River valleys to the California line. In the meantime the 
road had been finished to Albany, a distance of eighty miles from 
Portland. The company then owned six passenger cars, one Pres- 
ident's car, one hundred and thirty flats and box cars and seven 
locomotives. The steam ferry between Portland and East Port- 
land had also been built, and was launched in December, 1870. 
The road was, of course, accepted by the Government Commissioners, 
as all sorts of roads are, but much of the work was poorly done 
and soon needed repairs. Notably, the bridge across the Clacka- 
mas River was at once condemned by every one who had any knowl- 
edge of such things, as a piece of work most wretchedly designed 
and executed. It was used for some time, however, but when Hol- 
laday went out of railroading in Oregon, it was at once abandoned 
and a new one built. The rolling stock, however, was of a sub- 
stantial character, and the people found no fault with the road it- 
self though, then as now, there were plenty of men who began to 
be dissatisfied with its management and especially the attempt of 
Mr. Holladay, not only to be a railroad king, but also a political 
dictator. While the. company only had a short line of road, eighty 
miles in length, the head w T as cursed as a "grinding monopolist," 
whose aim was to get the whole country under his iron heel and 
crush out every enterprise that in any way interfered with his ob- 
jects. While this view of his character was, to a considerable ex- 
tent, exaggerated, there was some good ground for the hostility 
manifested toward him in this respect. As an example, he organized 
a local transfer company in Portland and, in connection with his 
railroad, river and ocean steamers and ferry, made such discrimina- 
tions as to drive almost every one in the business of transferring 
freight in the city out of it entirely, by imposing such burdens upon 
them as to make any profit in the business impossible. Charges for 



502 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

freights upon the road were quite high, and while the river was 
still open to the people, and some efforts were made to furnish 
transportation by that means at moderate rates by outside parties, 
Holladay got control of the principal fleet of boats on the Willam- 
ette, and by charging high figures for transportation by rail and 
very low rates by steamer, was able to crush out all opposition and 
at the same time save himself from actual loss in the aggregate. 
The criticisms of the press of the State upon his course induced 
him to undertake, at great expense, the enterprise of publishing a 
newspaper. He purchased a large plant and started the Portland 
Daily and Weekly Bulletin. Sparing no expense in the matter 
of obtaining news, and employing some of " the brightest, wisest 
and meanest" writers on the coast, he issued a journal that was 
at once a credit and a disgrace to the country. By persistent en- 
ergy on the part of the management of this paper, it obtained quite 
an extensive patronage, but never got much hold on the public 
confidence, and being the organ of one man, when he failed it soon 
followed suit. 

Reverting to the work proper of the railroad company, construc- 
tion south of Albany was vigorously pushed forward. Holladay 
had plenty of energy and succeeded in obtaining a large amount of 
money which he expended with a lavish hand. He went east in 
1872 and negotiated $10,950,000 of mortgage bonds at prices that 
netted about six and a half million dollars, and with this the road 
was completed to Roseburg and other enterprises embraced in the 
Holladay regime set on foot. These bonds sold by Holladay were 
never worth more in the market than he got for them, and in a few 
months after were quoted down to thirty-five cents on the dollar, a 
decline as much due to the way the road and its construction were 
managed as to aught else, though there have at no time yet been 
circumstances or good reasons why the road should be considered a 
good paying piece of property. Reaching Roseburg, two hundred 
miles south of Portland, in 1872, work was entirely suspended, 
means for further construction being exhausted, though, with a rea- 
sonable degree of economy, it has been asserted that the money 
which had been expended by Holladay would have finished and 
equipped it to the California line. When it reached the Calapooia 
Mountains it was confidently predicted that in eighteen months 



HISTORY OF RAILWAYS. 503 

more Portland would be connected by a continuous line with San 
Francisco and the east; the eastern connection has been made, but 
by another route and by other men than those thought of by the peo- 
ple, who had an idea formed on Holladay's liberal, if not extrava- 
gant, disbursement, that his resources were illimitable. 

But, though Holladay failed, he had accomplished a great work, 
and Western Oregon had her first railroad built through a country 
unsurpassed in fertility of soil or variety in all the resources the pos- 
session of which go to support convenience and prosperity of a peo- 
ple. The southern section of the road was generally of a very good 
character, and in ten or twelve years' operation has required only rea- 
sonable outlays for renewals and repairs. The rolling stock, though 
not extensive, was sufficient for the business offering and has gener- 
ally been kept up to the demands of the times. 

In point of time many other railroads in Oregon were projected 
and some of them carried to the extent of partial construction, be- 
fore, under other auspices, the Oregon and California line was again 
taken up and built to a point further south by one hundred and 
forty miles, reaching the town of Ashland, in Jackson County. 
This work was done in 1883-84 under the Villard management, 
the road having been leased to the Transcontinental Company by 
the bondholders, who took it in charge upon the failure of Holla- 
day. The country tapped by this extension embraces the Rogue 
River Valley, one of the finest sections of land in Oregon, and one 
long settled and peculiarly in need of railroad facilities, being with- 
out navigable streams and so remote from commercial centers of the 
Coast. The freight on supplies for the growing population of that 
region was oppressive to an extreme on consumers, while producers 
had no market for their products, except the local demand. Noth- 
ing could be shipped abroad except at a loss. On account of these 
high freights the Rogue River Valley was made as nearly self-sup- 
porting as possible, but twenty years ago the people of Jackson 
County alone were paying annual freight charges amounting to 
over 8100,000. Further development of that region, and the large 
population certain to fill it in a few years, will demonstrate the 
wisdom of the enterprise which extended the road into that section. 

The lease by the bondholders to the Oregon Transcontinental 
Company, however, was soon terminated, its validity being con- 



504 HISTOKY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

tested in the courts, and successfully impeached. The manage- 
ment, therefore, reverted to the Oregon & California Company, 
Mr. Koehler, Manager, the source of authority being the German 
bondholders, but the company retaining its old name. Under this 
management the road is now operated in a manner quite satisfac- 
tory to the public. It runs through the best portions of Clackamas, 
Marion, Linn, Lane, Douglas and Jackson counties, and, by 
careful management, is paying a small interest on the investment. 
The construction of the Oregon and California Road naturally 
stimulated the desire of the people on the west side of the 
Willamette River for a line of railway through the counties of 
Washington, Yamhill, Polk and Benton, on this side. These 
counties contain about one-half of the arable land of the Willam- 
ette Valley, and, with the development of their resources, will, 
one day, furnish a large and paying business to the roads now in 
operation through them, as well as to other branches yet to be 
built. 

Various projects for securing a road on the west side of the 
river had been broached, and some organizations, with a show of 
apparent strength, had been formed for the purpose of construct- 
ing such a road. But none of them did very much to advance the 
work which Holladay, who had control of a corporation known as 
the Oregon Central Railroad Company, evinced a disposition to 
undertake. It is not strictly within the scope of this article to put 
on record the history of the various organizations that were 
formed and that issued prospectuses, and made pretensions to the 
public as railroad companies, or volumes might be filled with the 
narration concerning corporations formed years ago with great 
flourish, but which, long ago, ceased to exist, having never accom- 
plished any part of the gigantic schemes set forth on paper. In 
those days almost everybody was talking in favor of railroads. 
The people who are often liable to go to extremes, were then as 
far from acting on the old maxim u the middle ground is the 
safest," as are those of the present time, who are unsparing in their 
denunciation of all railway corporations as monopolies and sub- 
versive of public prosperity. Those were willing to concede too 
much, these are unwilling to grant what is just. Men who gave 
hundreds of dollars to Ben Holladay to build the road on Fourth 



HISTORY OF RAILWAYS. 505 

Street, in Portland, a year or two afterwards expressed a willing- 
ness to give thousands if the track could be removed. But Holla- 
day, who had a clever way of eliciting contributions from the 
people, persuaded Port landers to believe that unless a large sub- 
sidy was given him, his road would be carried across the river, at 
a point five or six miles above their city. The fear that he would 
do this was, of course, not the most reasonable, but it answered 
the purpose, and the people made him the magnificent gift of one 
hundred thousand dollars to do something, the privilege to do 
which was worth more than that sum. For, by it, he obtained a 
direct and easy entrance into the heart of the city, whence his road 
was to secure most of its business, and it is doubtful if Ben Holla- 
day doesn't yet sometimes " laugh in his sleeve " at the way in 
which this princely donation was obtained. -But it taught the 
people of Portland a lesson, and they would not now, probably, 
donate a dollar for a station and side track on a line from the 
Elysian fields to Paradise. 

"With the hold he had upon the situation in Oregon, Holladay 
had not much trouble in getting control of the most promising 
organization on the west side of the river, and, having secured im- 
portant aid from Washington and Yamhill counties, in the way of 
guaranteed interest on bonds, in addition to the gift from Port- 
land, work was undertaken on the west side in 1870-71, with a 
good deal of energy. Some heavy grading and expensive bridging 
on the first few miles out from Portland made the work slow, and 
in the fall of 1871 only fourteen miles of iron had been laid. The 
next year, however, the road was finished to St. Joe, on the Yam- 
hill River, a distance, from Portland, of about thirty-five miles. 
This terminated Holladay 's work at building railroads in Oregon, 
and his decline, much less brilliant than his rising, began. He 
had done much for the State, and the people had done much for 
him, so that the honors w T ere about even, and the maledictions that 
were heaped on him were, in a measure, unjust. Where he left 
the west side road, it stood for some years, passing out of his 
hands in about the same way as did the east side division. It was, 
however, steadily operated, and did a fair business for a line of its 
length. He maintained a hold on the roads, however, for two or 
three years longer, and as late as May, 1875, waged a bitter fight 



506 niSTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

against a faction of the stockholders, with Jos. Gaston at the head, 
for the absolute control of the road. At a meeting, held in Port- 
land, May 27th, Stephen Coffin, W. T. Newby, Henry Bagster, 
Robt. Imbrie, D. C. Lewis, O. H. Kimball and Jos. Gaston, were 
elected a board of directors ; and on the same day the Holladay 
faction chose as directors Ben. Holladay, W. L. Halsey, J. N. 
Dolph, Geo. W. Weidler, H. W. Scott, M. Crawford and Jos. 
Gaston. Each of these factions claimed to be entitled to control 
the road, and to the possession of the company's office in Portland, 
over which, at one time, a small riot seemed imminent, the police 
of the city being called on to protect the Holladay men, who were 
in actual possession. Litigation long and vexatious ensued, which 
was finally terminated by a compromise, in which, it was said, 
some parties, who began with nothing, came out with fair-sized 
fortunes. The Holladay side came out victorious, at considerable 
expense, which so weakened the company, of which he was the 
head, that but a short time elapsed ere he gave up all control of 
Oregon railroads, and left the State, it is said, a good deal poorer 
than when he came into it. 

The West Side road, as it is usually called, received a very consid- 
erable amount of aid in the way of subsidies and land grants, more, 
proportionately, than any other road in Oregon. Congress gave 
twenty sections of land per mile, Portland gave $100,000 outright, 
Yamhill County guaranteed interest on bonds to the amount of 
$75,000, and Washington County, we believe, to the amount of 
$50,000. The people, also, individually were liberal in their treat- 
ment of the enterprise, and grounds for stations, side-tracks, right 
of way, etc., was secured with comparatively small outlay. But 
only the fifty miles between Portland and St. Jo. were built with 
all this help, and the people of the southwest quarter of the valley 
were compelled to wait several years longer before they obtained 
any railway communication with the balance of the State. After 
the failure of Holladay another and more powerful than he turned 
his attention to railroad matters in Oregon. The eyes of Wall Street 
were directed to the Northwest, and Henry Villard came hither to 
take a closer survey of the advantages which the situation presented. 
He was a man in some respects like Holladay, but in others the 
exact opposite. His views were broader, his manner polished and 



HISTORY OF RAILWAYS. 507 

his methods far more systematic. His movements were altogether 
upon a larger scale. Holladay's plan was to control the commerce 
of the Northwest Coast; VillarcTs to form it as a part of the great 
commercial system of the whole country of the United States. Hol- 
laday would become an important tributary; Villard assumed to be 
a co-equal branch. Holladay failed because of his lack of economy; 
Villard rather missed success by reason of financial stringency, 
then beginning to be felt throughout the country and which has 
since become so general and engulfed such a vast number of men 
and so many stupendous enterprises. Both did a great work for 
Oregon, and for much that they did deserve the gratitude of the 
people. Both failed, and while both are remembered, the kinder 
feelings of the people are doubtless for the one whom disaster over- 
took rather than for the one who brought it on himself. 

Mr. Villard, possessed of and representing vast capital, saw the 
resources of this region with the eye of a prophet, took hold of the 
work with the hand of a giant and conducted it with the policy of 
a diplomat. He interested all and repulsed none. Grasping con- 
trol of railroad matters with a firm hand and imbued with an en- 
thusiasm and an ambition to accomplish a great work, he called to 
his aid all the elements within his reach. He awoke an interest in 
the people and brought into fuller recognition the possibilities of 
the country. His grand idea of a direct road across the continent, 
taken up where the crash of 1873 and the failure of Jay Cooke had 
left it, at once resolved itself into practical form, and the stupendous 
work at once begun. With the vigor of his own mind it was 
pushed forward, and, while he gave it all his strength and fortune, 
he lived, financially, to see the fruition of his hope in its comple- 
tion ; but weakened by the supreme effort, was compelled to yield 
his position among the moneyed magnates and commercial kings of 
the world. 

To Mr. Villard's influence and work is not only due the grati- 
tude of the people of the Xorthwest, for the two thousand miles of 
road which connect us with the East, but throughout the State 
monuments of his enterprise may be found to remind all portions, 
of his day.- The branch road from Albany to Lebanon in Linn 
county, the extension from St. Jo. to Corvallis, and from Roseburg 
to Ashland, are all the result of his efforts, and bring the AYillam- 



508 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

ette Valley system about up to the demands of the times. The line 
to Paget Sound, though finished after his retirement from the con- 
trol, is a part of his great plan and the result of his efforts, as is 
also the branch from Umatilla to Baker City. These various roads, 
forming a partially completed system, that will give the Northw.est 
almost perfect facilities for transportation and intercourse, certainly 
constitute a monument to the ability, enterprise and energy of their 
projectors and builders, that will be as enduring as the hills which 
they pierce, and keep the memory of Oregon's pioneer railroad men 
green as the valleys they traverse. 

What is known as the narrow-gauge roads, built by the Orego- 
nian Kailway Company (limited), William Reid, President, have 
hardly fulfilled the expectations of the projectors, though had the 
original design been carried out, they would have formed a very 
important part of the transportation system of the Willamette Val- 
ley. The plan of Mr. Reid was to connect these roads with Port- 
land, and the grading was done to a point within ten miles of the 
city, but a failure to secure certain privileges within the city limits 
caused a stoppage of the work which has not yet been renewed. 
Construction was begun in 1879 and carried steadily forward for 
two years, the road being finished to Dallas in Polk county, in May, 
1880, and to Silverton in Marion county, in July of the same year, 
the former being on the west side and the latter on the east side of 
the river. The point of commencement was at Ray's Landing on 
the Willamette, about forty miles above Portland, where it was 
designed to construct a bridge, thus connecting the two lines at 
that point. Though these roads have not been finished, nor the 
bridge built, they have done an important business, tapping, as 
they do, large sections of the best agricultural lands in the State, 
the western branch having been extended to Airlie in Polk county, 
and the eastern to Coburg in Linn county. They have been used 
to quite an extent as feeders to the transportation business done by 
steamers on the Willamette River, but the passenger traffic has 
never been large. Some steps are now being taken, looking to- 
ward the extension of these roads so as to render them more avail- 
able as outlets for the country they were designed to serve. They 
were, at one time, in a state of active operation which induced a 
feeling of rivalry with the Oregon and California lines, but the 



HISTORY OF RAILWAYS. 509 

latter very easily overcome what opposition the narrow-gauge roads 
offered and ultimately obtained control of them. 

The Oregon Pacific Railroad Company deserves more than a 
passing notice, because of the work which it has mapped out and 
the energy which has been displayed, in the face of great difficulty, 
in carrying it forward. In 1875 the question of the construction 
of a railway from Yaquina Bay to Corvallis, which had long been 
agitated, assumed a definite form, and the people of Benton and 
Linn counties were asked to aid the enterprise, which they did by 
very liberal subscriptions. Work was shortly begun at Yaquina 
Bay, but has been delayed by various causes, and now the com- 
pleted portion of the road is just nearing Corvallis. The design 
is to carry it on through the upper valley across the Cascade 
Mountains and Eastern Oregon, to a junction with the Central 
or Union Pacific. At least, it bids fair to be the first railroad in 
Oregon to connect the Willamette Valley with the Pacific Ocean, 
and when the harbor at Yaquina is improved, as it should be, by 
the General Government, this line will do a large business, and 
form an important part of the transportation system of the State. 
Mr. T. Egerton Hogg, who is at the head of the enterprise, though, 
perhaps, not representing as much capital as either Villard or 
Holladay, has staid with the work with commendable perseverance, 
and has seen the downfall of both these powerful magnates, while 
he has held his own, or gone steadily, though slowly, forward. 

Of the roads doing the local business of the Willamette Valley, 
only two have been aided by land grants, and these have not been 
the sources of revenue that most people imagine. The east side 
division of the Oregon and California has earned, under the acts of 
Congress, one million seven hundred and eighteen thousand four 
hundred and seventy-eight acres, and the west side division two 
hundred and thirty-seven thousand. Of the latter portion eleven 
thousand eight hundred and forty-two acres had been sold by the 
Oregon Central Company before its consolidation in 1880 with the 
O. & C. Since the consolidation, there were sold, up to May, 
1882, one hundred and forty-six thousand one hundred and forty- 
seven acres, leaving a balance undisposed of, at that time, of over 
one and three-quarter million acres. The sales, during the two 
years past, have not proportionately increased, and all the sales 



510 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

that have been made would probably not have paid the expenses 
of repairs on the roads for any one year of their operation. The 
assistance which the people of the State gave to these roads has 
been of more actual money value to them, as yet, than the land 
grants, though, when the lands still held by them, come into de- 
mand, very considerable sums may yet be realized from them. 

The various individuals who have been prominent in railway 
matters in this valley, mainly came from abroad to confer the ben- 
efits of their experience upon the State, and quite a number of them 
are of foreign birth. This State has not as yet bred any distin- 
guished financiers, although quite a number of her adopted citizens 
have manifested sufficient intelligence and enterprise to have at- 
tained a reputation even in so arduous a work as railway construc- 
tion and operation. During its existence the Oregon and California 
Railroad has served to test the judgment, perseverance and energy 
of its builders and operators as strenuously as any line in America; 
and, beyond a doubt, those who have conducted it have found their 
task a most trying one. Of late years the control and management 
of this road has fallen exclusively into the hands of Mr. R. Koehler, 
and the financial and other difficulties which have beset the com- 
pany are on the road to a happy solution. Mr. Koehler, by his 
familiarity with the road and its needs, has made himself a most 
capable and indispensable manager, and in the ten years or more of 
his connection with it, has seen it grow from the nucleus formed by 
Ben Holladay, into the extensive system which the Oregon and 
California Railroad Company own and maintain to-day. 

The intimate connection which the necessities of traffic foster 
between an important railroad and the inhabitants of the country 
through which it passes, requires that the management of such a 
road shall partake of qualities of perseverance and judgment in a 
marked and extraordinary degree. It has been pointed out how 
Ben Holladay failed partly through his autocratic behavior, and 
partly through the system of wasteful expenditure fostered during 
his regime. On the accession of Mr. Koehler, who, as agent of 
the German bondholders, whose purses sustain this, the principal 
railway of Oregon, the injurious policy of his predecessor was in- 
stantly abandoned, and a careful and conscientious mode of pro- 
cedure took its place. Instead of the overbearing, tyrannical and 



HISTORY OF RAILWAYS. oil 

cowboyish behavior of the first epoch, the gentlemanly and cour- 
teous methods of the polished business world came in vogue and 
still remains. It has been well said that " Mr. Koehler brings to 
bear, in the handling of the road, an experience and judgment that 
are extremely valuable. He is an affable, courteous gentleman, 
enjoying the confidence and respect of the owners of the road, as 
well as all who come in contact with him. His official conduct is 
marked by an enlightened regard for the true interests of the 
country through which the road passes." 

The principal officers of the Oregon and California Road at the 
beginning of the year 1885, were, H. Villard, President ; C. E. 
Bretherton and Donald Macleay, Vice-Presidents ; R. Koehler, 
General Manager ; E. P. Rogers, General Freight and Passenger 
Agent ; and J. Brandt, Superintendent. The Oregon Railway 
and Navigation Company's affairs in the valley are administered 
by Elijah Smith, President ; C. H. Prescott, Vice-President and 
Manager ; Dr. P. T. Keene, Assistant Manager ; and A. L. Stokes, 
General Freight and Traffic Agent. Messrs. Prescott, Keene and 
Stokes reside in Portland, while the stock of the road is mostly 
held in the East, and the President resides there. The Northern 
Pacific Railway officials resident in Portland are A. D. Charlton, 
General Western Passenger Agent ; and P. Schulze, Land Agent. 
Robert Harris, of New York, is thePresident, and T. F. Oakes, 
Vice-President. 

To conclude, it may be said that Oregon has obtained fair rail- 
road facilities, with as little trouble and actual expense to the 
people as any other State in proportion to her population, and 
though there have been instances when the complaints of the 
people had good foundation, there never has been a moiety of the 
cause for the denunciation of railroads, that has time and again 
been furnished by the relentless monopolies that control the carry- 
ing trade of our sister State on the south. Generally, the manage- 
ment of the roads has been mingled with a degree of fairness that 
has made their exactions bearable, if not satisfactory to the public. 
Rates of transportation have, it is true, been tolerably high, but 
those who comprehend the great expense of building and operating 
the roads, see the necessity, in a country comparatively sparsely 
settled, of higher rates than could be justified when by reason of 



512 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

the greater population, the business is by so much increased. Ex- 
tremists on the subject of monopolies are seldom right, and legisla- 
tion upon it ought to be begun with careful scrutiny of probable re- 
sults upon the commercial interests of the country. While such 
legislation ought to go to the constitutional limit in guarding the 
rights and furnishing adequates remedies for the wrongs of the 
people at large, it ought not to cripple this all -important part of 
our commercial system by unjust or useless restrictions. Properly 
controlled and regulated, the railroad enterprises become a most 
powerful factor in promoting the general prosperity of the country, 
but when by a persistent opposition to the maintainance of their 
legal rights by the people, or when by extortion and oppression by 
the roads, war springs up between them and the public, it results 
in evil only, to both sides. There are now in operation in Oregon 
less than one thousand miles of railroad, all told, to furnish 
transportation for the products of a tract of country capable of 
sustaining a population of more than two million people, and of 
furnishing the world's markets with millions of tons of staple 
food products. 

Hundreds of miles of road are yet needed or will be in a few 
years when the population increases, as it will. The four roads 
leading out of Portland will be fed by branches coming from the 
various sections of. the Willamette Valley and from the plains of 
Eastern Oregon and from Washington Territory, constituting one 
grand system and doing the business of a region greater in extent, 
richer in products and better adapted to the support of a large pop- 
ulation than any one of several states, each of which now have five 
times the facilities in this respect possessed by Oregon. With mod- 
eration in the laws affecting- this important interest, so that the peo- 
ple will be treated with fairness, the rights of persons and property 
protected, we may, with confidence, look forward to a supply of the 
demand of the country for further improvements of the kind, and 
the time when Oregon shall rank with the older states in the facil- 
ities enjoyed for the intercourse of her people and the business of 
the times; — a time when every home in our State shall be closely 
connected with every other by the iron band, and the iron horse 
shall wake the echoes in every green valley and on every hillside 
in our fair State. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

DESCRIPTION OF THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Boundaries of the Valley — Dimensions — Streams — Mountains — Cas- 
cade Range — Peaks — The Minto Pass — Coast Range — Animal In- 
habitants — Trapping and Hunting — Distances — Elevation of Places 
on the Willamette River — Lands — Prairie and Timbered Lands — 
Those First Taken Up — Foothill Lands — Their Importance and 
Great Value — Brush Lands — Advantages — Location — Unoccupied 
Lands of Value — Altitude of Vacant Lands — How Brush Lands are 
Cleared — Railroad and Government Land — Amount of Vacant Land 
in the Valley — Railroad Grants — Timbered Sections — Catalogue of 
Forest Trees — Valuable Sorts — Trees Which Grow on Low Lands — 
Conjectures Regarding the Amount of Timber now Standing — Effect 
of Denuding the Land of Trees — Injurious Results Predicted — 
Forest Fires Produce Vast Damage and Should be Prevented. 

THE Willamette Valley constitutes the most valuable portion of 
the State of Oregon, and, in fact, of the Pacific Northwest; while 
in point of fertility it is inferior to no locality in the United States. 
It lies on both sides of the Willamette River — whence its name — 
and extends to the ranges of mountains which enclose it upon either 
side. To avoid ambiguity we will, in the following pages, consider 
that the valley embraces not only the flat or nearly flat land be- 
tween the base of the mountains, but includes the inner slopes of 
the mountains which are drained by the river, namely, the eastern 
slope of the Coast Range, and the western slope of the Cascades. 

To the north the valley terminates at the Columbia River, 
whereto the Willamette River flows, while on the south its boundary 
is the Calapooia Mountains, which form the watershed separating 
the Willamette from the Umpqua valley. Thus the dimensions of 
the valley are about one hundred and thirty miles in length, by one 



514 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

hundred in average breadth ; whence the area is computed to be 
thirteen thousand square miles, or nearly one-seventh of the whole 
State of Oregon. There are several remarkable geographical facts 
in this connection, which it is suitable to point out. If the reader 
will provide himself with a map of the Northwestern portion of 
America, he will have his attention directed to the unique system 
of parallelism of the rivers, mountain ranges and coast lines of this 
part of the world. Notice the north and south line which the Coast 
Range and Cascades pursue, and their close parallelism with the 
course of the Pacific shore. Of necessity the Willamette flows in 
the same direction and discharges into the Columbia at a point 
about one hundred miles from the ocean. Observe the numerous 
affluents of the Willamette, and compare their number with the 
comparative dearth of living streams in the eastern portion of this 
State and the adjacent Territories. There are the Tualatin, Cheha- 
lem, Yamhill, La Creole, Luckiamute, Mary's River, Long Tom, 
Coast Fork, McKenzie, Calapooia, Santiam, Mill Creek, Putin 
(miscalled " Pudding "), Molalla, and Clackamas, all streams of 
note and importance in every sense. Some of these are navigable; 
and all flow from their elevated source in the mountains, through 
heavy, dense forests, then enter upon a slower course through fertile 
bottom lands, and finally reach their destination in the Willamette. 
The observing student of geography will doubtless cast his eye 
upon the page where is indicated the station of the mighty range 
which stands forever on guard to the eastward. Far out of sight 
to the north, among the Alaskan wilds, are Mts. St. Elias and Fair- 
weather — the former named for a Russian saint, and the only 
lofty mountain so far from the Equator. Southward are Mts. 
Brown (16,000 feet high) and Hooker (15,700); both are in the 
British Possessions. Just within the American boundary is Baker, 
a redoubtable volcano, still active, and ten thousand eight hundred 
and fourteen feet high, although a large portion of its top fell in or 
off in October, 1864. Next comes Rainier, or Tacoma, fourteen 
thousand and four hundred feet high and one of the loftiest moun- 
tains in the United States, and regarding its height above its own 
base, one of the highest in the world. It rises from a compara- 
tively lew situation. St. Helens, south of Rainier, is nine thousand 
seven hundred and fifty feet in altitude, if we may believe the to- 



DESCRIPTION OF THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 515 

pographical surveyors, and Adams is somewhat less, though the 
latter was once supposed to have been just thirteen thousand two 
hundred and fifty -eight feet. South of the Columbia, Hood towers 
aloft to a height of eleven thousand two hundred and' twenty-five 
feet, and is the most noticeable peak of the whole chain. Its fame 
is great; and when its height became a matter of speculation, there 
were men who said it was twenty thousand feet high, and these 
figures went down on maps. Later they fixed on eighteen thousand 
as a good round, majestic-sounding number, and clung to that until 
the military surveys of Colonel Williamson in 1867 proved to the 
sorrow of Oregon that the peak was but eleven thousand two hun- 
dred and twenty-five feet high above sea-level. It has been as- 
cended many times and the trip is not dangerous nor particularly 
fatiguing. The ascent has been made, in at least two instances, by 
ladies. Mount Jefferson (9,000 feet high) and the Three Sis- 
ters are also snow peaks, but of less than Hood's altitude. The 
former is east by south of Salem, the latter are at the head of Mc- 
Kenzie Fork. At the head of the main branch of the Willamette 
is Diamond Peak, marked ^ve thousand and five hundred feet alti- 
tude in most maps, but undoubtedly through mistake, for the moun- 
tain can not be much less than nine thousand feet, according to the 
judgment of capable mountaineers and travelers. 

The main range of the Cascades, aside from the prominent peaks 
named, is supposed to average about seven thousand feet high, with 
some few " passes ■" at lower levels, notably, the Minto Pass at the 
head of the North Santiam, five thousand iive hundred and thirty- 
six feet in altitude by barometrical determinations, and another near 
by, six hundred and twenty-five feet less. By those a railroad 
could be built over the range, whose average grade from Salem to 
the summit would be but fifty feet per mile. Such a road has long 
been proposed, and lacks only the ripeness of time to become a re- 
ality. A number of valley people have been more or less wrapped 
up in the idea of railway connection with Eastern Oregon by way 
of the Minto Pass, and its necessity, if it exists, will doubtless be 
decided in the not distant future. The discovery of the Minto Pass 
is by Mr. Minto ascribed to the Canadian trappers and settlers in 
Marion county, who, about 1844 and earlier, were in the habit of 
crossing over from the Willamette to the DesChutes River to trap 



516 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

and hunt. Bat this fact was not generally known. Stephen Hall 
Meek, brother of Joseph Meek, had, however, ascertained the fact, 
and deeming it likely that the route would be practicable for im- 
migrants he, in 1845, undertook to lead a party to the Willamette 
from Fort Hall by the new route. They proceeded up the Malheur 
River and got safely to the east slope of the Cascades, but could 
not find the trail of the trappers. Their condition becoming des- 
perate, they were about to do violence to their guide, when he fled 
from their wrath. They, finally, after severe suffering, got safely to 
the Willamette via The Dalles. Mr. Minto is of the opinion that 
The Dalles route should have crossed the Cascades at the head of 
the Santiam River (Minto Pass), instead of the circuitous and dif- 
ficult route it took. 

The Coast Range presents fewer points of interest than the Cas- 
cades, inasmuch as it is less lofty, does not separate the valley from 
any extensive country beyond, and hence is not such a barrier to 
maukind as the more notable range. It is, however, u very beau- 
tiful and picturesque chain of mountains, and except by being over- 
shadowed by its mighty rival, would be exceedingly prominent and 
important. Its maximum height does not rise to the snow line, 
and, indeed, is scarcely more than i\ve thousand feet. The highest 
summits are in Benton county, and are of little prominence, ex- 
cepting Mary's Peak, near Corvallis. 

Within the forests which cover the flanks of the great ranges 
roam many species of wild animals, some of them valuable for 
food or their fur. The elk is one of them, although this magnifi- 
cent game animal has become almost extinct in this part of 
Oregon, and now is to be found in small numbers only about the 
head of the Nehalem River, while a very few specimens inhabit 
the Cascades about Mount Jefferson, where they live in compara- 
tive securitv, far from the haunts of men. The black-tail deer is 
very plenty, and under the protection of a good game lavv, vigi- 
lantly enforced, will, no doubt, continue so. The black bear finds 
ample stores of food in the roots and berries of this favored 
region, and is able, on occasion, to tempt his omnivorous appetite 
with the flesh of such of the lesser animals as he may capture by 
surprise. Though his strength is great, the bear is a timid animal, 
and, under ordinary circumstances, not dangerous. Along with 



DESCRIPTION OF THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 51 7 

the bear, and, occupying, like him, the densely wooded canyons 
and slopes, the puma is found. He is distinctly carnivorous, is 
very powerful and active, and is known by the names of Oregon 
lion, mountain lion, cougar, and panther. He is, in appearance, 
like a great, fawn -colored cat ; is seven, or even eight feet in ex- 
treme length, including a tail which measures thirty inches, and is 
thought to weigh as much as two hundred pounds. His consti- 
tutional cautiousness prevents him from being dangerous to man, 
and he is merely a troublesome neighbor, prone to destroy young 
stock. Of lesser animals there are the coyote, the wild cat, and the 
other ordinary forest inhabitants of this latitude. 

The skins of some of these animals have been sought for, and, 
in past years, have furnished a portion of the resources of the 
country. Now, the fur-bearing animals are nearly extinct, and 
their pursuit is not followed except by a few who, through the 
winter, brave the isolation and the cold, trapping the remnant of 
the former forest inhabitants. 

Though the most valuable fur-bearing animals have long since 
disappeared from the forests and rivers, there are a great many 
game animals, which furnish such sport for the hunter as few 
localities can equal. The streams, too, are full of trout, and, in 
their season, salmon and salmon trout, and the combination of fish 
and game and scenery, makes Western Oregon an exceptionally 
favorable sphere for the pleasure seeker's exertions. 

Travelers have spoken in terms of admiration of the magnificent 
scenery of the Cascades, with the gigantic snow peaks, standing at 
measured distances, as if guarding the land they overlook ; the 
grand evergreen forests, almost endless in extent; the numerous 
lakes with which the region is clotted ; the valley to the west, with 
the dark back-ground of the Coast Range, bounding the extensive 
prospect. No finer views exist in any land. With very many 
considerations affecting it, it is a fact that no country in the world 
possesses more attractions, inviting the tourist and the pleasure 
seeker, than this portion of Oregon. To enumerate these attrac- 
tions is to recall the glories of a delightful summer and a moderate 
and even winter climate ; to describe and compare the changing 
phases of gorgeous and sublime scenery ; to expatiate upon the 
luxuriance of rich vegetable productions ; and to realize the hospi- 
tality and kindliness of a generous public. 



518 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

The Willamette flows, as has been stated, parallel with the coast, 
from which it is distant, in the mean, about fifty miles. From 
Eugene City the distance to the nearest point on the coast is fifty 
miles; from Corvallis, forty-two miles; Albany, forty-eight; Salem, 
fifty-one; Oregon City, sixty-six; Portland, sixty-two; all these 
towns lie upon the river. The summits of the Coast Range are at 
distances varying from twenty to thirty-eight miles from the sea, 
while the mean distance of the Cascade Range from the Pacific may 
be set down as one hundred and ten miles. The mouth of the Wil- 
lamette is in latitude 45° 32' north; longitude 122° 45' west of 
Greenwich. The southern extremity of the valley is approximately 
in 43° 40' north latitude. The States of Wisconsin, Michigan, 
New York, and Massachusetts are in nearly the same latitude. 

The central portion of the valley lies at an elevation of from 
seventy to four hundred feet above tide water, as the figures follow- 
ing will show: The heights are referred to the level of the " basin " 
below the Willamette Falls. Baker's Prairie, near Oregon City, 
is one hundred and thirty-five feet above said level; Molalla Prai- 
rie, one hundred and thirty-seven; Barlow's, forty-nine and a half; 
the surface of Pudding River (formerly known as Putin, of which 
"Pudding" is a clumsy imitation), thirty-seven; French Prairie, 
one hundred and thirty-eight; Lake La Biche, ninety-seven; Salem 
(corner of Commercial and State Streets), one hundred and thirteen; 
Jefferson, one hundred and seventy-three; Albany, one hundred and 
sixty-one; Corvallis, one hundred and fifty; Eugene City, three 
hundred and seventy -three. To these elevations must be added a 
constant quantity representing the height of the " basin " above 
sea-level, which, for ordinary purposes, may be assumed as twenty 
feet. 

On the arrival of the earlier settlers in the valley, the lands were 
found to consist of two sorts — forest and " prairie " — the latter bare 
of vegetation other than the rank grasses which then grew luxuri- 
antly upon every open spot. The prairie extended on both sides of 
the river from the vicinity of the Falls of the Willamette southward 
to the Calapooias. Nearly all the elevations of land were timbered, 
but hardly to their present extent. The Indians, it is said, were in 
the habit of burning the brush upon the hills to serve some aborig- 
inal purpose, and this custom perishing with the natives, the hills 



DESCRIPTION OF THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 519 

now are covered with brush and young trees which are said to 
have made their growth since the cessation of that custom. Ex- 
cepting for the marks of tillage on cultivated fields, and the evi- 
dences of civilization, the valley remains, as regards its salient 
features, about as the first explorers found it. There are the broad 
and fertile prairies separated by streams, shaded by strips of wood- 
land, and the heavy forests of timber trees, covering the mountains 
and hilly slopes as with a garment. 

The first acts of the earlier settlers were to select the most avail- 
able tracts of prairie as the sites of the future homes. Some, with 
a more skilled prescience than the majority, laid claim to such 
tracts as in the nature of things would become most valuable. Thus 
the lands in the vicinity of boat landings and water-powers were soon 
taken. There was a sufficiency of land for all, though the Donation 
Land Act, passed by Congress for the exclusive benefit of Oregon, 
gave to each married settler the generous subsidy of six hundred and 
forty acres of land of his own selection, and to the single person 
three hundred and twenty acres. With such inducements immi- 
grants came in rapidly, and in due process of time the valley be- 
came, as to its prairie, covered by the claims of permanent settlers. 
The level open land was nearly all occupied thirty years since, and 
the settlements extended to the edges of the great forests which 
clothe the flanks of the inclosing ranges. The later increase in 
population has been co-incident with the divisions of the original 
donation claims, and to a less extent the settlement of waste spaces 
or partially wooded tracts. 

Outside of the level prairies there is a belt of rolling land verg- 
ing into hills and mountains in the higher portions, which extends 
almost entirely around the valley and constitutes a very valuable 
part of the country. The soil is mainly basaltic and sandstone, and 
of great general fertility. Its products are more diversified than 
those of the lower lands and frequently exceed them in quality. 
These rolling or hill lands are usually covered with brush and re- 
quire to be cleared before cultivation is possible. The principal 
advantages of these brushy tracts are good soil, natural drainage, 
good water, a climate beyond the reach of malaria, an ample and 
general supply of wood for fuel and building purposes, and com- 
parative freedom from early frosts. The latter consideration has 



520 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

not yet received due attention, but it is probable that a moderate 
elevation secures here the same advantages as are known to exist in 
the hilly regions of California and elsewhere. The subject, how- 
ever, requires further investigation. 

The tract now being described does not by any means embrace 
all the so-called brush lands of the valley, but includes the greater 
portion. There are comparatively small tracts of bushes and young 
trees in nearly every section, but they are isolated by stretches of 
prairie. The foot-hill lands, as we may with propriety term them, 
lie at an elevation of from five hundred to two thousand feet, 
roughly speaking, and vary greatly in width between those bound- 
aries. At present it is only to stock-growers that these lands pre- 
sent encouragement. To them, the excellent water, green grass and 
freedom from burrs that injure wool, are superior inducements. 
When cleared, the brush lands will be as productive as any that 
exist. Such special occupations as bee-keeping, the raising of goats, 
the fattening of cattle for the shambles, and the raising of most va- 
rieties of fruit and vegetables, will doubtless find, a better location 
there than elsewhere. 

Large quantities of these desirable lands, mostly wooded, lie 
about the upper courses of nearly every one of the tributaries of 
the Willamette, and only await the hand of the energetic settler to 
produce abundantly. Such lands have the advantage of drying 
earlier in the year than valley lands, whereby it becomes possible 
to cultivate the soil to better advantage. The cause is that the water 
runs quickly off these sloping surfaces, whereas it remains for a time 
on the level plains, and is only removed, usually, by the slow 
process of evaporation. A greater variety of farm products can be 
raised in the hills, and their quality is choicer. 

The greater extent of valuable hill lands exists in Lane and other 
southern counties where, on the large affluents of the Willamette, 
room for many hundred settlers is easily found. Of these streams, 
the McKenzie, the Coast Fork and the main Willamette, are the 
principal. The second named is, by way of example, a fine stream, 
flowing northward over a rocky bottom, through narrow channels 
and entering the main river not far from Eugene city. Fifteen 
miles above its mouth three lovely valleys join, of which the prin- 
cipal one is twenty -five miles long and three wide. Through it the 



DESCRIPTION OF THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 521 

Oregon & California Railroad runs, and it is settled well, contain- 
ing fine farms and a flourishing community. Other branches of 
the Coast Fork rise in the dense evergreen forest that clothes the 
Calapooias, sixty miles above Eugene. For forty miles of the 
course of the Coast Fork, settlements have been made, but the re- 
maining length is mostly unoccupied. The valley land along the 
stream is said to be held at from five to thirty dollars per acre. The 
McKenzie flows through large tracts of unclaimed timber and rail- 
road lands, where settlement might be profitably made. They are 
accessible by means of a good road. 

Much good agricultural land lies as high as two thousand, 
five hundred feet, being in small, isolated valleys, and difficult of 
access. The quality of soil is said to be high, producing with un- 
failing regularity the crops possible to the latitude. They are par- 
ticularly adapted to stock-raising, and are partially occupied for 
that purpose. Still, there are many thousands of acres yet subject 
to settlement. 

As for the mode of clearing brush lands, it is recommended to 
slash down the bushes in June; by September they will be dry and 
may be burned. The larger poles are used oftentimes for fencing 
or for fuel. The growth usually consists of oak grubs, young fir, 
maple, hazel, etc. None of these trees reach much size except in 
age, and hence may be easily handled and removed from the soil. 
The fern is a far more troublesome growth, requiring much labor, 
time and patience for its extirpation. It grows in many fields, both 
in the prairies and in the hills, and gives a vast deal of trouble by 
its presence. It lives at almost any altitude and is found growing 
high up on the Cascades. The Chinese are most frequently em- 
ployed for clearing brush land, for which their charges are about 
ten dollars per acre for felling and burning the growth, and eighty- 
five cents per cord for chopping the sticks into cord wood. The 
lands uncleared are supposed to be worth at present about five dol- 
lars per acre. A great many rails are made from the fir saplings 
which grow in such profusion, and the newly-cleared fields are 
usually fenced with them. There are, approximately, two millions 
of acres of brush lands lying unclaimed, a large proportion of it 
in the central portion of the valley, the remainder verging into the 
great timber belts. Wheat grown in the new fields is free from all 



522 history of Willamette valley. 

injurious seeds — that is, it is clean. Commonly enough, the farm- 
ers slash and barn the brash at the proper season and then sow 
wheat which they brush into the ashes by dragging a clump of 
bashes over it, no plowing or harrowing being done. The result 
usually is a crop of wheat of twenty to thirty bushels per acre, 
which frequently pays all the expenses of bringing the soil into 
cultivation. The stumps of fir and hardwood trees rot quickly and 
disappear from the husbandman's track, and more enduring sorts 
are usually left alone until time compasses their destruction. 

The vacant lands of the Willamette Valley, or those open to 
settlement, are of four kinds — United States Government, State, 
Railroad and Wagon Koad grants, and School and University lands. 
As elsewhere, the Government lands are held at the price of one 
dollar and twenty -five cents per acre, or in case of lands within the 
limits of railroad grants, at double this rate. The railroad lands are 
subject to a price which varies according to location, being from one 
dollar and twenty-five cents to seven dollars per acre. They are, 
moreover, to be had on favorable terms as to time and modes of 
payment. Generally speaking, ten years 1 credit is given, or less, ac- 
cording to the requirements of the purchaser. The Oregon & Cal- 
ifornia Railway has yet a large portion of its grant in its possession, 
and the character of their land compares, of course, favorably with 
that of the adjoining Government or private holdings. It is chiefly 
hill land, covered more or less thickly with brush, often bearing an 
immense amount of the finest timber, but sometimes is open prairie, 
suitable for cultivation and grazing. In respect to the cost of clear- 
ing, it is the same as the adjacent tracts. It is well for intending 
purchasers to bear in mind that the lands spoken of as vacant are 
so because they require to be cleared before they will be of any use. 
As for their productiveness, they are not generally a whit behind 
the best valley lands, and they have, as before pointed out, very 
great advantages over any valley land. As to the total -quantity of 
unoccupied or untilled lands suitable for settlement along the edges 
of the valley, there can not be much less than two million acres, 
making proper deductions for tracts which are worthless because 
too rocky or too steep. This amount would be, in the present con- 
dition of affairs in Oregon, capable of supporting from fifty thousand 
to one hundred thousand persons; and a greater number, of course, 



DESCRIPTION OF THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 523 

when the condition of trade, and particularly of agriculture, shall 
have advanced. At present, such tracts yield no income to any 
person, excepting the few who graze cattle or sheep in the more 
open spots. 

All the land of Oregon became the property of the United 
States Government, and no part of it is or was subjected to any 
foreign grant. The Government gave three million three hundred 
and seventy-five thousand acres to the State for educational pur- 
poses, and i\ve hundred thousand for public buildings ; reserved one 
million and forty thousand acres for the Indians, and granted one 
million eight hundred and thirteen thousand acres to aid in the con- 
struction of wagon roads ; four million Hve hundred thousand acres 
to the Oregon and California Railroad ; and three million two hun- 
dred thousand acres to the Northern Pacific Railway. A portion of 
each of these grants lies in the Willamette Valley. The Oregon 
and California Railway grant extends through the center of the 
valley, from the Columbia to the Calapooias, and passes thence 
through the Umpqua and Rogue River valleys, to the California 
state line. The grant is of great value. It consists of the alter- 
nate sections of unsold land on either side of the road for thirty 
miles, and embraces the greatest variety of prairie, timber 
and brush lands. The wagon road grants extend from Eugene 
City, by way of the Middle Fork of the Willamette, more 
commonly called the main Willamette, to the eastern bound- 
ary of the State ; from Corvallis to Yaquina Bay ; from Albany, 
by way of Canyon City, to the boundary of Idaho. It is, perhaps, 
unnecessary to add that the unoccupied lands, of which we have 
been speaking, belong, indifferently, to each of these classes, and 
whatever be the present ownership, may be had on nearly the 
same terms as to price, with some distinction in favor of the rail- 
way lands, as far as terms of payment are concerned. 

The timber lands lie mainly upon the interior slopes of the 
enclosing mountains. The extent of the forests is prodigious, but, 
as yet, only the vaguest statements can be given as to the available 
quantity. Speaking generally, there is a belt of timber trees upon 
the western slope of the Cascades that is twenty or more miles 
wide, and extending north and south the whole length of the range. 
A great portion of it is inaccessible at present, and will so remain 



524 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

for many years. The limited present demand has caused the 
building of a few small mills for the supply of isolated localities, 
while a considerable amount is annually floated down the Wil- 
lamette, or its tributaries, and sawed into lumber at convenient 
mills. The locality of the forest extends from the snow line 
downwards nearly to the plains, but may be said to terminate in 
the brushy lands. There are some detached bodies of evergreen 
trees, particularly firs, growing clown in the valley, which are large 
'enough for use as saw logs. The trees attain their greatest 
development at a considerable altitude. Their maximum sizes, 
varieties, etc., may be ascertained from the accompanying table, 
which is given on the authority of Professor Collier, of the Univer- 
sity of Oregon.: — 

I-* ui 

FOREST TREES OF THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY. *i£ Js§ 

tea S|"3 

Acer cercinatum. Vine maple 25 8 

" macro-phyltum. Large-leaved maple 70 43 

Abies amabilis. Lovely fir. (Habitat from 3,000 to 5,000 feet eleva- 
tion) 100 36 

44 concolor. Called white fir in California 100 36 

" douglassii 300 144 

" mertensiani. Hemlock 150 41) 

41 nobllis. Noble tir-3, (100 to 5,000 feet 200 72 

44 sub-alpina. From 3, 0.'O to 6,030 feet 60 24 

Alnus rhomb i folia. Alder.- 83 36 

Amelanehia Canadensis. Service berry 20 4 

Arbutus menziesii. Madrone___ 50 36 

Arctostaphylos pungens. Manzanita 20 

Betula occid mtalis. Birch. (Eastern Oregon) 

Castanopsis chrysophylla. Chincapin 60 12 

Comas nuttallii. Dogwood 50 10 

Crataegus douglassii. Black haw 2) 

44 rioalaris 20 

Cupressus Nootkaensis. Sitka cedar. Found at base of Mt. Hood___ 80 24 

Fraxinus Oregona. Oregon ash 60 25 

Librocedrus decurrens. Thick-barked cedar. (From Santiam south- 
wards) 153 48 

Negundo Califor/nca 

Nuttallia cerasiformis. Squaw berry — seam berry 20 3 

Pinus contorta. Black pine— jack pine. (Near summits of Cascade 

range) . 70 36 

44 lambertiana. Sugar pine 2~>0 100 

" monticola. Silver pine 15J 4) 

44 ponderosa. Common valley pine 175 60 

Pirusrivularis. Crab apple 30 7 

44 sambucifolia. Mountain ash 

Prunus (aerasus) emarginata. Wild cherry 50 8 

44 4 ' > demisa. Choke cherry 35 7 

Populus tremuloides. Quaking asp 33 8 

44 triehoaarpa. Balm CO 72 

Quercus garryana. White Oak 93 40 

44 kelloggii. Black oak (Junction City southwards) 93 48 

Rhamnus purshiana. Chittim wood— bear berry 40 8 

Sambrlous glauca. Elder 40 2) 

SiUx lasiandra. Willow 50 13 

TiHiym yijantea. Common cedar— thin or smooth-barked cedar 175 60 



DESCRIPTION OF THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 525 

Of these varieties, the one most valuable for ordinary uses is 
Abies Doiiglassii, the Douglass fir, which yields great quantities 
of the best lumber, and is the main reliance of the lumbermen. 
This noble tree grows to the height of three hundred feet, with a 
perfectly straight trunk, and is frequently one hundred feet high to 
the lowest limbs. It is generally sound, and produces very tough, 
strong lumber, which is very much in demand for ordinary build- 
ing purposes. This species is called yellow or red fir, and its lum- 
ber is known in California as " Oregon pine" — a decided misnomer. 
It is shipped largely to that State and to the Pacific ports generally. 
Ocean and river vessels of various sorts have been constructed of 
this wood, and it has proved very well adapted for that purpose, 
possessing, as it does, strength, toughness and durability beyond 
most varieties; and with the additional advantage of being procu- 
rable in planks and spars of any desirable length — even a hundred 
or more feet. The large-leaved maple, acer macro -phy Hum, is an 
extremely beautiful tree, exactly suited for purposes of shade and 
ornament. It grows throughout the level lands of the valley and 
has been planted extensively in cities and towns. Its seeds have 
come to form quite an article of export. Mr. W. H. Leininger, of 
Salem, has entered upon the business of gathering and selling them 
in the Eastern States, where the size of the leaves is esteemed 
almost incredible. His exports amount to many tons of seeds an- 
nually. 

Of the timbered lands, the best trees are found at medium ele- 
vations, and are accessible by ordinary logging roads. They have 
a value depending upon their nearness to market, or to streams of 
sufficient size to float the logs. The land is worth, for the trees 
alone, from iive to fifty dollars per acre, depending upon the size 
and the number of the trees. " Stumpage," or the price of standing 
timber, is usually one dollar or one dollar and a half per thousand 
feet, board measure. The principal trees found on low T lands, are 
the fir, pine, yew, ash, oak, maple, balm, and alder; on the hills, 
there are scattering oaks and firs, while in the mountain regions 
grow the firs, pine, spruce, hemlock, cedar, larch, and madrone, 
with more or less undergrowth, depending on the altitude. 

- No one has yet ventured to make an estimate of the quantity of 
timber yet standing on all the borders of the Willamette Valley, 



526 niSTOKY of Willamette valley. 

for the data for such a calculation has yet to be supplied. Speak- 
ing without regard to exactness, the total area from the crest of one 
range to the other must be composed of five-sixths forest, to one- 
sixth prairie or cleared land. Hence, there are rather more than 
ten thousand square miles of brush land, timber land and elevated 
waste tracts. This corresponds to six million four hundred thousand 
acres, from which, if the two million acres of brush land be sub- 
tracted, there is left four million four hundred thousand acres of 
timber and waste land, the proportion of the former being, by a not 
extravagant estimate, nine-tenths of the whole, or nearly four mil- 
lions of acres. What amount of lumber au average acre would 
yield, is, of course, undetermined. Some mill men have set it at 
twenty thousand feet, but the calculation embraces too many ele- 
ments of uncertainty. Few people have ever concerned themselves 
with the matter, and all that is known at present of the vast stores 
of timber upon the east and west is that the total must run into 
billions of feet, or enough, in the ordinary process of events, to sup- 
ply the valley with lumber for many centuries, providing the forest 
fires, which are so recklessly and wantonly set out, do not destroy 
this munificent legacy of nature to humanity. 

Doubtless it is only a question of a few score years when the 
enormous forests that now surround the Willamette Valley will 
have been cleared off and converted into lumber, or burned where 
they fell ; for the lumberman in search of trees, and the farmer 
seeking to enlarge the productive capacity of his farm, are moved 
by no considerations of sentiment. There is, however, a utilitarian 
consideration of importance, enough to cause even the industrious 
timber cutter to pause. It is certainly demonstrated that the loss 
of her forests lays a country open to destructive inundations. This 
fact has been shown in too many localities to admit of doubt. Nor 
are the evil affects confined to freshets ; the rainfall becomes ex- 
cessively capricious, now exceeding, now falling far below the 
normal quantity, as if the controlling influence which once main- 
tained a happy medium had lost its power, and the apparatus of 
the heavens was left, as a steam engine, to the operations of change. 

So far has the evil of forest denudation progressed, that certain 
governments — notably some European ones, and the State of New 
York — have legislated in favor of the retention of forests,' and 



DESCRIPTION OF THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 527 

others have had their attention drawn to the matter. The United 
Slates Government has instituted a tentative measure, designed to 
originate forest culture in the western States and Territories ; but 
the effort made seems thus far to be abortive. Whatever sort of 
legislation — whether imposing a penalty for the destruction of 
woods, oi* promising a reward for the planting of trees — shall pre- 
vail, it will certainly have to be urged with vigor and carried out 
with determination. No one can doubt that the extensive forests 
of Western Oregon have a vast influence upon the climate, par- 
ticularly on the rainfall, but there will be found many who will 
scoff at the idea that the clearing of land, carried on through any 
ordinary period of time, could possibly make any difference with 
the climate of this region. The subject is one that demands, in the 
opinion of some, the illuminations of subsequent time, when the 
matter shall have reached an experimental stage. 

Every timber tree, suited by its species and size to produce 
lumber, is worth saving. It has been, and still is, the custom to 
cut down and burn them, without regard to their increased value. 
Of course the idea of clearing lands is incompatible with that of 
preserving the forests, but in many cases the best trees might be 
left, while the worthless underbrush — generally abundant in these 
woods — is cleared out. It happens, however, that the aggregate 
damage, resulting from the operations of lumbermen and the in- 
tentioned destruction wrought try farmers, is nothing in comparison 
to the loss from geueral forest fires on vacant land. The habit of 
setting out fires in dry seasons is responsible for the most universal 
destruction of woods and timber ever recorded. There have been 
calculations made, showing that the average damage by extensive 
forest fires amounts to between one million and two millions of 
dollars annually. All this loss is sustained through the careless- 
ness of farmers in allowing the fires, kindled upon their own lands, 
to get beyond their control, and to sweep over large tracts of 
Government timber land. 'The most destructive fires have occurred 
on the west slope of the Coast Range, sometimes extending to the 
eastern slope. The effect of such conflagrations is not only to 
destroy every tree, shrub and living plant, but to actually consume 
the soil to some depth. This phenomenon arises from the fact that 
the ground is covered with a considerable thickness of organic 



528 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

matter, consisting of the leaves and roots of plants, in a state of 
decay, which mixture is usually combustible, and as it constitutes 
the larger part of the soil, that, too, appears to burn. This 
destruction of the soil is an evil of no small magnitude, inasmuch 
as it can not be replaced until the vegetation shall again cover the 
ground, to be in turn decomposed. 



CHAPTEE XXXI. 



CLIMATE AND GEOLOGY. 



Peculiarities of Climate — Distinctions of the Seasons — Particular Sea- 
sons — Table of Pleasant, Rainy, Stormy and Snowy Days — Averages 
of Each — Tables of Maximum, Minimum and Mean Temperatures 
and Rainfall for Thirteen Years — Table of Monthly and Annual 
Mean Temperatures for Nine Localities — Geology — Dynamical Geol- 
ogy — Sandstone the Prevailing Sedimentary Formation — It Belongs 
to the Tertiary Age — Newer Deposits — Erosion of Sandstone Strata — 
Fossils of Tertiary Mammals — The Volcanic Rocks — Whence They 
Came — Enormous Extent — Composed of Basalt — Volcanic Buttes in 
the Upper Part of the Valley — Composition of the Cascade Range — 
Glaciers — Mines — Santiam Gold Mines — Bohemia District — Other 
Minerals — Iron Ore — Important Developments at Oswego — Ore Beds 
Worked and Furnaces Erected — Sketch of the Operations there — 
Quality of Product — Soils Considered — Origin of Rich Basalt Soils 
— Their Constant Renewal — Red Hills — Mixed Soils — Valley loams 
the Result of Disintegration and Alluvial Action. 

THE climate of Western Oregon is extremely peculiar in some 
respects. It is as if nature had struck a medium between the 
climate of California, with its alternations of wet and dry seasons, 
and that of the Eastern States, with their shifting and uncertain 
changes. In the summer the torrid heat of California is not ex- 
perienced, nor in the winter is there any but gentle reminders of 
Eastern snows. The influences at work have given the Willamette 
Valley a climate that is esteemed perfectly adapted to the needs of 
humanity. No sudden or wide variations of temperature take place; 
no extreme or long- continued heated terms are known; the cold of 
winter is less than the most favored Eastern States and European 
countries feel. The trade- winds of the Pacific moderate the heat 



W! 



530 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

and cold, and with the great Japanese Ocean current, serve as a 
regulator of temperature. The thermometer rarely rises above 
ninety degrees, in summer, in the hottest days, and scarcely ever sinks 
below twenty in winter. So the most active out-door labor may be 
performed throughout the year. Strictly speaking, the distinction 
of the seasons does not exist in Western Oregon as in the Eastern 
States, nor is the application of the terms dry and wet season en- 
tirely suitable. The rains, beginning in September or October, fall 
with increasing frequency in the succeeding months, reaching their 
maximum in any one of the winter months. Diminishing then 
in intensity, they continue until June, July or August, falling 
then semi- occasionally and exerting no ill- effect, excepting in case 
that the grain crop may suffer if far enough advanced. The rain- 
fall during a summer month may amount to two inches, or it may 
be nothing. Only twice in forty years have the grain crops been 
injured by untimely rains, for the season of harvesting is pre-emi- 
nently the dry time. The summer of 1883 was exceptionally dry; 
Jess than one-fifth of an inch of rain fell in June, July and August, 
and it was not until the last of September that the rain fell in suffi- 
cient quantities to extinguish the forest fires and clear the atmos- 
phere of smoke which had for months obscured the country. Not- 
withstanding the lack of rain and the uncommonly warm season, 
no loss occurred to the farmers, but a very profitable crop was 
harvested. Drouth is never known in the Willamette Valley. 

Western Oregon is exempt from hurricanes, cyclones, and 
strong winds of all description. Such have been known here, but 
in only few instances of a force sufficient to do damage. Hail 
storms and thunder storms are likewise innocuous, and hardly 
known. Earthquakes, it may be observed, are never felt with 
any degree of violence. There is, however, a peculiarity worthy 
of note. The occurrence of " cold snaps " of considerable severity, 
at intervals of ten or twenty years, constitutes an evil, which, 
although of no consequence, in comparison with the extremes of 
other climates, is yet sufficiently remarkable to be noticed. These 
storms have only occurred, with severity, twice, or, at most, three 
times, since the advent of white men. They are characterized by 
the depression of the thermometer nearly, or quite to zero, and 
more particularly by strong and long continued^north or east 



CLIMATE AND GEOLOGY.^ 531 

winds, accompanied by a fall of snow. They are, in fact, 
"blizzards," tempered by the position of the valley and its current 
of wind from the Pacific. 

Concerning individual seasons, it is recorded that the winter of 
1852-3 was not severely cold, but on Christmas morning the snow 
stood two feet deep on Salem Prairie, and stock suffered much 
from the consequent deprivation of food. The coldest day in 1854 
was January 19th, when the mercury stood at two degrees below 
zero, Fahrenheit. On December 28, 1855, it was at fourteen 
above ; and during the winter the Willamette was frozen over 
below the Falls at Oregon City. The winters succeeding, until 
1861-62, were mild, and no figures of temperature are at hand. The 
season last mentioned was exceptional for its severity. Snow fell 
profusely, and staid on the ground for fifty-two successive days. 
The thermometer on January 30th reached a minimum of ten 
degrees below zero. The Lower Columbia was blocked with ice, 
rendering the passage to Portland impossible for ocean and river 
steamers — a phenomenon repeated several times since. The Wil- 
lamette was frozen, and men crossed on foot. Snow disappeared 
by the tenth of March. The season of 1863-64 was a mild one as 
regards temperature. The maximum cold of the year 1864 was 
twelve degrees above zero, occurring on January 12th. On Decem- 
ber 13th, of the following year, the mercury reached its minimum 
for the year at sixteen degrees above zero. The year 1866 was a 
mild one. The coldest day of 1867 was January 11th, three de- 
grees above zero. January 10, 1868, saw the thermometer at four 
degrees below zero, and steamer traffic on the Willamette and 
Columbia was suspended. These rivers had likewise been closed 
in 1864-65. The winters of 1868-69, 1869-70 and 1870-71, were 
not marked by severe weather, and the lowest temperature recorded 
was twenty degrees above zero. On December 25, 1871, it was 
sixteen degrees above zero. In 1872 it descended to twenty -two 
degrees above zero, and in 1873 to twenty-five degrees. On 
January 13, 1875, it stood at three degrees above zero, and on 
January 21st following, it was at twelve above. In 1876 it went 
no lower than twenty degrees above, and in 1877 its lowest was 
twenty-five degrees above zero. The year 1878 was mild, and 
only eighteen above zero was felt. The following year saw some 



532 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

sharp weather, namely : three degrees above zero in December. A 
year later the mercury descended as low as nineteen degrees above 
zero. In 1881 it was once at twenty -four degrees above zero. In 
1882 it registered eighteen degrees above, and in 1883, seven 
above. 

The annexed table shows the relative proportion of " pleasant," 
"rainy," "shower and sunshine" and "snowy" days in the years 
1859 to 1868 inclusive:— 

Shower and 
Pleasant. Rainy. Sunshine. Snowy. 

1859 228 73 47 17 

1860 232 72 57 5 

1861 224 20 61 10 

1862 .. 250 47 52 16 

1863 220 82 55 8 

1864 252 60 47 7 

1865 - 227 65 63 10 

1866 230 73 59 3 

1867 244 65 49 7 

1868 272' 30 55 9 

2379 637 545 92 

Dividing those totals by ten, the number of years during which 
the observations were taken, we have an average, disregarding frac- 
tions, of two hundred and thirty-seven "pleasant" days, sixty- 
three " rainy " days, fifty-four of alternate " shower and sunshine," 
and nine "snowy" days. Thus there are, roughly speaking, sixty- 
five per cent, of " pleasant" days during which the sun shines with 
undisturbed serenity. 

The meteorological observations, taken at the Signal Service 
Station, in Portland, in the years 1872 — 1884, serve to set forth 
the peculiarities of the climate more fully than could be done 
otherwise, and also afford the only practicable basis of comparison 
with the climates of other localities. Observations taken in other 
parts of the valley show that the rainfall at Portland somewhat 
exceeds the average in the valley, but this excess has not yet been 
determined. For the purposes of comparison, it is allowable to 
assume that the rainfall and temperature at the station is the aver- 
age of the valley, and on that assumption we proceed to give, in 
tabulated form, the principal observations there taken: 

The meteorological tables show the temperature and rainfall at 
the Portland station since its establishment. The maximum and 



CLIMATE AND GEOLOGY. 533 

minimum temperature (taken only since June, 1874) are useful as 
showing the extreme range of the thermometer. Every reliance 
may be placed upon these figures, the determinations having been 
made with the utmost system and regularity by skilled observers 
accustomed to more than military promptness and accuracy. The 
table of monthly mean temperature includes nine separate 
stations, taken for the purpose of comparison with localities with 
which such a comparison seems most interesting and useful. The 
means represent in the strongest light the advantages of the Oregon 
climate as regards evenness of temperature over every other locality 
in the catalogue. This is a characteristic of the Pacific Coast. We 
find the annual mean temperature to be below that of Washington, 
Memphis, Sacramento, Umatilla, Chicago and Albany; and we see 
that the summer months are a great deal cooler than in either of 
those places, while beginning with November the contrary is 
the case, the average winter temperature being higher with us 
than in the other places named, excepting Sacramento. As the 
season progresses the comparison becomes still more favorable to 
the Willamette Valley, for, with two exceptions, the Portland climate 
is warmest in December and January. February shows less favor- 
able; March and April present a fair average; while the sudden 
rise of temperature which heralds the spring in the Eastern States, 
is mellowed, as it were, and in the Willamette the temperature of 
winter shades into summer heat with a scarcely perceptible but very 
pleasant progression. 

Regarding the rainfall, it appears that notwithstanding the oft- 
repeated assertions and gibes concerning the superabundance of 
Oregon moisture, the average supply is not in excess of what falls 
in Memphis, New Haven, and other places not distinguished for 
extreme dampness. It appears that the main characteristic of the 
Western Oregon climate is not that it rains overmuch, but that it 
threatens too much. The depressing effect of fogs, clouds and light 
drizzling rains is truly felt deeper than the heavy downpouring to 
which the land is often subjected. It has been said that " It always 
rains in the Webfoot country, or is always going to." We may con- 
clude that the continuous threatening and lowering aspect of the 
heavens has a great deal to do with the prevailing reputation of the 
climate, even more than the quantity of rain that actually falls, 
which, as the tables show, is not really excessive: 



534 



HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 



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CLIMATE AND GEOLOGY. 
MONTHLY MEAN TEMPERATURE, 



535 



Portland, Or 

Albany, N. Y 

Chicago 

Sacramento 

Umatilla, Or 

Yankton, D. T— - 
Washington, D. C. 
New Haven, Ct--_ 
M empnis, Tenn.-- 



1881. 



be 
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73.9 73.3 70.9 55. 
72.975.069.555. 
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69.0 67.lj61.149. 
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77.4 76.4 77.062, 

70. 5 71.269.655. 
83.2 83.7176. 7168. 



4143.0 
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1882. 



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28..3 3S. 
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23.4 29. 
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53.68 
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29.04 
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52.61 
53.64 



The geological history of the valley is not in any respect 
singular or striking. Such of the natural phenomenon as are 
represented in its strata, have not, as yet, received the attention 
and study which so important a subject deserves. The State, as 
might be supposed, has made no efficient provision for geological 
explorations, and the status of this interesting science in Oregon 
is quite low. Chance observations, thus far not made with care, 
and, consequently, only partially reliable, and always cursory in 
their character, form its only basis. There are certain general facts 
which repeated observation has well attested, which comprise about 
all of permanent value thus far ascertained. 

The valley, it is conceded, must have been formed by the eleva- 
tion of the enclosing ranges, at a time subsequent to the deposition 
of the strata which compose it, this time being referred usually 
to the middle tertiary. The identification of these strata has al- 
ready been accomplished, and the fossils enclosed have been 
studied sufficiently to prove their identity with those of similar 
strata in other portions of North America. The rocks which 
underlie this portion of Oregon are of aqueous origin, and consist 
exclusively, it is supposed, of sandstone. Upon this stratum, 
which reaches a vast and unknown thickness, possibly of several 
miles, are superimposed the deposits of alluvial matter which form 



536 HIST0BY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

soils, together with, in many places, other materials, the most com- 
mon of which is a deposit of water- worn pebbles, intermingled 
with finer material, also of fluviatile origin. The pebbles and 
sand are the representatives, or rather the relics, of a time when a 
part, or rather the whole, of the valley, was under water, but still 
not ancient as compared to the age of the sandstone. Their de- 
position antedates probably the arrival of man upon the scene, but 
does not, by any means, reach back to the time of the early 
mammals of the tertiary. The water-worn deposits may be seen 
and studied at many points in the valley, particularly wherever the 
railway cuttings have exposed considerable thicknesses of this 
material, but more particularly upon the sides of high banks 
where the process of erosion may be in progress. Such a place is 
the high bluff on the east side of the Willamette, some four miles 
below Portland. The banks of gravel, clay and pebbles, says one, 
were formed as a sea beach in the age of the mammoth, and being 
coeval with that great mammal, are thought by geologist Dana 
to be 180,000 years old. A still older sea beach is visible along 
the slope of the Coast Kange, distinctly traceable for many miles. 

As regards the sandstone floor of the valley, it is best studied in 
the Coast Kange, where the upturned edges of the strata afford 
abundant opportunities for investigation. Here, too, the dynamical 
agencies may be studied, particularly the phenomena of erosion, a 
process now going on with a rapidity hardly elsewhere known. 
As regards the extent of these contemporaneous tertiary beds, they 
are said to reach Sitka on the one hand, and San Francisco on the 
other. Eastward they are lost to view under the prodigious lava 
deposits of Central Oregon, of which we will speak anon. 

At various points in the valley there have been found remains 
of the mammoth, and, possibly, of the mastodon ; two incisors and 
a rib of the latter were reported to have been dug up at Butteville, 
in the center of the valley, and nine feet below the surface. One 
of the teeth weighed eighteen pounds. Other mastodon or mam- 
moth remains have been exhumed at Middleton, Washington 
County (1880), and Albina (1883). 

With regard to the volcanic rocks, we find the ancient basalts 
well represented. In fact, the eastern and northern portions of 
the valley contain a very considerable area of basalt, both scoria- 



CLIMATE AND GEOLOGY. 537 

ceous and columnar, covering the underlying floor of sandstone to a 
depth, varying from a few inches to many hundred feet. The 
genesis of the volcanic rocks is an interesting study in itself, but 
one that does not seem indispensable here. It is sufficient for the 
purpose that the lava has a common origin with that which covers 
Eastern Oregon to a great depth ; in fact, the lava which en- 
croaches upon the fertile lands of the Willamette, is a portion of 
the enormous lake which once covered the whole Columbia region 
with liquid fire. This great sea of lava was the product of the 
immense volcanoes of the then newly erected Cascade Range. 
Successive depositions of melted basalt, in varying conditions as to 
fluidity, density, and, probably, of chemical composition, were 
formed in ages which are of enormous absolute remoteness, but 
seem near when compared with the age of even the newest created 
mammals. These deposits of basalt have been exposed since to 
the decomposing and modifying influences of sun, light and heat, 
the rain, rapid changes of temperature, the atmospheric oxygen 
and carbonic acid, and, finally, the erosion of rain and streams of 
water ; and the result has been their extensive wearing down. In 
connection with the topic of soils we will speak further of those 
instances, and show how these ancient volcanic rocks play a 
weighty part in effecting and maintaining the fertility of soils. 
The lava, we are told, overlies only tertiary rocks in the valley, 
but east of the Cascades it rests upon metamorphic slate, mica 
schist, gneiss and granite. It remains mostly, if not entirely, in 
the position that it assumed on cooling. It exists, as trap rocks 
most frequently do, in successive horizontal layers, the product of 
successive deposition. Its principal chemical characteristic is the 
apparently varying tendencies of different specimens to decompo- 
sition. 

The geology of the upper portion of the valley presents some in- 
teresting peculiarities. There are in Linn and Lane counties some 
peculiar elevations which have attracted the attention of scientific 
and non-scientific people alike. These elevations are locally termed 
buttes, and are of volcanic origin. Peterson's Butte, so called, 
about twenty miles from Albany, is, in shape, somewhat like Mt. 
Hood. Its composition is trachyte, overlaid with columnar basalt. 
Washington Butte, five miles from Albany, rests on miocene strata, 



538 HISTORY OP WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

it is said, and shells crop out at the base. These and other eleva- 
tions evidently were islands in the expanse of water which once 
covered the Willamette Valley. At the Saddle Buttes the alluvial 
deposits cover ancient depositions containing fossil impressions of 
leaves and twigs. Another observed fact of considerable import- 
ance, is that granite boulders, waterworn and evidently erratic, are 
found on Albany Prairie, and at other points in the valley. 

Near the former butte a boring was once sunk for a well. The 
surface soil was one yard in thickness, supported by a soft, white 
rock containing shells, and extending to a further depth of nine 
and a half feet. Below this were found in succession, soapstone, 
one hundred and four feet; "gray granite," four feet; soapstone, 
ten feet; soft sandstone, forty-eight and one-half feet. 

Proceeding to the Cascade Range, we find that chain of mount- 
ains to be composed mainly of granite, with slate on the lower 
spurs, and great masses of trap and other sorts of lava in the vicin- 
ity of the volcanoes, of which there are at least half a dozen, all 
now extinct. These volcanic points have attained great height, and 
form the snow peaks known as Mounts Hood, Jefferson, the Three 
Sisters, etc. 

Among the dynamical agencies which shaped the valley, glacia- 
tion has an important place. The peculiar and impressive phe- 
nomena of the glaciers of the Cascade Range, is a subject that has 
not yet got beyond its initial stage of inquiry. It happens, how- 
ever, that the evidences of their action is too evident for doubt, and 
the vast and far- extending moraines an<J glaciated surfaces are 
easily referred to their proper cause. On this coast the first observer 
to point out the habitat of a living glacier was Edward T. Cole- 
man, who, in 1866, explored the ice fields of Mt. Baker. This dis- 
covery proved the key to a number of similar ones, and it was soon 
known that nearly all the prominent peaks were the abodes of 
glaciers. That of Mt. Hood is well known, and those of other 
members of the Cascade Range are equally accessible, and the sites 
of former extensive but now extinct glaciers are frequent. 

The principal discoveries of the precious metals in the country 
tributary to the Willamette Valley, have been made in the Cas- 
cades, about the headwaters of the rivers flowing into the east side 
of the Willamette. The only gold or silver-bearing veins which 



CLIMATE AND GEOLOGY. 539 

have ever attracted much attention are the group of veins about the 
heads of the Santiam and the Molalla. Of these, the former are of 
the greater importance. The Santiam mines have been worked, 
more or less, for nearly twenty years, but the explorations made 
have resulted in no pecuniary gain. Some "pockets" of rich 
quartz, carrying gold profusely, have been found, and, as is usual 
in such cases, a considerable impetus is given to prospecting on 
each recurring " strike " of this sort. In the judgment of Mr. 
Veatch, a capable mineralogist, who visited them in 1870, the 
Santiam mines give the strongest proof of beiDg rich, and are cer- 
tainly very extensive, " requiring only labor and the expenditure 
of money in their development." 

At the head of the Middle Fork of the Willamette lies the 
so-called Bohemia Mining District. According to the authority 
already quoted, this is a promising field for the employment of 
capital. Its rock is metal -bearing quartz veins, and has been ex- 
plored and worked somewhat. As in the Santiam district, mills 
have been put up, but no great measure of success has been met 
with. 

Near Eugene City extensive group of gold-bearing quartz 
veins are said to exist, where their working and reduction would 
be favored by the co- existence of unlimited water power, good 
roads, and plenty of timber for fuel and lumber. Whatever of 
real wealth may be enclosed within these veins does not appear. 

On the McKenzie River the "color" has repeatedly been found, 
but no promising veins. In perhaps one hundred other localities 
indications of gold and silver have been numerously discovered, 
and small mining camps have existed at various points in the 
Cascades and Coast Range. Future strikes are likely to take place, 
and the discovery of great mineral wealth is neither impossible nor 
improbable. 

Of other minerals of economic value, little can be said. Some 
insignificant deposits of coal have been found on the eastern slope 
of the Coast Range, and lead ore — galena mostly — is known to 
exist in quantity. In 1872 some veins or chimneys of galena were 
discovered at the foot of the Cascades, in Linn County, which 
assayed sixty per cent, of lead, with eighteen dollars per ton in 
silver. In 1875, mining interests having become prominent by 



540 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

reason of the Galice Creek discoveries in Southern Oregon, an 
association calling itself the Oregon Mining Bureau was formed in 
Portland, its object being " to develop the mining resources of the 
State, to keep a record of discoveries and locations, and to deal in 
mining property." Its existence was short. 

Iron ore forms by far the most important mineral resource of 
the valley. The deposits of ore at Oswego, nine miles above 
Portland, and on the west side of the Willamette River, have been 
worked for nearly twenty years, though unsteadily, and have 
already been a considerable source of wealth, and promise still 
greater things. The history of the enterprise is instructive and in- 
teresting. 

General M. M. McCarver is credited with the discovery of the 
ore beds. In 1862 six tons were taken out and sent to California 
to be tested. The test was successful, it yielding from fifty-six to 
sixty -five per cent, of metal of a good quality. Immediately a 
company was formed (in February, 1865) to utilize the deposits, 
called the Oregon Iron Company, of whom W. S. Ladd, H. D. 
Green and John Green were the incorporators, and the capital 
stock was fixed at $500,000, of which nearly two-thirds were sub- 
scribed by residents of Portland. This company erected the first 
iron -smelting furnace ever built upon this coast. The structure 
was thirty-two feet high, nine feet in interior diameter, hot blast, 
and had a capacity for ten tons of iron per day. Charcoal was 
necessarily adopted as the fuel, in the absence of stone coal of 
suitable quality. 

A chemical analysis of the Oswego ore gave sesquioxide of iron 
77.16 per cent., corresponding to 54.37 per cent, of metallic iron. 
The other constituents were, water 11.16, silica 11.08, sulphur 
and phosphorus together one-tenth of one per cent. The ore was 
of the sort called brown hematite, was abundant and easily mined, 
lying, as it did, near the surface. The beds were irregular, in- 
clined some eight or ten degrees from the horizontal, and appeared 
to have been deposited from solution on the lava below. Dirt had 
accumulated on the ore to the depth of several feet. The ore did 
not continue of so rich a description as the test sample, but had 
fallen off in richness to ten per cent, sometime during the working. 

Work has gone on by fits and starts during the intermediate 
years, and the production of iron has not been so great as to justify 



CLIMATE AND GEOLOGY. 541 

the former hopes of pecuniary success. In 1874-75, when the 
furnace was producing ten tons per day, a calculation of the cost of 
production exhibited the following figures. They are based on the 
cost of producing one ton of iron. The necessary ore at the furnace 
cost $10.75; charcoal, one hundred and fifty bushels at nine cents 
per bushel, $13.50; wages, $4.00; limestone — brought from Puget 
Sound — five hundred pounds — $5.00. Total cost of one ton, $33.25. 
At that time the iron sold in San Francisco in limited lots at 
$46.00 per ton. It was in use for special purposes where iron of 
unusual strength was required, but its cost prevented it from com- 
ing into competition with Scotch and English brands of pig iron, 
which are profitably produced at less than $20 per ton. The Cen- 
tral Pacific Railroad Company tested its adaptability to the manu- 
facture of car wheels and found it to answer the purpose excellently. 
From the date of its completion the furnace was run until 
April, 1869, making meanwhile two thousand three hundred and 
ninety-five tons of iron. It was idle then until March, 1874, when, 
the company having re-organized, work again began and continued 
until September, 1876, making five thousand and seventy -five tons. 
The property was then sold at sheriffs sale to satisfy the demands 
of creditors. The purchasers started the furnace again in June, 
1878, and made eleven hundred and seventy tons, stopping then to 
rebuild the furnace, increasing its size. The next run was from 
April, 1879, to September, 1881, when they paused to introduce 
further changes. The sales of iron in the latter year amounted, it 
was said, to $200,000. From whatever cause, the furnace is not 
now (1885) in operation. This is said by some to be owing to 
timidity on the part of the owners; but doubtless has its cause in 
well-defined business reasons. It is conceded that the metal is of 
excellent quality, and that the cost of production is slightly lessened 
since the preceding computation of cost was made. At least, the 
necessary limestone need not cost the fourth of what was stated, 
and it is probable that labor of a more skilled sort would be avail- 
able since the furnaces of the east have reduced their wages and so 
driven many trained operators to seek other situations. Besides the 
experienced and high-priced assistants, the necessities of the iron 
company require the services of several hundred men, the charcoal 
burners alone aggregating three hundred at times. The supply of 



542 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

ore is deemed practically inexhaustible, and is of a very high 
quality. The company has owned a large amount of property, in- 
cluding the furnace and grounds, several thousand acres of wood 
lands and mineral-bearing territory, as well as its extensive improve- 
ments, which embrace a narrow-gauge railway connecting the 
furnace with the ore beds, a canal to Sucker Lake to furnish water- 
power for running the blast, etc. 



In connection with the geology of the valley a short discussion 
of the soils seems in place. It has been mentioned that a consider- 
able portion of the valley is now, or has been at some time, covered 
by superincumbent lava beds. These deposits of lava have been 
much changed in their appearance by the erosive effects of rivers, 
but have been subject to another destroying influence scarcely less 
important — this is chemical decomposition. Considerable thicknesses 
of once solid lava have been changed by the slow action of perco- 
lating rain drops and the active constituents of the air — oxygen and 
carbonic acid — until they are fairly decomposed and disintegrated. 
To understand this change, it is necessary to remember that basalt, 
the common lava, is composed mainly of augite and feldspar, 
bodies capable sometimes of decomposition in contact with the 
atmosphere, and in the case before us particularly so. Every one 
must have noticed certain characteristics of the lava deposits at 
various points in the valley, wherever cuttings have been made. 
There the basalt presents frequently the appearance of decay, show- 
ing upon its surface the familiar yellow or red stains which sometimes 
penetrate the solid portion of the rock, and which result from the 
oxidation of iron, which is an invariable though small constituent. 
These symptoms of decay are found to extend to the depth of a 
hundred or more feet, or as far as the combined influences of air and 
water extend. - This action is not rapid ; it takes a lengthened term 
of years to reduce a large boulder to fine matter, but time is a factor 
to which, in geological hypotheses, very great extension is allowed. 
At any rate, the process of rotting, so to speak, has gone on until 
the large areas of lava on the western slope of the Cascades are 



CLIMATE AND GEOLOGY. 543 

covered mainly with a layer of earth resulting solely from the de- 
composition of the rocks in situ] or else have had and lost this 
covering through the influence of heavy rains, landslides, etc. Be- 
neath the surface of such soil we find a rather coarse deposit — in 
fact the size of the particles shades from the fine detritus upon the 
surface, into the gravel beneath, then becomes stones of notable size, 
those resting upon boulders split from each other and decomposed 
only upon their outer surface. Below all is the solid mass of lava, 
resting upon the aqueous strata beneath. 

Thus the lava is decomposed and converted into soil — partly by 
mechanical, partly by chemical forces working conjointly. The soil 
created in this curious way might be supposed to be barren, because 
of its unpromising parentage. This, however, is a mistake; it con- 
tains nearly all the elements of fertility. Basalt, in its constituent, 
feldspar, contains potash, which, when set free from the silica with 
which it is combined, by the action of carbonic acid is converted into 
the carbonate of potash,- and goes to enrich a soil more than tolera- 
bly fertile without it. It also contains lime, derived from another 
constituent — augite. And these, with magnesia, silica, and one or 
two less important minerals, make up the soil as it exists before veg- 
etable growth begins. Should trees, grasses or shrubs become es- 
tablished upon such a soil, their natural course from life to death, 
from cohesion to decomposition, results in addition of organic mat- 
ter to this soil whereby its adaptability for producing such new 
growths is vastly increased. Decayed vegetable matter in proper 
condition, is, as everybody knows, a most valuable fertilizer. It is 
highly probable that the presence of organic matter in the basaltic 
soils aids the process of decomposition and wearing down of the 
particles of rock. The decay of wood, grass roots, and in fact almost 
every form of woody fibre gives rise to compounds called humus, 
which have an affinity for potash and other alkalies. As potash is 
set free from the rocks it doubtless combines with the humus and 
forms a new compound, of use to vegetation. It would seem that 
the decay of the rocks would be hastened by the presence of the 
humus, and the decomposition of the mineral and of the vegetable 
substances would go on with equal steps. From this source a large 
part of the soil of the valley is derived. 



544 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Large portions of hilly tracts possess a soil whose upper surface 
is dark brown or black from the intermixture of organic matter, 
with the lower particles of a lighter and lighter tint, until the 
basalt blocks below are reached, whose interstices are filled with 
fine fragments broken off from above. Still lower is the solid 
ledge. The surface soil varies greatly in depth, according to its 
more or less protected situation. If exposed to running water or 
on a considerable slope the thickness will not be great ; if, on the 
contrary, the level is horizontal, or in the bottom of a sloping 
canyon, the thickness may be many feet. The soil of the Waldo 
Hills has become celebrated for its fertility. It is of basaltic 
origin, and is the best type of that class of soils, as the mode of its 
formation and its value, endurance and strength are being studied. 
Such soil, as we may conclude from the circumstances, is inex- 
haustible in fertility, inasmuch as the materials for renewing its 
strength exist beneath it, and the process of renewal is constantly 
going on, and by the process of tillage the renewal is quickened. 
Stirring up the ground exposes more rock to the action of the 
air, and the elements do their work of pulverizing, replacing the 
exhausted particles by fresh materials, and supplying the loss 
caused by cropping, and the unavoidable waste by running streams 
which carry away the finer portion. Vast quantities of fine soil are 
brought down from all sloping lands by the winter rains, but are 
replaced, in the course of time, by fresh decompositions. In a wet 
climate, like that of Western Oregon, such decompositions take 
place much more rapidly than in a dryer one, and the very abun- 
dance of our rains is an advantage, and a very decided one. To 
sum up all this in one sentence, it seems that the basaltic rocks 
furnish an inexhaustible source of manure, which nature herself 
applies to the unsated soil. The most noticeable results of this 
kind are found in the hills already spoken of. These are known 
by the general name of the "red hills," the term being derived 
from the prevailing color of the exposed rocky surfaces and the 
soil. Generally speaking, the hills are composed of basalt, sand- 
stone, conglomerates, argillaceous rocks, and brecciated volcanic 
materials. Chalky marl is likewise said to exist. 

Besides the localities — chiefly upon the tops and slopes of hills — 
where basaltic soils exist, unmixed with other mineral resultants, 



CLIMATE AND GEOLOGY. 545 

there is a far larger proportion of mixed soils, which owe a great 
deal of their productiveness to a percentage of basaltic admixture. 
Such soils exist on the bottom lands, or on the lower courses of 
streams whereby they have been brought from a distance. The 
transporting power of water is sufficient to have brought the finer 
particles from a very long distance. Formerly it was thought — a 
common error — that the bottom lands of streams must be more 
fertile than the uplands to whose loss the former are indebted for 
their fatness. That this supposition is untrue it is only necessary 
to examine the relative productiveness of the Waldo and other 
ranges of hills, with the lands bordering the Willamette River. 
The latter gain in the comparison only as regards ease of tillage 
and immediate adaptability to a crop. In fertility, endurance and 
certainty of a crop, the hill soils — in selected localities — are found 
to be superior to most bottom lands. 

JL 

Regarding the location of the exclusively basaltic soils, they are 
confined, as before hinted, to the tops and sides of hills where they 
were generated. All the bottom lands, almost without exception, 
possess an alluvial soil, made up of the above named detritus from 
the hills, added to the clays and loams from other sources. Of 
course the ingredients of these soils are in general finer than 
ordinary, and, in many places, have been subjected to the sifting 
action of the streams by which their materials are assorted as re- 
gards size and specific gravity. The soil of the level portions of 
the valley is entirely alluvial — that is, was brought to its present 
position by water agencies. It varies greatly in depth, from a few 
inches to many feet, and somewhat in quality, which is mainly, 
however, excellent. In composition it is made up from the wash- 
ings of the hills, aided by organic matter. The hill washings, it 
may be said, are of two principal kinds, the basaltic and the sand- 
stone particles, the latter of which are mainly derived from the 
streams of the Coast Range. The soils of the west side, are chiefly 
of the latter class, to all appearance. In another connection we 
will consider the adaptability of these soils to various branches of 
culture. These derivative soils are usually described as loam, 
which is a term of indefinite significance. The varieties of loam 
are designated by their colors, and are almost endless. Loam, in 
general, is a mixture of sand (silica) with clay, and contains com- 



546 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

monly carbonate of lime, iron oxides, the oxides of other metals, 
and organic matter. The color is owing to the predominance of 
the oxide of iron and organic matter. Loam, particularly rich in 
the latter, is usually dark brown or black. The presence of iron 
oxide is known by a reddish or brownish color. Loam is derivable 
from a mixture of disintegrated soils, brought down by water. 
The portions furnished by the destruction of the basaltic rocks 
would be the clay — silicate of alumina— produced by decomposing 
feldspar, and the valuable potash. Broken up or decomposed 
granite, gneiss or sandstone furnishes the sand. These substances, 
mingled with organic matter and other matters, form loam. This 
is found extensively in the valley, mostly near its center, and is 
spoken of under the names of black loam, sandy loam, brown 
loam, etc. It is often found to rest upon a clay or marl subsoil, 
and can usually be depended on for good crops. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 



GRAIN PRODUCTS. 



Wheat the Staple Production — Its Earliest Cultivation — Impetus Given 
by Mining — laxity of the State Government in the Hatter of 
Statistics — Want of a Policy — Flour Successfully Made — Its 
Quality Never Elsewhere Surpassed- — Wheat Crop Never Pails — 
Wheat the Principal Factor in Commercial Affairs — Why Farmers 
Raise Wheat — Objections Thereto — Persistent Wheat Raising will 
Impoverish the Country — Statistics — Productiveness and Endurance 
of Soils — Cost per Bushel to Raise Wheat — Influence of the Rail- 
ways upon Wheat-growing — Increase of the Business from 1869 — Its 
Probable Future — Its Possible Production — Varieties Cultivated — 
Wheat Crop of 1880 — Other Grain Products — Oats a Favorite Crop 
— Immense Production — Indian Com not a Success — Barley — 
Table of Production of Wheat, Oats, Corn and Barley. 

WHEAT is the staple product of the Willamette Valley. Its 
suitableness has ever been recognized since the arts of agricul- 
ture began in the northwest, and the first rude attempts at cultiva- 
tion were made. When the Hudson's Bay trappers, superannuated 
in the service of their company, were placed on the retired list and 
sent to the Willamette prairies to become farmers, their first and 
principal operations were directed to the cultivation of that ad- 
mirable cereal. If we may believe Leonard in his statements con- 
cerning the productions of this country in those early times, these 
retired trappers, aided by a few Americans, produced, in the 
valley, in the year 1844, such a quantity of wheat that there were 
one hundred thousand bushels as a surplus for export. (See page 
61, of Leonard's book). When, some years later, the California 
miners began to make demands on this valley and, indeed, every 
accessible region, for food, the farmers of the Willamette, by this 



Mffn 



548 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

time largely increased in numbers, undertook to supply a portion 
of the meat and breadstuffs wanted, and the culture of wheat 
attained great prominence. For a time the miners of Yreka and* 
Jacksonville and their vicinity drew the greater portion of their 
food supply from this valley, whence it was carried upon the backs 
of pack animals. Rapid as was the expansion of the wheat and 
flour industry on the Willamette, its growth was destined not to 
flourish long upon the demands from those mines, for, within a 
surprisingly short space of time, not over three years at the inost> 
the fertile, though contracted valleys of Southern Oregon, were 
taken up by an incoming tide of people from the border States, 
who instantly discovered the adaptability of the soil of that region 
for raising immense crops of wheat, and very shortly the abnormal 
demand of the miners was met 'by supplies of flour made from 
grain grown upon the banks of the streams from whose bed their 
active hands were washing the precious metals. 

The new and promising industry which had been so favorably 
inaugurated in the valley of the Willamette was not, however, 
suffered to languish. San Francisco, then in the years of her 
energetic youth ; the Pacific ports, in every zone ; and the great 
empires of China and Japan, became customers, and bought the 
wheat and flour of this favored State in quantities greater than any 
mining region could ever hope to control. 

Statistics of the production of subsequent years are scarce. The 
most important pursuit that Oregon has ever engaged in has seemed 
not to be thought of sufficient importance to justify the systematic 
preservation of the few and easily procured facts that would enable 
the history of Oregon agriculture to be written. Indeed, we may 
say, with entire truth, that no facts whatever, concerning the his- 
tory and resources of this State, have ever been preserved by State 
enactment. Oregon has never appropriated a single dollar to. pre- 
serve the record of what her people have done. What is more to 
the purpose, the State Government has not made a single efficient 
effort to attract settlers to the State. When the United States are 
receiving accessions of half a million European immigrants each 
year, worth to the country, economists say, not less than $1,000 
each, the State of Oregon, calmly contemptuous of her proper 
destiny, sits in lonely grandeur by the sounding Pacific shore, and 



GRAIN PRODUCTS. 549 

only aspires to be let alone. In this behavior she is unique; — no 
other State or Territory manifests a like spirit. Some of the lesser 
States, whose natural resources would be no perceptible addition 
to these of the Willamette Valley, could they be joined to hers, 
exert the machinery of their Governments to encourage immigra- 
tion, and, invariably, with healthful effects. Such is the moral in- 
fluence of immigration that the arrival of one thousand families of 
steady and industrious Americans in this valley, would be more 
beneficial, immediately and remotely, than the harvesting of the 
heaviest wheat crop. Such a policy as is manifested by the State 
Government of Oregon, is detrimental to what political economists 
and practical men of every profession would esteem the best in- 
terests of a State or community, and is defensible on no rational 
grounds. There should, by all means, be some means provided for 
procuring statistical information, and publishing it. The welfare 
of the State is concerned in it, notwithstanding its small apparent 
importance, and to further neglect a matter of the kind is to render 
the collection of this sort of information more difficult with each 
recurring year. 

Returning to the subject of wheat, we find that that crop early 
assumed the most important position among agricultural produc- 
tions — a position that it has held with constantly increasing im- 
portance until now. The causes of this are obvious, and hence 
hardly to be considered. The foreign demand for wheat during 
the first twenty years amounted to nothing ; yet there were scatter- 
ing mining populations to be fed, and the very considerable home 
demand to be met. The art of flour making grew apace, and 
when in the 'sixties, the shipping of wheat attained prominence, 
the quality of flour made in Oregon was of the best. The small 
mills of that date have, as regards flour for export, given way to 
the massive structures known and celebrated over wide areas for 
the excellence of their brands. At Oregon City, Salem, Albany, 
and elsewhere, large flour mills have long been in operation ; and 
the Albina flour mill, erected in 1883, and having a capacity of 
a thousand barrels per day, has been added to the number. 

There has never been any question raised as to the adaptability 
of the soil for wheat raising. The experience of forty years, with- 
out a failure of the crop, has proved that. In quantity and quality 



550 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

the Oregon product is undoubtedly distinctly superior to that of 
any other section. A great part of the excessively high reputation 
of California in this regard was, doubtless, built up upon the 
merits of Oregon wheat in the days when the surplus of the latter 
State was always sent to San Francisco, and then re-shipped to 
European ports as first-class California wheat. From the first, the 
grain was found to be heavier, per bushel, than ordinary, and 
there were no insect depredators to injure the crop. Nor was rust 
known. Drouth, as we have said, never troubled the farmer of 
Western Oregon, for one sure dependence he has ever had — the 
copious rains of heaven, which, however, have thrice, in forty years, 
injured his crop by falling untimely. The yield, per acre, has 
been various, oscillating between moderately narrow extremes. 

Wheat, then, being so important a factor in the affairs of the 
valley, the general prosperity of the people has depended upon its 
successful and profitable production. When wheat is high, every- 
body has money, and when it is low, times are hard and poverty 
becomes, as it were, a present circumstance. It is always saleable 
at some price or other, and the ready cash can be commanded for 
it. In this respect it is the best crop to raise, for the market for 
it, which includes the whole world, is reliable, and extensive 
enough to satisfy the most cautious fanner. Being easily raised 
and quickly sold, for cash, without the necessity of barter, it has 
become the favorite crop ; but it has obvious drawbacks. It has 
to be sold at the minimum price in the whole world ; for such is 
the state of the wheat market that every civilized and semi -civilized 
w T heat-producing country comes into competition, and the wheat of 
India, Southern Russia, England, and elsewhere, seeks for a sale 
at the expense of Oregon grain. Any surplus beyond the wants 
of the farmers here is thrown into competition with the grain, per- 
haps, of the antipodes, and with it awaits the consumer. 

Having now sold his wheat at a price, regulated in Liverpool 
or London, and received for it the price that rules there, less com- 
missions to middle- men and brokers, and the cost of transportation 
from the home farm to whatever port it may be destined, the 
farmer draws his pay, and pays it over for articles, which, in a 
majority of cases, are of eastern or foreign manufacture, and which 
he has to pay for at the highest price for which they are sold in 



GRAIN PRODUCTS. 551 

any civilized country. His wants are varied ; the Oregon farmer, 
despite his pioneer training, is not particularly simple in his tastes, 
nor ultra -economical. Consequently, he is a ready purchaser, and 
quickly expends the proceeds of his wheat sold at a minimum 
price, for manufactured goods bought at a maximum price. So 
apparent are these evils, and so many other ones exist, that people 
of intelligence have seriously questioned whether the culture of the 
one great staple should not cease, and mixed husbandry take its 
place. 

It has become almost an axiom with political economists that 
agricultural communities, devoted to the culture of any one great 
staple, in preference to the culture of several or many products, 
become impoverished ; and they have endeavored to account for 
it on the supposition that the soil is robbed of its valuable elements, 
or else that a class of middle-men spring up and fasten themselves 
like barnacles upon the industry, and by absorbing the profits, 
ruin the farmers. These are evils, doubtless, but both insufficient 
and both unavoidable. It seems that the real reason for the decay 
and impoverishment of a country so circumstanced is to be sought 
for on other grounds. The impoverishment arises from the loss of 
the labor of the farming class. Wheat-raising demands the active 
energies of men for but a limited part of the year. In plowing, 
seeding and harvesting the wheat -grower is, undoubtedly, urged to 
his utmost ; but for more than two-thirds of the year his exertions 
are confined to the routine work about the farm-house, with short 
and irregular spasms of fence -building, etc. And the inevitable 
result of an exclusive devotion to wheat -growing, or other special 
employment, is to cause the farmer to slight all other necessary 
work. Hence, there arises a class of skilled and efficient specialists 
in agriculture, but whose exertions only extend over a fraction of 
the year, and who esteem all other pursuits trivial and unworthy 
beside the one to which they are devoted. It is, undoubtedly, the 
loss of labor that prevents a wheat or cotton -growing country 
from attaining opulence. One of the direct consequences of such 
habits would be the general air of untidiness about the farm — -the 
fences down, the fields full of weeds, hogs rooting in the door-yard, 
and the other familiar signs of unthrift and decadence. And these, 
it is often said, are the rule in agricultural communities devoted to 



552 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

a single staple, while the closest observers fail to detect their 
general application to regions where mixed farming prevails. 

There are some peculiar features connected with the wheat in- 
dustry in Oregon that deserve mention. In the first place, wheat 
commands a price lower by many per cent, in Oregon than in the 
United States, at large, and lower than in any other State or Terri- 
tory. The average price throughout the State in 1878 was ninety- 
two cents per bushel ; in the United States it was seventy-eight 
cents, and in no other recorded year have these figures approached 
so closely. In 1881 the Oregon price averaged eighty-eight cents ; 
the average price in the United States, one dollar and nineteen 
cents. In the former year the wheat production, per acre, in 
Oregon, averaged twenty -one bushels per acre ; in the United 
States, eight bushels, three pecks. In 1881 these numbers were 
seventeen bushels and two -tenths, and ten bushels and two -tenths. 
Taken throughout, the average wheat product, per acre, in Oregon, 
is about twice that of the country at large, but this difference is 
partly compensated by the lowness of the price in Oregon. Ap- 
proximately, the Oregon farmer receives about twenty per cent, 
more for the product of an acre than does the average American 
wheat -raiser. His disadvantage consists, finally, in the greater 
depletion of his soil, which must yield annually a very large 
quantity of its fertile elements to produce over twenty bushels of 
wheat, with a corresponding amount of straw. 

It is likely that a comparison of soils wonld likewise redound 
to the credit of the Willamette Valley, for instances of almost ex- 
haustless fertility are connected with nearly every farm. Con- 
tinuous wheat-cropping for thirty years has been followed at 
certain places in Marion County, with unimpaired production. Cer- 
tain soils in the French Prairie, have been devoted to wheat for 
that time, and still raise a good crop. Such results are unheard of 
in other States, and would seem highly improbable in the Missis- 
sippi States, where a much less test has reduced the average of 
wdiole States from twenty or more bushels to less than ten. One 
well-attested case illustrating the singular strength of Willamette 
Valley land is that of the farm of William Ruble, near Eola, Polk 
County, who tilled a portion of red hill land, and for fifteen, and 
even nineteen years, raised crops usually exceeding thirty bushels 



GRAIN PRODUCTS. 553 

per acre, without the addition of any fertilizer — such being un- 
known in Oregon — and without the least perceptible impairment of 
the soil. How this apparently paradoxical result can take place 
are discussed in another connection, where the characteristics of 
the soil and its constant renewal on a gigantic scale are treated of. 

In 1875 it was said that the average production of wheat in the 
valley was nineteen and a half bushels per acre. Elaborate calcu- 
lation of the cost of raising wheat and its comparative profits were 
set on foot at that time. To raise a ton of wheat required about 
two acres of land, to plow and seed which cost four dollars per 
acre ; the seed wheat for the two acres was worth two dollars and 
fifty cents ; cutting and binding, two dollars ; threshing, at four- 
teen cents per bushel (the price has receded one-half since then), 
and boarding hands, iive dollars and forty-six cents ; hauling an 
average distance of six miles to warehouse, four dollars ; wear and 
tear of machinery and depreciation of land, three dollars ; taxes on 
land, seventy -five cents ; interest on value of land, four dollars. 
Total, twenty-nine dollars and seventy-one cents. Under these, 
meant to denote ordinary conditions, the cost per bushel would be 
seventy-six cents. Wheat raised in this valley, in that year, 
brought one dollar and fifty- eight cents in Liverpool, while its cost 
to the farmer and shipper in freights and cost of production was 
eight cents more than the quoted price. In San Francisco the price 
was one dollar, which was nineteen cents less than the price should 
have been to pay expenses. The same sort of wheat was selling in 
Portland for eighty cents ; in Albany for sixty cents. It is usually 
taken for granted, and is, indeed, pretty well substantiated, that 
under the ordinary circumstances that rule in the valley, one dollar 
per bushel for wheat, in the field, makes farming fairly profitable. 

When the railway fever struck Oregon, the prospect of cheap 
and rapid freights for agricultural products gave a great impetus 
to wh( at-growing, which it still feels. With railroad transporta- 
tion to Portland, that culture assumed a very advanced stand, and 
wheat became a very important article of export. In 1867 the 
surplus of wheat was very large, and a better market began to be 
demanded. This surplus was estimated at two millions of bushels, 
all of which had to be moved by the Willamette Kiver steamers. 
The price in that year was seventy cents per bushel, as late as the 



554 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

first of September, but a sudden rise took place, and on October 
20th, the quotation was one dollar and ten cents. The amounts of 
wheat and flour received in Portland in that year were one hundred 
and four thousand seven hundred and forty -one barrels of flour, 
and fifty-five thousand three hundred and sixty-eight sacks, of one 
hundred and twenty pounds each, of wheat. This was practically 
all exported to San Francisco by vessel. In 1866 the exports had 
been twenty-nine thousand eight hundred and fifteen barrels of 
flour, and a very small quantity of wheat. Walla Walla and 
Eastern Oregon and Washington did not figure in these statistics. 
Their day came later. 

The exports of 1869, to the same port, were forty-one thousand 
six hundred and fifty-nine sacks of wheat, and one hundred and 
thirty -five thousand five hundred and thirty-nine barrels of flour. 
The wheat product of the valley was roughly estimated at one 
million five hundred thousand bushels, valued at $1,750,000. In 
1870 the corresponding figures are forty-five thousand and sixty 
sacks of wheat, and one hundred and forty thousand nine hundred 
and fifty-eight barrels of flour. The wheat product increased very 
considerably over the preceding year, for the estimated crop was 
one million seven hundred and ninety-four thousand bushels spring 
wheat, and five hundred and forty-six thousand bushels fall wheat ; 
making a total of two million three hundred and forty thousand 
bushels. Rendered into centals, etc., the accounts are thus : For 
the fiscal year 1868-69, the amounts shipped to San Francisco were, 
wheat, thirty -four thousand eight hundred and forty centals ; flour, 
eighty-two thousand five hundred and eighty one barrels ; being 
the equivalent of fourteen thousand one hundred and twenty-nine 
tons of wheat. For 1869-70, the year in which direct shipment to 
Europe began : To Europe, eleven thousand two hundred and 
sixty-seven centals wheat ; to San Francisco, fifty-one thousand 
eight hundred and forty-two centals wheat, and one hundred and 
sixty-four thousand Hve hundred and seventy-four barrels flour. 
Total, the equivalent of twenty-seven thousand eight hundred and 
forty-one tons wheat. In 1870-71 : To Europe, one hundred and 
eighty thousand nine hundred and twenty-four centals wheat ; to 
San Francisco, thirty-six thousand two hundred and seventy- one 
centals wheat, and one hundred and sixty-four thousand six 



GRAIN PRODUCTS. 555 

hundred and seventy -eight barrels flour ; to Bio, five thousand 
four hundred and thirty -six barrels flour ; to China ten thousand 
barrels flour. Total, the equivalent of thirty-seven thousand eight 
hundred and seventy-six tons wheat. In 1871-72 : To Europe, 
two hundred and forty-two thousand four hundred and fifty-seven 
centals wheat ; to San Francisco, two hundred and sixty -two 
thousand six hundred and sixty-three centals wheat, one hundred and 
thirty -eight thousand and fifty-five barrels flour. Total, forty-five 
thousand nine hundred and sixty-four tons wheat. In 1872-73 : 
To Europe, live hundred and sixteen thousand and seventy -three 
centals wheat ; to San Francisco, fifty-five thousand four hundred 
and ninety-four centals wheat, ninety-six thousand Hive hundred and 
sixty-eight barrels flour ; to China, ten thousand four hundred and 
forty -eight barrels flour. Total, forty -four thousand and thirty 
tons wheat. In 1873-74 : To Europe, eight hundred and seventy- 
one thousand seven hundred and ninety-nine centals wheat, sixty 
thousand one hundred and ninety -six barrels flour ; to San Fran- 
cisco, three hundred and forty-six thousand three hundred and 
sixty-three centals wheat, ninety-two thousand nine hundred and 
twenty -five barrels flour. Total, the equivalent of eighty -three 
thousand eight hundred and seventy-five tons, or about two 
million eight hundred thousand bushels. There is no exact means 
of determining the corresponding numbers for the succeeding years, 
for the product of Eastern Oregon and Washington became a great 
factor in the total, and the proportions furnished by those regions 
enter to an undetermined extent into the figures of exports. The 
tables included herewith will give a sufllcient idea of the produc- 
tion of the valley. 

As to the possible and probable expansion of wheat- growing, a 
great deal has been said. It seems, from a study of the surveys of 
the valley counties, that the total amount of land suitable for 
wheat culture is two million seven hundred and fifty thousand 
acres ; or at least these figures were put forth in 1875 as a fact. 
At the average of twenty-five bushels of wheat per acre, this 
amount would produce sixty- eight millions seven hundred and 
fifty thousand bushels annually, which would, mostly, be exported, 
as the quantity required for domestic use could be bat a small 
fraction of the production. Roughly speaking, that amount repre- 



556 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

sents ten times the present crop, whereby we discover that the 
average acreage at present must be about two hundred and seventy- 
five thousand, which is abont correct. Probably the time will 
never come when such an amount of wheat is cultivated, and there 
are many who do not look for any further expansion of the present 
wheat fields. Other calculations, giving each county its possible 
production, have been published. The Willamette Farmer, in 
December, 1873, gave the following estimate of possible wheat 
production, allowing twenty bushels per acre as the average crop. 
Marion County, whose total area is one million one hundred and 
nine thousand seven hundred and sixty acres, of which seven- 
eighths is arable land, could produce ten million seven hundred 
thousand bushels ; Linn County, containing a total area of one 
million eight hundred and twenty-four thousand acres, fifteen 
million nine hundred and eighty thousand bushels ; Lane County, 
three million one hundred and seventy-one thousand eight hundred 
and forty acres area, one-half arable, ten million nine hundred 
thousand bushels ; Benton, seven hundred and ten thousand acres 
area, three million Sive hundred thousand bushels ; Polk, three 
hundred and ninety -nine thousand three hundred and sixty acres, 
of which seven-eighths are supposed to be arable, two million seven 
hundred thousand bushels. The remaining counties of Yamhill, 
Washington and Clackamas, it was thought, could together, on 
occasion, produce twelve million bushels. Total possible produc- 
tion, after making the necessary deduction for territory required 
for other necessary crops and pasturage, fifty -five million seven 
hundred and eighty thousand bushels. The average yield, per 
bushel, was taken at twenty bushels per acre, it appears, because 
the production throughout the valley was at that rate during the 
year in which the calculation was made, that is, in 1873. In that 
year the acreage, in wheat, was thought to have been two hundred 
thousand, and the total product four million bushels. The exports 
from Portland during the year ending July 1, 1874, were eighty- 
three thousand tons of wheat, or its equivalent, corresponding to 
two million six hundred and fifty-six thousand bushels. The 
quantity required for home consumption then, was in the neigh- 
borhood of one million three hundred and forty thousand bushels. 
That quantity has since kept pace with the increase in population 
and bears a regular proportion thereto, as might be expected. 



GRAIN PRODUCTS. 557 

The following summary is introduced to show the effect of the 
introduction of railways upon wheat-growing. The total exports 
of wheat and flour (the latter rendered in its equivalent of wheat) 
from the port of Portland were : — 

In 1870, 6 cargoes, aggregating 4,379 tons. 
" 1871, 11 " " 9,274 " 

" 1872, 17 " " 15,215 " 

" 1873, 39 " " 38,344 " 

The exportation of wheat has continued mainly in the hands of 
several influential firms in Portland, but occasionally some exten- 
sive farmer or warehouseman, impatient of the ordinary modes of 
business, charters a ship, and loads her on his own account, and 
often realizes well on the sale of her cargo in Europe. The most 
satisfactory example of the kind was that of W. A. Wells, of Cor- 
vallis, who sent a cargo of grain around the Horn, and realized, 
from the venture, a very handsome profit, the proper reward of so 
much enterprise and commcn sense. 

Many varieties of wheat have been introduced, and it is believed 
that all have been successfully grown. Of the sorts in common 
use, the White Chili Club has been regarded as the best spring 
wheat. It threshes easily, yields heavily, and makes the best of 
flour. It succeeds best on high, dry ground. One bushel and 
three pecks, or two bushels, are usually sown on an acre. The 
Little Club is a good variety, with shorter straw, darker and 
smaller grain than the other, but making as good flour. This also 
is suited to dry soil, and should be sown between the middle of 
February and the middle of April. The former variety should be 
sown between New Year's and March first. The Australian is also 
an excellent kind. For wet land, Sonora wheat is, probably, the 
best variety. It is more apt to lodge than those named, and its 
flour is nofr so good. Its chaff is red, its grain white. The kinds 
most in repute for winter wheat are the common white wheat 
and White Velvet wheat. Some farmers are of opinion that the 
latter is the best variety grown or known in Oregon. It has the 
largest grain and makes the finest flour, but does not yield the best. 
The common white wheat yields very heavily, and makes good 
flour. It is sown from October 15th to February 15th. 



558 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

The average yield, per acre, of the crop of 1880, was fifteen and 
three -tenths bushel. The value per bushel in Portland, in that 
year, varied from $1.41 to $1.92 per bushel. The value of the 
crop, per acre, without taking into account the cost of transportation 
to Portland, assuming the average price to be $1.67, would have 
been $26. The total value of the crop at Portland prices was 
$8,836,825. 

Concerning soil products of the second rank, oats are found to 
stand next to wheat. The climate is exceedingly well adapted to 
their culture, and the crop is certain. They are raised generally 
throughout the valley. The crop of the nine counties aggregated 
three million one hundred and forty-one thousand eight hundred 
and eighty bushels in the year 1880, according to the census re- 
turns. Of this amount the two counties of Marion and Linn 
produced nearly half, their proportions being six hundred and 
ninety -three thousand six hundred and thirty bushels, and six 
hundred and seventeen thousand one hundred and sixty-four 
bushels respectively. The value, per bushel, has, of late years, 
averaged about forty-one cents throughout the State, and some- 
what less in the valley. The great value of the crop consists in 
its certainty, as well as in the slight amount of labor attending its 
cultivation. The yield, per acre, is supposed to average thirty-four 
bushels ; but three times that quantity have, at times, been raised 
on an acre. The standard weight, per bushel, is thirty-six pounds ; 
but they frequently weigh as high as forty pounds per bushel, and 
even forty-three. For additional facts relating to this valuable 
product, see the statistical tables annexed. 

Indian corn is found not to succeed well in the valley. It re- 
quires a comparatively warm and dry climate, with an exceptionally 
high temperature during its growing period, which the climate of 
Western Oregon does not perfectly furnish. Hence the product is 
very inconsiderable, as shown in the tables. The average price 
ruling in Oregon in 1878 was ninety-two cents per bushel ; in 
1879, ninety-three cents ; in 1880, eighty-two cents, and in 1881, 
eighty cents. 

Barley, from its comparatively limited demand, has not become 
a crop of much importance, but appears fairly well adapted to the 
soil and climate. The lead in the culture of this cereal is taken by 



GRAIN PRODUCTS. 



559 



Linn County, whose product exceeds that of any other. In 1880 
her yield was fifty thousand one hundred and seventeen bushels ; 
the other counties following in this order : Lane, Polk, Yamhill, 
Marion, Clackamas, Benton, Washington and Multnomah. The 
total product of the valley, for the year, amounted to one hundred 
and fifty -six thousand and sixty -six bushels. 

PRODUCTION OF WHEAT, OATS, CORN AND BARLEY IN 1880. 



County. 


Wheat, 
Bushels. 


33 

© 

© 

si 


CD 

% 

o 


2 

© 

o 


Indian Corn, 
Bushels. 


g 


in 

% 

pq 


i 

© 

PQ 


Benton 

Clackamas — 

Lane 

Linn 

Marion 

Multnomah-- 
Polk 


485,561 
217,508 
507,038 
831,593 
1,055,886 
11,554 
830,214 
375,813 
957,929 


30,511 
13,592 
39,662 
75,109 
62,922 
599 
52,342 
20,103 
52,008 


257,794 
215,003 
286,216 
629,164 
693,630 
23,809 
343,705 
315,489 
379,033 


8,853 

8,339 

11,727 

25,764 

23,901 

850 

11,882 

9,226 

12,335 


779 
2,736 
8,249 
4.911 
4,067 
1,029 
1,000 
1,956 
2,032 


21 

127 

260 

148 

134 

28 

60 

68 

73 


5,172 
5,449 

43,629 

50.117 
9,996 
1,189 

25,037 
3,277 

12,195 


155 

179 

1,830 
2,221 

368 
48 

957 


Washington - 
Yamhill 


121 
571 


Totals-— 


5,302,096 


346,848 


3,143,840 


112,877 


26,759 


919 


157,061 


6,450 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 



OTHER FIELD PRODUCTS. 



Flax — Well Adapted to the Lands of the Willamette — Linseed Oil — 
Table of Flax Production — Quality — Hops a Certain and Valuable 
Crop — Table — Hay — Clover — Grasses— Vegetables — Potatoes — Mar- 
ket Gardening a Profitable Industry — Table — Fruit — Apples, Pears 
and Prune* the Principal Varieties — Markets — History of Apple- 
Raising — William Meek — Present Condition of Orchards — Yield of 
Apples — Dealings with San Francisco — Mode of Culture — Fruit 
Prying — Importance of the Industry — Prospective Growth — Prunes 
— Plums — Peaches — Future of Fruit- Growing — Berries — Wild 
Species — Table Showing the Production of Principal Varieties and 
Value of Orchard Products — Beet Sugar and Potato Starch. 

FLAX has been a promising crop in the valley, and except for 
the discouragements incident to the introduction of a new 
agricultural product, doubtless, would have become a staple of still 
greater importance. Something like twenty years have elapsed 
since the first attempts were made to raise the plant ; and in that 
time a valuable fund of experience has been acquired, and, in some 
cases, considerable success achieved. In the first place, flax grows 
exceptionally well in Oregon. Its fibre is strong and valuable, 
and worth more, for manufacturing purposes, than any grown in 
the Eastern States. So say good judges. It is generally known 
that two valuable products are realized from the growth of flax, 
one being the fibre itself, the other, and secondary one, the seed, 
from which linseed oil is expressed. A bushel of seed yields two 
and a half gallons of oil. To obtain this oil, machinery is ne- 
cessary ; and after the flax culture came to demand it, a mill was 
built at Salem, since called the Pioneer Oil Works. The 
proprietors purchased the seed from the farmers of Marion and 



OTHER FIELD PRODUCTS. 



561 



Linn, where the new industry had taken root, and started work on 
December 21, 1867, and have continued with success ever since. 
They had ten thousand six hundred bushels of seed the first year, 
and made one hundred gallons of oil daily at first. Quite a num- 
ber of the farmers of the east side became interested in flax-raising, 
and in 1875 Walter Huston had eighty acres in flax. Joseph 
Holman and R. C. Geer and many others have also been identified 
with the industry. The farmers of only three counties have en- 
gaged largely in flax -raising. 



TABLE OF FLAX PRODUCTION IN 1880. 



County. Acres. 


Bushels Seed. 


Tons Straw. 


Pounds Fibre. 


Lane 


837 _ 


7,187 — 


121- 




Linn - 


1,479 _ 


. 13,759 


33 


28,176 


Marion _ 


. _ 17 


130 _ _ 


2_ 














Totals 


2.333 


21.076 


156 


28.176- — 



Quantities of flax exported to New York and Great Britain have 
been pronounced of excellent quality and a really superior article. 
It has brought from $300 to $500 per ton. The yield per acre 
varies from four to eight hundred pounds of clean lint. There has 
been talk of starting a factory somewhere in the Willamette Valley 
for the purpose of manufacturing thread, twine, and linen goods 
from the flax. As for the esteem in which the product is held 
abroad, it may be noted that samples of Oregon flax were exhibited 
at the Centennial Exposition, and received diplomas and medals for 
very fine quality, extraordinary length, strength, good color, superior 
gloss and silky softness. The oil made at Salem was pronounced 
of superior quality, being clear, fine and free from sediment, of ex- 
cellent body and high merit. 

Hops have proved a very successful crop, nothing lacking to 
their vigorous growth and advance to full perfection. In several 
seasons, however, untimely rains have set in and retarded the pick- 
ing of the ripened and matured crop. Some loss has been felt from 
this account, but nothing serious. The regions mainly devoted to 



562 



HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 



hop -raising are in Lane, Marion and Linn counties, whose produc- 
tions stand, as regards amount, in the order named, whereof the 
former produced in 1880, the census year, ninety-two thousand 
two hundred and ninety -eight pounds of hops. The statistics con- 
cerning the crop of that year are annexed. The home, par ex- 
cellence, of the hop is on the McKenzie River, in Lane County, 
where the largest and most productive plantations are found. 
That portion of the valley has been celebrated for hop-culture ever 
since the pioneer of the industry, J. W. Kunoff, began his experi- 
ments. Speaking in general terms, hops grow luxuriantly and 
yield heavily in the valley. Messrs. Beckett and Hodson, of Eola, 
raised in 1876 one thousand seven hundred pounds per acre, and 
in the same year George E. May, of Lane County, secured three 
thousand two hundred and ninety pounds from an acre. Other 
instances show a yield of from one thousand three hundred to two 
thousand nine hundred pounds, the former number, doubtless, 
recurring oftenest. 

The following table exhibits the production of hops in 1880, in 
the whole valley : — 



County. 


Acres. 


Pounds. 


Average per Acre. 


Lane _ __ _ __ 


__- 131 - 


_ 92,798 


708 _ 


Linn - -— 


32 _ 


25,830 - 


807 


Marion 


41 


67,080 


- 1,636 


Multnomah 


2_ 


_ 1,425 _ 


712 _ 


Polk _ _ ,__ - 


35 


_ 17,020 


486 _ _ 


Washington - 


4 


— 3,540 - 


_ 885 _ 


YamhilL 


_ _ _ 14 


6,150 


_ _ 439 - 










Totals 


259 


213,843 


825 



The hay crop of the valley is not excessive, as the demand for 
prepared stock feed is necessarily small. The natural grasses of 
the State are very abundant and nutritious, and it has not been 
found necessary to replace them by cultivated varieties, as has 
been done in the Eastern States. In the open spots in the moun- 



OTHER FIELD PRODUCTS. 563 

tains the grasses, green for the greater part of the year, grow 
thickly, and are generally covered and shaded by fern. These 
grasses form the principal sustenance of the cattle and sheep 
which may chance to be in the neighborhood. The wild peavine 
grows there also, and is one of the most valuable forage plants. 
In these isolated places, oases, as it were, many thousand sheep 
and cattle pasture, high up in the mountains, and far above the 
settled localities. They are removed thence on the failure of feed 
or the approach of cold weather. Bunch grass is a main depend- 
ence of the nomadic cattle men, and is, indeed, of inestimable 
value. The cultivated grasses are numerous. Timothy, otherwise 
called herdVgrass, is the principal variety, and is the staple for hay 
production. It grows extremely well. Red and white clover are 
esteemed of great worth, and their culture is practiced to consider- 
able extent. Three, and even five tons of cured clover hay, the 
product of a single acre, in one year, are not uncommon yields. 
This fact alone is enough to prove the adaptability of Western 
Oregon to dairying, for clover hay and clover pasturage are well 
known to be extremely valuable in that pursuit. A very good sod 
results from seeding with clover or herdVgrass, and the open hilly 
lands, it is thought, could, very quickly, be reduced to first-rate 
pasturage of this sort. There is not the least danger, usually, that 
the lack of rain in summer will prove fatal to the rootlets. It will 
be seen by the tables of hay production in 1880 that the average 
yield was one and six-tenths tons, or three thousand two hundred 
pounds per acre. 

It has been well said that superior vegetables of all species com- 
mon in the temperate zone, grow to profusion in Western Oregon. 
Potatoes, cabbage, onions, turnips, squashes, beets, carrots, par- 
snips, cucumbers, melons, lettuce, celery, tomatoes and other 
varieties, are always abundant and good and none of them afflicted 
with disease. Enormous crops are the order of the day. P. M. 
Rinearson, of Clackamas, raised four hundred and twelve bushels 
of onions on one-half acre, one thousand one hundred and thirty- 
three bushels of carrots per acre, and forty-one tons two hundred 
and sixty pounds of rata baga turnips per acre. These immense 
crops were harvested in the same year. The potato remains free 
from disease and insect parasites, and forms an important product. 



564 



HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 



Its average production, per acre, in 1880, throughout the valley, 
was one hundred and thirty -three bushels. 

In spite of the almost spontaneous growth of the best-flavored 
vegetables and garden produce, there is not a sufficient quantity 
raised by the American farmers to supply the demand, and the 
larger towns and cities have to depend for their supply mainly on 
the Chinese market gardens,* or on the produce of California gar- 
dens, brought by the steamship line from San Francisco. No 
considerable class of white market gardeners has yet made its ap- 
pearance in Oregon, although representatives of that class have 
achieved notable success in their pursuit in Portland, Salem and 
elsewhere, and not one has failed to make money. At the prices 
that are cheerfully paid for " garden truck " there is an ample 
margin for profit, and industrious men never fail to realize money 
from such pursuits. 



PRODUCTION OF POTATOES AND HAY IN 1880. 




County. 


Is 


1 °Q 


02 

o 


GO 

o 

M 


Benton _ _ _ __ _. 


32,932 
208,810 

52,795 

72,235 
153,355 
203,730 

21,724 
115,013 

63,406 


214 

1,525 

412 


10,638 

9,196 

IS.ftKS 


6,339 


Clackamas — 

Lane _ _► _ - 


5,403 
9 593 


Liinn 


709 lfl onn 


13 107 


Marion - 


1,131 

1,560 

177 

762 
460 


13,474 
9,655 

14,351 
9,623 

12,347 


8 322 


Multnomah - - - 


5,655 


Polk 


8,479 
7,623 


Washington _ _ - 


Yamhill 


6,706 






TOTAL _ 


924,000 


6,950 


114,244 


71,227 







The subjects of fruit and fruit -raising, by their relative impor- 
tance, deserve the deepest consideration, and the profoundest treat- 
ment. Much has been said concerning the qualities and varieties 
of Oregon -grown fruits, but whoever would inform himself upon 
what has been said would be astonished at the inconsequential 
character of it all. The literature of fruit- raising appears to con- 
sist mainly in repetitions of what some one or other originally re- 
marked ; and the utmost depth of men's investigations is the dis- 
covery that the fruit of Western Oregon is superior to that of 
every other region. The best essay on the subject of the resources 



OTHEfc FIELD PRODUCTS. 565 

of Oregon, which has heretofore appeared, is a small pamphlet 
issued by the railroad people in 1878, entitled " Oregon, Facts Re- 
garding its Climate, iSoil and Agricultural Resources ;" written 
and published with a design of attracting immigration. Its judg- 
ment on fruit is in the following words : — 

Western Oregon excels as a fruit country. No finer fruit, of the kinds raised 
there, is produced in any quarter of the globe. Fruit trees will grow from six to 
eight feet the first year ; bear fruit the second, third and fourth years, according to 
variety. They thrive in the valleys, as weU as on the foot-hills, and up to a con- 
siderable height in the mountains, but especially in dry, sheltered soil. Yearling 
prune, peach and plum trees, eight feet high, and yearling cherry trees seven feet 
high have been exhibited. Apple trees commence bearing very young, sometimes 
producing fine fruit the second year after grafting ; and, if properly cultivated, are 
always in bearing when four or five years old. The fruit is large, highly-colored 
and of the most delicious flavor. It is free from the apple worm and the bitter rot, 
and keeps remarkably well, many varieties lasting through the whole year. Pears 
also grow in great perfection. The trees begin to bear when remarkably young, 
and are exceedingly healthy and vigorous, and being entirely free from diseases, 
will live to a great age. The trees are very productive and the fruit highly-flavored, 
Pears have been grown, weighing over three pounds. Oregon is the very Eden for 
cherries, plums and prunes. The trees are perfectly healthy, grow vigorously and 
bear much earlier than in the States east of the Rocky Mountains ; and for size, 
beauty and excellence of flavor, the fruit is unsurpassed in any part of the globe. 
The plum and prune are entirely free from the attack of the curculio. Plums and 
prunes, especially the latter, are found to be so profitable for drying, that orchards 
are being planted for that purpose. Not less than two hundred thousand trees 
have been planted within twenty or thirty miles of Portland in the last three or 
four years. Trees of all varieties of apple, pear, plum, prune, cherry, etc., known 
in the best catalogues can be obtained in the nurseries near Portland, at reasonable 
prices. Strawberries, currants, raspberries and gooseberries, of a fine quality, are 
raised in abundance. Several of the hardier varieties of grapes are successfully 
cultivated. The summer nights are too cool for the successful cultivation of 
peaches. Fruit-raising in Western Oregon already constitutes a considerable busi- 
ness, and promises excellent returns. In 1875 establishments were erected at 
various points for drying fruits, which are of the best quality, and find a ready 
market in San Francisco, as well as in New York, China, Japan, South America, 
Australia, and other localities. Much of the fresh fruit is exported to California 
and the adjacent territories. The Oregon apples, in particular, find a ready market 
in California, where only a much inferior article is raised. 

This is a very fair review of an important industry, which is 
apparently destined to become of prime consequence to the people 
of Western Oregon. The aspect of the question has not materially 
changed since 1878, the date of publication of the words above 
quoted, and they still remain applicable to the condition of affairs. 
There are, however, certain statements that require explanation 
and enlargement. 



566 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

The first apple orchard in the Willamette Valley was grown from 
trees brought across the plains by William Meek and H. Lewelling 
(see page 301). They were planted at Milwaukie, six miles south 
of Portland. The firm of Lewelling & Meek came in time to 
possess, at that place, the largest orchard and nursery in Oregon. 
They sent apples in 1852, and subsequent years, to California, 
where they were sold, at enormous prices, to miners and others. 
The sales of fruit and grafts and young trees brought wealth to 
the enterprising proprietors. In 1860 Mr. Meek removed to Cali- 
fornia, settled at San Lorenzo, near Oakland, and, in the pursuits 
of horticulture, acquired celebrity and great wealth. He died 
several years since. Many orchards were set out by the pioneer 
immigrants, and some of the trees planted at that early period are 
still in vigorous bearing. Fruit -culture, especially of the apple, 
proved very profitable ; the limited product of thirty years ago 
selling at fancy prices. Several people attained considerable wealth, 
though few adopted fruit-raising as an exclusive pursuit. The 
high prices of the early years gave a great impetus to orchard 
planting, and when those came into full bearing, the increase of 
the supply brought prices down rajridly. The demand has not 
been great, nor has it materially increased of late ; but the supply 
is immense. Nearly every farm in the valley has its orchard of 
fruit trees, mainly apples, and not one -tenth of the crop is or could 
be sold. The waste of good fruit is invariably great. The prices, 
of late years, have been extremely low ; good apples are to be had 
in any quantity at twenty cents per bushel, and cider apples, of a 
poorer quality, and taken without sorting, can be bought for 
slightly less. The inevitable result of such prices is seen in the 
ill-kept condition of the orchards, which, in most cases, are un- 
pruned, unploughed and uncared for generally, with moss on every 
trunk, and brush and weeds upon the ground and in the fence 
corners. A great falling off in the quantity and quality of fruit 
results from such carelessness. 

The yield, throughout the valley, has been judged to average 
one million three hundred thousand bushels, besides which a large 
amount has annually rotted upon the ground, or been eaten by 
hogs. There are enough trees already planted to supply any 
probable extension of the present demand, although that demand 



OTHER FIELD PRODUCTS. 56Y 

has been increased within a season or two, by the completion of the 
overland railways, and, doubtless, will keep pace with the increase 
of population in the territories to the eastward. 

As long ago as 1865, the value of Oregon apples shipped to 
San Francisco, amounted, in one twelve -month, to about $100,000. 
The following year the sales declined to half that. They sold 
sometimes at the rate of one dollar and seventy -five cents per box, 
or nearly four and a half cents per pound, and were said by the 
Californians to be "better apples, of a better color, and of better 
keeping qualities than California fruit." The average price 
received in San Francisco has been about one dollar per box, or 
two and a half cents per pound. We notice a gradual decline in 
the price from the earliest times, when the price reached, in isolated 
examples, its maximum of a dollar per apple, which was sometimes 
paid. On the export California -wards depends the greater part of 
the prosperity of the fruit -raisers. There has always been a 
sufficient amount of green fruit shipped there to form a very con- 
siderable item in the State's exports, and it appears that that de- 
mand is not likely to be much increased, or, at least, not immedi- 
ately. 

Fruit trees, in Western Oregon, may be planted either in spring 
or fall, whenever the ground is in proper condition, and apple trees 
are set from eighteen to twenty-four feet apart, or with seventy-eight 
to one hundred and thirty -five trees to the acre. Sometimes they 
are properly attended to, cultivated, freed from insects and en- 
croaching weeds ; but more often are left untended and subject to 
the attacks of parasites, animal and vegetable, the moss accumulated 
upon their stems, and before its full growth, or while it is in a scarcely 
mature age, the tree presents an aspect of decrepitude and decay. 
Frequently the ground included in the orchard is seeded to wheat 
or other grain crop ; and the soil, which should have been left for 
the exclusive sustenance of the trees, becomes sapped of its fertility, 
its strength going to increase the contents of the farmer's grain bins. 

The industry of drying fruit for home consumption, and sale to 
distant markets, has engaged some few Oregonians for a lengthened 
period of years. It seems to present assurances of positive present 
gain, with every chance of increased usefulness. Since the intro- 
duction of improved apparatus and processes of curing, very much 



568 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

increased attention has been called to the subject. By the aid of 
the Alden, or any one of the several patent dryers, apples, pears, 
prunes, and other fruits, are cured and prepared for shipment to 
market at very cheap rates. The art of curing fruit, little under- 
stood until within the last two decades, has advanced with giant 
strides, and promises a competence to everybody who can command 
sufficient means to buy a dryer and a quantity of fruit. Previously 
it has often been remarked that the sun-dried Oregon fruit was 
badly prepared, oftentimes being infested with insects and present- 
ing an uninviting appearance generally, owing to its dark color, 
etc. The objections which once gave Oregon dried fruit a bad 
reputation and materially injured its sale, have now been removed, 
and the machine- cured apples, prunes, etc., find ready sale, at 
prices which are usually very remunerative. Many people have 
embarked in the business, some of them with success. The ex- 
pected pecuniary results have not, in all cases, been realized, partly 
because of a decline in prices ; but sufficient experience has been 
had to place the business in a condition of permanency, and to 
guarantee it as one of the occupations upon which the State will, 
in future, depend for her prosperity. 

It is highly probable that Western Oregon can, and does pro- 
duce more and better prunes than any other section of the United 
States. It would seem that this valley is exactly suited for their 
culture, by reason of its soil, temperature and circumstances 
generally. The varieties mostly cultivated are the Fellenberg, 
Gros Prune d'Agen, Petit Prune d'Agen, and some others. They 
produce, at six years old, one hundred, or more pounds of fruit, if 
cultivated carefully, and at twelve years they reach three hundred 
or five hundred pounds. The fruit begins to ripen in the last of 
August, and will remain sound while yet hanging upon the trees 
for two months or more. The division of prunes into German and 
Italian is of some importance to fruit-growers, who discriminate 
between them to the prejudice of the one or the other. One 
hundred pounds of the green fruit will make thirty pounds when 
dried, without considering the weight of the pits, and the dried 
fruit sells, usually, at from twenty -five to thirty cents per pound, 
without pits, and about thirteen cents with. The green fruit costs, 
at the dryers, about two or two and a half cents per pound, and 



OTHER FIELD PRODUCTS. 569 

the buyers, usually, have not the slightest difficulty in procuring 
all they want. 

Plums are of equally luxuriant growth and excellent flavor, 
with the prunes, and are found in greater variety. It has been the 
custom for the orchard owners to set out in each a few plum trees, 
sufficient for the home demands. The sorts mostly planted are the 
Washington, Columbia, Eeine Claude de Bavay. General Hand, 
Ickworth Imperatrice. Green Gage. Jefferson. Coe's late Eed (will 
hang on the tree until January), Coe's Golden Drop (a mammoth 
plum). Egg Plums, and other sorts numerous beyond mention. 
The Royal Hattine is a great bearer, ripening in July. The 
Quackenboss is large, suited for table use. 

Plums are in comparatively small demand in the markets, and, 
consequently, are very cheap. The most excellent fruit can often 
be purchased for twenty -five cents per bushel, at which rate their 
culture is not profitable. They are considered of less value than 
prunes for drying. 

Of other fruits, etc., there is less to say. The peach is not very 
successfully cultivated, by reason of the peculiarities of climate. 
The few that are raised are of fair size and o-ood flavor. Exhaustive 
experiments have been made with good prospect of finding a 
variety suited to the climate. A few were raised, in early 
years, which were sold in 1^55, in Portland, for five dollars per 
bushel. Pears lack nothing of full perfection, when grown in the 
valley, taking a place second only to the apple and the prune. 
All the commoner and more esteemed varieties are cultivated with 
entire success, among others, the well known Bartlett and Duchess 
pears, etc. Their fruit is dealt in at the Portland and other 
markets, where it attains a price corresponding to that of apples 
and prunes. 

Under the circumstances in which the people of Oregon are 
placed, as to transportation, climate, soil, etc., it seems that no de- 
mand for fresh or dried fruits, such as grow in this latitude, could 
arise beyond the power of the Willamette valley to supply. The 
existing demand is of a constant nature, and is subject to a slight 
but certain increase. The home demand is, of course, fixed and 
unwavering, but does not enter into commercial calculations. It is 
probable that a considerable movement of green fruit toward the 



570 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

East will take place, because the apples, pears, and fruits of that 
sort, are not grown in plenty, or of sufficiently good quality, in the 
districts with which the railways connect us. It is much the same 
with dried fruit, and men of judgment are confidently expecting 
an immense increase to the present considerable production. The 
exportation of dried fruit, from Portland, in the twelve months 
ending July 31, 1883, amounted to $53,707. 

The testimony of travelers and botanists shows, beyond cavil, 
that there is no country in the known world where wild berries 
are so common as in Oregon. In the woods and prairies of this 
part of the State, no less than eighteen varieties of edible berries, 
some of them equal in flavor to cultivated sorts, exist, abundant, 
large and delicious, mostly unknown or little appreciated by man, 
but furnishing a large part of the diet of the numerous wild birds 
and beasts of the forest and field. The kinds best known are the 
blackberry, strawberry, huckleberry, salmon-berry, sallal, Oregon 
grape, squawberry, and others. The Indians of the valley once 
derived a large part of their subsistence from various berries, 
gathered and dried, and eaten with dried salmon. The enormous 
quantities of wild blackberries, growing in the woods, are of im- 
portance to the cuisine of many white families who repair in July, 
to favorite localities, where they engage in picking them for future 
consumption. They grow in almost unlimited quantities, only 
approached in that respect by the huckleberries, which have a 
more contracted habitat, being confined to the mountain regions, 
where whole townships are covered by their bushes. Their fruit 
is of some use, as food for human beings, and plays a very im- 
portant part in the dietary of many wild animals, particularly 
bears, which grow fat on them. The sallal is a delicious berry, 
which is peculiar to Oregon, and is, by some, ignorantly supposed 
to be poisonous. It is found widely extended over the Coast and 
Cascade Ranges, but each plant (two to three feet high) bears 
but a few berries, the size of small pistol balls. The salmon -berry 
grows upon usually high bushes beside running streams ; its berry 
is red or yellow, and, in structure, like a raspberry, but more 
insipid. It is not highly regarded as food, and possesses a com- 
paratively short season, whereas the blackberry, huckleberry and 
sallal remain upon the bushes, in a state of ripeness, for weeks, and 
even months. 



OTHER FIELD PRODUCTS. 



571 



FRUIT PRODUCTION IN 1880. 



County. 


QD 

CD 

0) EH 

I— 1 
ft 


m 
ll 

< 


02 

aS 
u 

A* 

o 

a> 
Ph 


CD 
1 « 

a> as 
^£ 

03 


Value of 
Orchard 
Products. 


Benton 


4,154 
165,428 

85,304 
155,777 
191,221 

58,219 
117,685 

64,744 
118,557 


58,976 
130,136 
121,712 
199,185 
213,416 

34,893 
164,286 

73,540 
216,147 


254 

2,185 

599 

473 

436 

1.141 

' 36 

15 

290 


101 

832 

490 

787 

22 

51 


$14,167 


Clackamas 


32,995 


Lane - - 


37,144 


Linn 


65,768 


Marion 

Multnomah 

Polk 


54,448 

26,268 
28,814 


Washington 

Yamhill 


36 
40 


19,472 
52,054 






Total 


961,095 


1,212,288 


5,429 


2,359 


$331,130 



This chapter would be incomplete without a reference to the 
introduction of the sugar beet, which has been advocated with such 
a setting forth of the merits and profits of this culture, that its 
value to the State would seem enormous. It is well known that 
this plant is the source of the greater part of the sugar consumed 
on the continent of Europe, and, that it has been successfully 
applied to sugar-making in the United States. The soil of the 
Willamette Valley has been found to be very well adapted to its 
growth, and the seasons are sufficiently long to admit of the fullest 
development of the contained sugar. The extraction of the 
sweetening product is a simple art, but sufficiently detailed and 
complicated to give employment to many men for quite a prolonged 
period. Beet sugar works then would have a double advantage to 
this country, m being the means of furnishing a very important 
article of consumption, which, at present, has to be imported from 
foreign lands, and second, in furnishing work to a class of desirable 
citizens. No great degree of skill is necessary in this art, or, at 
least, the greater .number of the operatives in beet sugar refineries 
are unskilled. It is worth while for intelligent experimenters to 
examine further into the availability of this region for beet culture. 
The line of experiments would embrace a determination of the 
sugar riches of various approved varieties of beets, the proportion 
of un crystal lizable syrup, the percentage of alkaline ingredients in 
the ash of the beet, the area of land suitable for the crop, and the 
relative profit of the culture, as compared with other products. 



572 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Potatoes having been found to grow so successfully, it is highly 
possible that the manufacture of starch from that source will, one 
day, be an industry of consequence. In certain districts in the 
East, particularly in Maine and New Hampshire, potato starch- 
making has become the chief manufacture, and contributes largely 
to the resources of those States. Starch is there made at a profit, 
when potatoes bring twenty -five or thirty cents a bushel — a price 
that enables them to be raised, but not very profitably. What 
conditions would surround the culture of potatoes for starch - 
making in Oregon can only be surmised. It is probable that it 
would prove a great benefit to the more retired districts, but would 
hardly assume a leading position among the occupations of a com- 
mon character. Like beet sugar -making, it would afford lucrative 
employment for a considerable number of persons, who, by the 
way, need not be of exceptional skill as operatives. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 



LIVE STOCK. 



The Earliest Introduction of Cattle — Cattle brought from California — 
Herds brought by Immigrants — Improved Stock — Dairying — Non- 
progressive Practices of the Farmers — Beef Animals — Table of 
Cattle and Dairy, Products — Statistics of Horses, Etc. — Sheep 
Introduction of — Brought from California and the East — Improved 
Breeds — The Merino — Domestic Animals Uncared For — Woolen 
Mills — Watts Leads the Way— Mill at Oregon City — Willamette 
Mill at Salem — Mill at Brownsville — Excellent Quality of Cloths 
Manufactured — Table of Sheep, and Wool Production — Swine — 
Peculiar Advantages in Pork-raising — Animals Neglected — Table 
Showing Ntimber of Hogs and Their Value — Goats. 

THE earliest introduction of cattle into Oregon was accom- 
plished by the Hudson's Bay Company, who, as a measure of 
expediency, brought a few horned animals to Vancouver, sometime 
in 1835. These animals, probably, came from the Sandwich 
Islands. Their practice was to retain exclusive ownership of 
every animal, with the offspring of the cows, although they, at 
times, leased the cows to American and other settlers, exacting the 
return of the beasts, with their calves, if any were born during the 
term of hire. Consequent upon this severe condition, no progress 
could be made in stock-raising, until, in 1837, the first Spanish 
cattle were imported from California, being brought overland by 
individuals who went to that country for the purpose of obtaining 
stock for the use of American settlers in the Willamette Valley. 
Ewing Young and Rev. Jason Lee organized the plan, and six 
hundred head were successfully brought overland, through the 
valleys of the Sacramento, Rogue and Umpqua, to the fertile and 
grass-covered plains of the Willamette. (See page 230). These 



574 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

cattle cost three dollars per head, in California, and were of the 
genuine long-horned Mexican breed, and of no great value for 
stock purposes, except as being the only animals to be had. The 
cattle monopoly was now broken, and the few settlers were each 
enabled to go into cattle -raising at their option. The extensive 
plains of the Willamette, covered with the most nutritious of native 
grasses, afforded abundant pasturage throughout the year. The 
cattle increased satisfactorily, and their numbers were further 
added to by the arrival of herds driven across the plains. These 
were of better blood than the raw-boned and ferocious Mexican 
breed, and from them the herds of to-day are, in part, descended. 
The number of head brought across the plains can hardly be told, 
but for the year 1853 it is known to have approached fifteen 
thousand five hundred, of which number nine thousand were oxen and 
six thousand Hve hundred cows and calves. The large number of 
importations speedily stocked the country with animals of tolerable 
breeds and of value and usefulness. By 1850 the number of cattle 
in the valley was so great that a considerable number were returned 
to California to furnish beef for the northern mines, and the 
miners of Southern Oregon were indebted to the same source in 
1852, and subsequent years, for their own supply of beef. Ac- 
cording to Hon. John Minto, the ordinary route of travel for those 
driving cattle across the plains, was via Fort Hall to The Dalles, 
thence along the south bank of the Columbia to a point about 
four miles from Hood River, where the cattle were made to swim 
across to the north side of the great river, thence following down 
to a point below the mouth of Sandy River, where they were swum 
back to the south side, being then near their destination. There 
was, at that time, an Indian trail across the Cascades, by way of 
the north side of Mount Hood, but the gentleman mentioned as 
authority, is of the opinion that it, probably, never was used to 
bring cattle over. This refers to the earlier years ; in 1846 the 
Barlow Road, the first wagon road across the Cascades, was 
opened, and was made generally useful. In the same year the 
Applegates and others opened the Southern Route. 

Fine imported stock and graded animals have been introduced, 
until they are no rarity in Oregon. The effect of the introduction 
has been to raise the average value of neat stock for breeding and 



LIVE STOCK. 575 

for milking purposes very materially. None of the original traits 
of the Mexican pioneer cattle exist in Oregon, but on the other 
hand the tine points of Jersey, Alderney, Ayrshire, Shorthorn, or 
other valuable breeds, are to be noted in almost every herd. The 
Willamette Valley, doubtless, possesses as good stock as any portion 
of the Union. S. G. Reed's exertions were directed to the im- 
provement of Oregon stock, and, at the Reedville farm of S. G. 
Reed and W. S. Ladd, in Washington County, not far from Port- 
land, a large number of costly imported animals are kept. Among 
them are. or have been, the Shorthorn Durhams, Ayrshires. and 
other horned animals, and horses, sheep and hogs of the most ap- 
proved breeds. Mr. Reed's example has been of priceless value to 
the State. Recently, Mr. J. L. Hallett, a celebrated railway con- 
tractor, has embarked in stock-farming in a very extensive way. at 
his estate, near Dilley, Washington Connty, and the outcome of 
his projects is awaited with a great deal of interest. He proposes 
to introduce select breeds of farm animals, and racing stock and 
valuable varieties of farm productions. Such projects are always 
the best means of educating the farming population, as they l«ad the 
way to higher and more useful results than are ever attained by 
ordinary farming, even were that followed for centuries. 

Butter and cheese -making are followed to an extent sufficient to 
supply the home demand, but the processes are, even for such 
simple and unprogressive arts, often exceedingly crude, and the 
product usually unsatisfactory. The stranger, in his first view of 
the valley counties, is apt to conclude that the facilities for dairying 
must be excellent, even unsurpassed, by reason of the almost per- 
petually green grass, the pure water, the abundant shelter ; and, to 
a close observer, it seems extraordinary that the ample opportuni- 
ties for that industry are not taken advantage of. The dairying 
interests, like that of fruit-growing, are capable of indefinite exten- 
sion : and the supply of butter and cheese might be made equal 
to any demand. Cows can be kept alive all the winter, sustained 
solely by the natural grasses, and a slight addition to their food 
will keep them in excellent condition. In no case is it necessary 
to resort t<> the expensive stall-feeding, practiced with dairy cows 
in the East, for. with far less care and attention, the Oregon cow 
equals the Eastern animal in quality and How of milk. Hence, the 



576 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

dairyman, as regards the expense of keeping cows, stands at an ad- 
vantage in Oregon. 

Dairying has been the subject of several experiments on a very 
large scale. The Ankeny farm, on the Santiam, some ten miles 
southeast of Salem, has been the scene of the most important, and, 
withal, the most successful attempt yet made. Some two hundred 
cows have been kept there, and butter and cheese manufactured 
with patent appliances of the most approved style. The results 
are such as to justify the erection of " creameries," like those of 
New York. There, we are told, the farmers of a neighborhood, 
each a possessor of a few cows, carry their milk to an establishment 
called a creamery, fitted up for butter, or, more frequently, for 
cheese-making, and the milk being measured, is paid for at the 
average rate of twelve cents per gallon, and converted into butter 
or cheese, which is invariably of a high class, and brings a cor- 
responding price. New York creamery cheese has achieved a great 
reputation, international in its extent, and has become a large 
article of export to England. The annual yield of a New York 
cow is averaged at four hundred and fifty gallons, which, at the 
price mentioned, is equal to a yearly sum of fifty-four dollars. 
Ten pounds of milk make one pound of cheese, and twenty-seven 
pounds make one of butter. Considering the natural advantages 
that Western Oregon possesses, dairying should be one of the 
most prominent occupations, as it would certainly be one of the 
most remunerative of all agricultural arts. 

Raising horned cattle for beef has long been an important 
occupation in Western Oregon. At first it was the exclusive 
occupation of the greater number of settlers, and has only yielded 
the first place to wheat-raising since the level lands became too 
valuable for pasturage. The soil, climate, grasses and natural ad- 
vantages generally favored cattle -raising beyond most other pursuits, 
and the business is still a favorite one. The sphere of operations 
of the stock man has now been removed from the Willamette 
region, and has passed beyond the Cascades. The almost limitless 
pastures of Eastern Oregon, and the fields, once occupied by his 
herds, are now given over to grain crops. The great herds have 
been subdivided, their pasture grounds contracted, and, although 
the number of cattle in the valley counties has much increased, 



LIVE STOCK, 



577 



cattle -raising, as an exclusive pursuit, has dropped from the 
prominence it once had. 

TABLE SHOWING THE NUMBER OF HORNED CATTLE IN 1880 AND 
1883, AND THE PRODUCT OF BUTTER AND CHEESE IN 1880. 





1880. 


1883. 


1880. 


County. 


00 

o 

*° 

o 

1 


IS 

o 


n 


CD 

P ^ 


P 
> 


co 

i ^ 

I P 

a> o 

P 

M 


CO 

co o 
Q 


Benton - _ 


2,197 
3,252 
5,300 
5,000 
4,348 
2,735 
2,340 
2,614 
2,756 


3,796 
6,884 
7,873 
7,542 
6,168 
1,512 
4,244 
3,428 
5,204 


5,993 

10,136 

13,173 

12,542 

10,516 

4,247 

6,584 

6,042 

7,760 


6,657 

6,206 

13,088 

8,072 
3,643 
4,616 
5,950 

6,892 


$115,188 

42,196 

228,749 

160,444 

154,237 

47,965 

73,990 

88,450 

86,945 


85,547 
148,490 
185 323 


8,625 


Clackamas 


450 


Lane 


24.900 


Linn- 


292,434 | 3,453 
224,019 ; 15,784 
226,673 42,160 
92,844 60 
151,982 I 2,930 
136,749 360 


Marion _ 


Multnomah 

Polk 

Washington 

Yamhill 


Total 


30,542 


46,651 


76,993 i 55,124 $998,164 


1,544,061 j 98,722 



STATISTICS SHOWING THE NUMBER OF HORSES, ETC. 





1880. 


1883. 


County. 


s 
g 

o 


,— CO 

P ss 

co<^ 

1— 1 

p 


P . 

og CO 
CO i— I 

CO »_ 


6 
^P 

> 


Benton - 


3,326 
2,561 
5,988 
7,827 
5,734 
1,2-53 
4,774 
2,720 
4,464 


83 
136 
118 
129 

222 
35 
52 
81 

173 


2,940 
2,165 
6,040 


$165,438 
119,581 
318,404 
375,595 
374,178 
120,900 
205,755 
169,365 
229,872 


Clackamas 


Lane _ 


Linn __ __ 


Marion - 


6,013 
2,178 

3,782 
3,240 
4,791 


Multnomah 


Polk— 


Washington _ 


Yamhill 


Total 


38,647 


1,029 


31,149 


$2,077,088 



The Hon. John Minto, of Marion County, an early pioneer, 
and an authority in matters of fact, writes that the first sheep ever 
seen in Oregon were brought from California by a man named 
Lease, an American, who had nine hundred head in the Sacramento 
Valley in 1837. Ewing Young and Hubbard, while importing 



578 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

cattle, as already mentioned, met Lease and advised him to take 
his flock to the Willamette country. He, accordingly, drove one- 
half his flock through in the year in which cattle were first driven 
from California. These sheep were sold, mostly, to the Hudson's 
Bay Company's retired trappers, and to the Puget Sound Agricul- 
tural Company, at Msqually. Lease is thought to have brought a 
second drove through in 1 842, for some four or five hundred sheep 
came in that year from California. In 1844, the first sheep that 
ever came to Oregon from the Eastern States, were brought by 
Joshua Shaw and his son, A. C. R. Shaw. In 1847, a fine flock — 
the property of one Fields — was driven across the plains by H. 
Vaughan. Fields settled in Marion Countv, but died soon after, 
and his sheep were scattered among various owners, and became 
the foundation of many excellent flocks. In 1848 Joseph Watt 
brought three hundred head across the plains, and during subse- 
quent years a great many were brought, so that by 1851, sheep 
were so numerous that, like cattle, they were driven to the Cali- 
fornia mines for food. 

Improved breeds began to be introduced about the time of the 
civil war, and every sheep-raiser paid attention to the condition of 
his flock, and, in due time, the native sheep, of ordinary aspect, 
were replaced by graded and mixed breeds of very high quality, 
so that now the sheep of Oregon, like the cattle, are equal to any 
in the world. Those breeds have been introduced which seemed 
most adapted to the conditions existing in this State. The merino 
has been the favorite, and more flocks of 'this race are found than 
of any or perhaps all others. Extraordinary pains have been 
taken in the matter, and the most useful results achieved. The 
consequence is, that the Willamette Valley wool is esteemed the 
very best grown in America, and commands a price higher by 
from four to six cents a pound than the product of California and 
other States. It is strong, even, free from burrs, of a fine texture 
and much sought after by manufacturers. It is a noticeable ad- 
vantage, or is so esteemed, that the sheep do not, or are supposed 
to not, require any protection through the winter; nor are they 
habitually fed during that time, their only subsistence being what 
they can pick up. Although it is a fact that the cattle and other 
domestic animals of this part of Oregon do not, in general, receive 



LIVE STOCK. 579 

the least care during winter ; and although the season is not 
sufficiently severe and long- continued to make feeding and pro- 
tection absolutely essential, yet it would seem that self-interest — 
to Bay nothing of humanity — would sometime suggest a different 
treatment of these faithful and enduring domestic animals, which 
are man's best and most indispensable friends. There are many 
farmers who think that feed and shelter would result in improving 
the condition of stock animals, and the implanting of stronger consti- 
tutions ; and it is certain that increased production would result 
from better treatment of dairy animals. 

The rapid multiplication of sheep in Oregon, and the costliness 
and scarcity of woolen fabrics, was the cause of the construction of 
the first woolen mill. This was built in Salem in 1857, and was 
the first on the Pacific Coast. Watt, the originator of the idea, had 
evolved it as early as 1853, and by persistent agitation brought it to 
a realization at the time mentioned. The mill was called the 
Willamette Woolen Mill, and its machinery was run by the power 
of water brought in a ditch from the Santiam River. The concern 
was quite extensive, and used four hundred thousand pounds of 
wool annually, and paid out $100,000 per annum for the wages of 
operatives. It prospered for many years, but was most un- 
fortunately burned, on the third of May, 1876. The large woolen 
mill at Oregon City was built in 1865, the company having been 
organized in February, 1864, with a capital of $60,000, increased 
soon to $100,000. It was begun as a three-set mill, but by 1873 
had increased its size to seven sets, with two thousand three hundred 
spindles and twenty -four broad looms. Its yearly consumption of 
wool is in the neighborhood of half a million pounds, and its 
output averages one hundred and thirty thousand yards of cassi- 
meres and one hundred and twenty thousand yards of flannels and 
blankets, valued at perhaps $300,000. It has employed about one 
hundred hands usually, who earn about $60,000 per annum. 
These figures refer to its work in 1873. The mill was destroyed 
by fire November 23, 1872, with a loss of $250,000, but immedi- 
ately rebuilt. 

The third mill in importance, and also in the order of its 
establishment, was the Eagle mill, at Brownsville, Linn County, 
called now the Brownsville Woolen Mill. It was built in 1866, 



580 



HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 



at a time when the wool crop of the whole State of Oregon was 
only about seven hundred thousand pounds, of which more than 
half was used at the local mills at Salem and Oregon City. It 
was a one-set mill. It has been run with various degrees of success, 
by several individuals and companies, and is still active. Its goods 
have an excellent reputation. Another mil] was in action at 
Dallas, in Polk County, for a time. 

At present (1885) two mills, those of Oregon City and Browns- 
ville, are manufacturing. Their products are highly esteemed, and, 
in some respects, are unequaled elsewhere in the wx>rld. The 
former mill uses in preference, wool from mixed Southdown and 
Merino sheep, which is most useful for average wants. With this 
it makes a class of goods superior to any others known. 

There was a notable increase in wool production in the decade 
commencing with 1865, and toward the end of that term the in- 
crease was nearly thirty per cent, per year. The total crop for 
the whole State in 1876 was three million one hundred and fifty 
thousand pounds. 

STATISTICS OF SHEEP IN 1880 AND 1883. 



County. 


Number of Sheep. 


Value of Sheep 


1880. 


1883. 


in 1883. 


Benton - - 


28,812 
14,180 
40,561 
55,820 
35,230 
2,771 
24,177 
11,537 
23,447 


17,167 

9,424 

44,520 


$32,044 
13,267 
74,638 
76,511 
69,301 
1,715 


Clackamas 


Lane 


Linn 


Marion _ . _ 


43,060 
1,642 

19,100 
7,823 

15,064 


Multnomah _ 


Polk — 


37,451 


Washington 


8,295 
20,171 


Yamhill _ . 




Total. 


236,535 


157,800 


$333,393 









The rearing of hogs for food purposes has never become more 
than a subordinate, incidental matter, a part of the business of 
nearly every farmer, whose exertions only led to the production of 
enough pork for the wants of his family, leaving but a small 
quantity for exportation. The pork of the Willamette Valley has 
long been commended for its good quality, its firmness and solidity, 
and flavor. Although Indian corn can not be successfully grown, 



LIVE STOCK. 



581 



and the swine lack this important fattening food, its place is partly, 
or perhaps fully supplied by the abundant waste fruit, with roots, 
peas, and in some seasons, wheat and oats. Generally speaking, 
wheat is held as too valuable for feeding to hogs, more especially 
since the railroads were built. Oregon hams have a very high 
reputation, and in point of fact are unsurpassed. There are 
evidently very substantial profits in hog-raising for those whose 
judgment and experience are sufficient for that pursuit, for the 
prices of pork, on foot or cured, are always high, and the outside 
demand is always great and steady, although the local markets are 
unreliable, weak and easily glutted. At times the demand is ex- 
ceedingly active, and the possessors of fat or stock hogs realize 
handsomely. So frequently do the extreme high prices prevail 
that the judicious pork-raiser ought to make as much money as 
anybody, and far more than grain -raisers. Wheat has been fed to 
hogs with such good results as to pay back one dollar per bushel. 
This was the experience of I. T. Day, of Turner. But as the 
general rule of hog-raising in Oregon provides only uncooked food, 
and not enough of it, no shelter even in the roughest weather, and 
no attention to the comfort or condition of domestic animals, such 
successes as Mr. Day's are few and far between. 

NUMBER AND VALUE OF SWINE. 



County. 


1880. 


1883. 


No. Hogs. 


No. Hogs. 


Value. 


Benton. _ _ 


5,467 

9,222 
10,978 
12,690 
18,808 

3,345 
4 10,433 

8,597 
10,733 


5,212 

5,654 

11,444 


$11,951 
11 863 


Clackamas 


Lane 


24 540 


Linn 


15 997 


Marion - 


9,481 
1,785 
7,098 
6,620 
9,407 


22,858 

4,645 

15 312 


Multnomah ... _. 


Polk 


Washington __ . 


16 005 


Yamhill 


18,468 




Total 


85,273 


56,701 


$141,639 



The quantity of wild grasses and herbage generally, which are 
found in the hills and mountains surrounding the valley, is such 
that thousands of goats might on occasion find ample sustenance. 
That animal, as is well known, thrives beet on a coarse diet of 



582 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

leaves, grass and the tender shoots of young plants. A vast 
amount of rough land is capitally adapted to such uses, and goat- 
keeping could, and probably will, become an important industry. 
The few experiments thus far made have been very successful. The 
stock has usually been the Angora breed, which are usually 
regarded as the most valuable. The income from them is said to 
average three times that of the same number of sheep. The 
fleeces have commanded as high as one dollar per pound, the flesh 
is said to be as good as mutton, and the animal is much hardier 
than the sheep and less subject to disease. Dr. Carpenter owned a 
herd of one hundred and fifty Angoras, and by his experience 
substantiated the above statements. Still, people's experience can 
not, in average instances, equal his, for if it did, the business of 
raising goats would long since have attained greater proportions. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 



STATISTICS. 



Scarcity of Reliable Statistical Information — Duty of the State Govern- 
ment—How Performed — Tables of Production of Wheat, Indian 
Corn, and Oats — Amount in Gross — Amount per Acre — Gross 
Value, and Value per Bushel — Number and Size of Farms at 
Different Dates — Statistics Gathered from the Census Report of 1880 
— Number of Farms — Of Owners — Valuations — Industrial Estab- 
lishments — County Valuation and Assessments. 



RELIABLE statistical information is extremely rare in Oregon. 
The State has made no effective provision for gathering in- 
formation of the sort, and private individuals, corporations and 
associations find themselves unable to collect it, owing to inherent 
difficulties. Probably there is no State in the Lnion, and scarcely 
a Territory, where there is so little active interest taken and so 
little done in these matters. Oregon is half a century behind the age 
— not in the one respect of gathering statistics, but in all related 
subjects. The only official statistics gathered are those published 
by Lion. R. P. Earhart, Secretary of State, who, as a task outside 
of the specified duties of his office, and at much trouble and private 
expense, prints biennially, in tabular form, figures showing the 
most important facts relating to the counties of this State, such 
facts being ascertained by the assessors of the several counties and 
forwarded to the Secretary of Stat< j . as a part of the duties of the 
assessor V office. And the summary, printed on one side of a sheet 
of paper, ten by eighteen inches in size, at private expense, is all 
that the great State of Oregon has to show the world concerning 
her boundless resources, her present prosperity, or her prospective 
wealth. Xo State in America has done so little to attract immi- 



584 II [STORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

gration, or to inform her own citizens of the condition of their own 
commonwealth. Were it only out of curiosity to know these things, 
far better provision should have been made. Many little com- 
munities — counties, towns, cities — struggling to build themselves 
up, have, in this matter of collecting and publishing statistics and 
descriptions, made exertion besides which the indolent apathy 
of the Oregon Legislature and people seem lamentably short- 
sighted. 

Statistical matter is usually gathered for the purpose of inform- 
ing the public of the condition of the State, city, county or what- 
ever civil division they may reside in ; or of informing strangers of 
matters which may induce them to become settlers. Statistics have 
also a higher value, separate from these functions. Without their 
industrious collection the most reliable and important part of 
history itself would be impossible. Says Buckle : "The study of 
statistics has thrown more light upon the laws of human nature 
and human progress than all the sciences put together." Every 
cultured — yes, every civilized — community, owes much to the culti- 
vation of statistics, and for a State to neglect such evidences of 
civilization is itself an evidence of non -progression, perhaps even of 
retrogression, 

The statistics which find a place in this chapter relate to the 
material possessions of the people of the valley. They should be 
studied in conjunction with those already given concerning special 
crops, live-stock, etc. These tables were mainly compiled from the 
United States Agricultural Reports, the Tenth Census, and 
Secretary Earhart's excellent and meritorious, though brief, com- 
pendium, dated January, 1884. The latter publication refers to 
the assessment of the preceding year, 1883. 

The following table shows the aggregate production of wheat, 
Indian corn, and oats, for the State of Oregon, together with the 
yield, per acre, the price per bushel in Oregon, and the total value 
of the crop: — 



STATISTICS. 



585 





CD 

^ 5 

< 


Yield per 
Acre in 
Bushels. 


5h !£ 
ft CO 

> 


Total 

Values. 


1878— Wheat - 


7,665,000 

166,000 

2,790,000 


21 

33J 
31 


$ .92 
.92 
.50 


$7,051,800 

152,720 

1,395,000 


Indian Corn 

Oats - - 






1879— Wheat- 


8,188,000 

142,000 

2,916,000 


16 
32 
36 


.98 
.93 
.44 


8,024,240 

132,060 

1,283,040 


Indian Corn 

Oats - 






1 880— Wheat 


11,734,000 

113,000 

4,754,000 


17 

23.3 

31.2 


.78 
.82 
.40 


9,152,520 


Indian Corn 

Oats 


92,660 
1,901,600 


1881— Wheat — 


12,673,000 

101,000 

5,278,000 


17.2 
20.2 
34.6 


.88 
.75 
.43 


11,152,240 

75,075 

2,269,540 


Indian Corn 

Oats 



NUMBER AND SIZE OF FARMS AT VARIOUS DATES, THROUGHOUT 

THE STATE. 



Date- 


1850. 


1860. 


1870. 


1880. 


# 




Number Farms - 


1,164 

432,000 

132,000 

372 

203 


5,806 

2,060,000 

896,000 

355 

199 


7,587 

2,389,000 

1,116,000 

315 

153 


16,209 


Extent in Acres 

Improved Land— Acres- 
Average Size— Acres 

Average Size in U. S 


4,214,000 

2,198,000 
265 
134 



CENSUS OF 1880. 



County. 



Benton 

Clackamas -. 

Lane 

Linn 

Marion 

Multnomah 

Polk 

Washington 
Yamhill 



03 

2 W 



606 

1,374 

1,067 

1,532 

1,452 

507 

789 

935 

1,008 



02 

u 

* 2 

CP - 

a* 

so 



Total | 9,270 



502 

1,197 

1,050 

1,123 

1,210 

434 

582 

808 

780 



7,686 



66,070 
35,687 
93,580 

174,119 

159,264 
10,584 

101,104 
46,540 

100,857 



^ w 

is &c 



$3,171,495 
2,817,544 
4,789,330 
4,052,022 
7,867,303 
2,279,280 
2,534,719 
3,231,703 
5,181,735 



787,805 j $35,925,131 






$149,095 
126,576 
253,161 
371.143 
322,898 
65,549 
194,685 
143,695 
241,563 






$415,871 
365,177 
616,609 

896,161 
740,870 
186,445 
546,049 
382,519 
551,754 



$1,878,365 $4,701,455 



586 



HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 



INDUSTRIAL ESTABLISHMENTS 



County. 


s 


F— l 50 




T3 
S3 


> 


Benton 

Clackamas _ 


56 

62 

54 

110 

85 

152 ' 
46 


$ 158,985 
692,600 
250,669 
456,900 
527,250 

1,345,325 
122,810 
112,200 
268,123 


200 

853 
246 
306 
378 
1,732 
161 
170 
301 


$ 35,622 

114,473 

60,200 

99,648 

126,952 

593,469 

39,848 

26,871 

42,815 


$ 207,530 

1,159,540 

297,410 


Lane 


Linn - 


854,060 
1,265,991 
2,602,544 

233,931 


Marion 


Multnomah 


Polk 


Washington 

Yamhill _ . 


33 
95 


434,940 
494,720 








Total 1 693 


$1,934,862 4,347 


$1,139,898 


$7,550,666 



FROM STATE RECORDS OF 1883. 



County. 


Acres of 
Land Tax'd 


P 

> 


o 


Gross Value 
of all Prop- 
erty. 


Benton 

Clackamas 

Lane-- -_ - 


281,280 
326,549 
425,929 


$ 2,130,829 
2,118,365 
2,484,030 
5,131,520 
4,289,823 
2,307,845 
2,140,427 
2,307,255 
2,635,295 


$ 395,293 

317,540 

433,755 

738,297 

1,191,793 

7,274,915 

66,139 

191,275 

57,303 


$ 4,284,151 
3,844,146 

5,827,814 
8,646,793 
9,800,294 
24,545,850 
4,412,214 


Linn 


Marion 

Multnomah 


338,847 
150,624 
229,350 
261,805 
385,142 


Polk - 


Washington 


4,205,905 

5,768,781 


Yamhill 






Total _. - 


2,399,526 


$25,545,389 


$10,666,310 


$71,335,948 





CHAPTER XXXVI. 



REVIEW OF AGRICULTURE. 



Essay Necessarily Imperfect — Policy of the Farmers — Injurious Effect 
of Exclusive Devotion to one Crop — Farmers not Instructed in 
Great Business Affairs — Theory versus Practice — -Productions of 
Small Farms — Size of Farms — Twenty Acres Enough — Mixed 
Farm ing — Chances for Improvement — Conclusion . 

THE preceding chapters contain facts which are intended to 
show the material progress which has been made in this part 
of Oregon since the coming of white men, and especially American 
farmers. The facts are not as numerous and complete as could be 
wished, but for reasons which have been alluded to they can not at 
present be bettered. Several industries of minor importance are 
disregarded, not from a conviction of their slight consequence, but 
because no connected or intelligible data could be procured con- 
cerning them. 

As regards the position which agriculture has already attained 
in this State, it may be said that while it is not so exalted as 
might with the almost matchless opportunities have been achieved, 
yet it presents no reason for repining. Progress has been slow : 
but the community have attained the position of a self-supporting- 
people, relying on themselves only for the great bulk of the 
necessities of life and some of its luxuries. The export ations are 
the leading necessities of life, and hence indispensable to the 
recipients. 

It is customary for writers, in speaking of the favorite products 
of the valley, to express surprise that their culture is not much 
more widely extended. Wheat, they say, might be raised in ten- 
fold its present quantity, and as for fruit the world itself might be 
supplied with apples, pears and prunes, were the vast tracts of 



588 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

hillside and other available lands planted as orchards. All this is 
possible, and is perhaps demonstrable. But it is impracticable to 
enter so largely upon any special branches of culture while the 
present condition of labor and the markets continues. Farmers do 
not plant vvhole sections and square miles with fruit trees because 
labor can not be hired advantageously to harvest and dry such 
amounts of fruit. The management and direction of a hundred or 
half hundred men is beyond the capacity of most individuals, and 
inexperienced farmers would find the care of large numbers of 
employees with attendant complications arising from their pay, 
provision, etc., entirely beyond their skill, and entailing vastly 
more annoyance and trouble than most of them, easy-going to a 
degree, would submit to. These remarks are called forth because 
every one, newspaper writers and all, have adopted a tone of 
querulousness and fault-finding because the farmers of the Wil- 
lamette Valley have not seen fit to convert their extensive pastures 
into immense orchards or wheat fields, and thereby enrich them- 
selves beyond the wildest dreams of avarice. To follow such ad- 
vice, were it practicable, which it is not, would be to place the 
State on the high road to impoverishment. The opposite course, 
namely, the cultivation of a variety of crops, or as it is called, 
diversified farming is, in the opinion of practical men, the surest 
road to independence, and this has already been carried out in a 
notable scale in the valley, although the future gives promise of 
far better results. The farmers, aided by the various manufactur- 
ing crafts, were enabled, in a single month, to supply Portland 
with consignments of the following articles : — 

Flour, wheat, oats, dried apples, potatoes, lard, horse-feed, mid- 
dlings, woolen cloths, hides, furs, linseed oil and oil cake, pig iron, 
buckwheat, fowls, skins, earthenware, apples, bacon, pork, beef, 
butter, eggs, salmon, hams, cider, pears, beans, barley, hogs, 
tobacco, peas, woolen sacks, hoop-poles, staves, lumber, dried 
peaches and prunes, bran, cheese, fire -wood, hay, leather, straw, 
fiax, flax seed, onions, sheep, and dressed mutton. 

If the reader asks, Whence came the greater number of these 
various field products, he is answered, From the smaller farms, and 
from the gardens and orchards of the small landholders, the 
proprietors of a few acres, whose land is tilled as if he expected to 



REVIEW OF AGRICULTURE. 589 

live upon its proceeds for his life- time, and leave it to his children 
with its fertility unimpaired. Tlie real farmers of the valley are 
few : but they are numerous enough to have pointed out the way 
to prosperity and wealth. The reader will find included herein a 
table showing the average size of Oregon farms in the census years 
1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. He will notice their gradual diminu- 
tion, from three hundred and seventy-two acres in the former year, 
to two hundred and sixty-five in the latter, whence, it appears, 
that if the latest rate of decrease holds out until 1890, they will 
then average but little more than two hundred acres, and in A. D. 
1900, rather less than one hundred and seventy. This is satisfac- 
tory improvement, but even at the latter date the farms will be 
still three times too large. That is, taking it for granted, as it is 
presumed most readers will, that the holding of land in large tracts 
is an evil. It has also been taken for granted by some that in 
times past, and even at the present, a small holding, say of twenty 
acres, did not furnish means for the subsistence of a family. That 
country must be very singularly circumstanced as to its wants, where- 
in the produce of twenty acres, in one form or another, could not be 
sold for enough to maintain even the largest of families, providing 
that its product was properly and sensibly selected, raised and sold. 
Of this there are few instances, but enough to prove the assertion that 
twenty well chosen acres will support a family if carefully tilled. 
If sowed in wheat, for which a moderately good price be had, 
that amount of land may yield a crop worth from four hundred to 
eight hundred dollars. If planted with fruit trees, berry bushes, 
etc. it may. in exceptional cases, yield ten times that amount, and 
furnish, besides, interesting, useful and lucrative employment for 
several people of either sex or any age. The stimulation of the 
intellect by the pursuit of mixed or small farming is not the least 
of its advantages over wheat-farming and stock-raising. 

Small and mixed farming — interchangeable terms — are the 
tendency <»f the day. and in their progress point to the decline of 
wheat-raising, because by their pursuit the land becomes gradually 
too valuable to devote to a crop which is liable to return its raiser 
only ten or twelve dollars per acre. More lucrative pursuits will 
fcake it- place, and these will be equally well adapted to the 
climate and -oil, but will require much labor for their proper 



590 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

production, and with the expected ordinary reduction of the size 
of donation and other claims by forced sales, etc., will, in due time, 
have changed the character of the Willamette Valley from a 
wheat -growing and grazing country to a purely agricultural region 
of a high grade — or rather will have completed a change which is 
already auspiciously begun and well under way. It is now about 
forty years since agriculture existed in Oregon as the crudest 
beginnings of that noble art — merely the raising of inferior horses 
and cattle, and enough of vegetables to vary the settler's otherwise 
exclusively meat diet. At this fortieth milestone we can halt and 
consider what may be in store for the farmer of forty years hence. 

The good result of a state of affairs wherein the present large 
and unmanageable tracts of land have been subdivided into small 
holdings, will probably be most noticeable. The present country 
roads, which are only called roads through a mistaken sense of 
courtesy, will be improved by an application of the abundant 
means which nature has so lavishly provided. Schools, now 
mostly inefficient and wretchedly managed, because of inadequate 
State provision, will attain a character equal to those of other en- 
lightened regions. Social life then will take on a new aspect, in 
accordance with the new advantages, and the blessings of educa- 
tion, taste and refinement will follow closely upon material 
prosperity. 

The splendid examples of the settlers of the Mohawk, the 
Genessee and the Connecticut valleys should not be in vain. With 
her invigorating climate, her ample rainfall, her freedom from 
whirlwinds, cyclones, hurricanes, earthquakes ; the absence of in- 
fectious diseases, her ample expanse of the richest soils, her 
navigable rivers, abundant water-power ; her profusion of natural 
products ; her advantageous commercial location ; and innumerable 
other advantages difficult to enumerate, Oregon, and particularly 
the Willamette Valley, should, and doubtless will, in the natural 
sequence of things, become the chosen abode of a numerous, 
prosperous and intelligent people. 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 



Table of Population of Each County in 1850, I860, 1870 and 1880— 
Comparison of Aggregates — Proportion of Population Between the 
State and the Willamette Valley — Personal History of Pioneers and 
Eepresentative Individuals. 



THE annexed table is derived from the United States Census 
Report of 1880. It gives the population of each county of 
the Willamette Valley in 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880, together with 
the total population of the Valley and of the State at those dates. 

POPULATION OF THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 



COT T NTY. 


1850. 


1860. 


1870. 


1880. 


Benton -- - 


814 
1,850 


3,074 
3,466 
4,789 
6,772 
7,088 
4,150 
3,623 
2,801 
3,245 

39,008 


4,584 
5,993 
6,426 
8,717 
9,965 
11,510 
4,710 
4,261 
5,012 


6,354 

9,287 

9,376 

12,711 

14,811 

29,092 


Clackamas. - - 


Lane - 


Linn _- -- ___ 


994 
2,749 


Marion 


Multnomah _ - 


Polk - - - - 


1.051 
2,652 
1,512 


6,513 
7,091 
7,950 


Washington - _ _ _ 


Yamhill -_ - 




The Willamette Valley 


11,622 


61,178 


103,385 




The State 


13,294 


52,465 


90,923 


174,768 



Comparing the population of the valley with that of the State, 
we find the former to have been in 1850, eighty-seven per cent, of 
that of the whole State; in I860 it had fallen to seventy-five per 
rent.: in 1870 to sixty-seven, and to fifty-nine in 1880. This rate 
of decrease in tin- relative population of the valley has continued 
since the last census, if the current estimates of population be 
reliable. The Ore^onian newspaper, basing its conclusions upon 



592 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

the vote in the presidential election of November, 1884, estimated 
the population of Oregon at two hundred and twenty-five thousand. 
The proportion residing in the Willamette Valley would have been 
one hundred and twenty-five thousand, or about fifty-seven per 
cent. If this rate be continued until the year 1895, it is possible 
that the people residing in the valley will amount to about one- 
half of the State's total population. But inasmuch as the valley is 
capable of supporting a permanent population as large or larger 
than all the remainder of the State, it is probable that its popula- 
tion will never be much less than half that of the State. There is 
also the consideration that it is likely to contain the largest cities 
of Oregon, which will further increase its proportionate population. 
The following series of brief sketches relate principally to the 
pioneers of this State, in the meaning of the term pioneer, which 
has of late been restricted more or less clcsely to the people who 
arrived before 1855. The information upon which these sketches 
has been based is reliable and is believed to be perfectly accurate. 
It is in all respects worthy of preservation, both on account of the 
past or present importance of the individuals treated of, but also 
for the future importance of them or their descendants. The in- 
troduction of this species of matter needs no apology ; it has long 
been deemed valuable and suitable for publication in local histories, 
and becomes more so with each succeeding social advance. The 
individuals herein mentioned have, almost without exception, con- 
tributed their life energies to the up -building of civilization upon 
this coast, and the names of many have become household words. 
To select the most notable from among the meritorious many 
would be an invidious task ; and all procurable sketches are in- 
serted, having in view no qualification save that of useful citizen- 
ship. They will be found to be arranged according to the year of 
the subject's arrival, and to include a large proportion of the early 
permanent settlers of the Willamette Valley. 

1817. 

LACHAPELLE, ANDRE. 

Born in Montreal, Canada, Aug. 14, 1781 ; left home in 1817, 
having hired to the Hudson's Bay Company for three years ; came 
to Oregon in the same year, arriving at Fort George (Astoria). 
Worked for two years as blacksmith. Spent several succeeding 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 593 

years at the same place, until in 1824 Dr. McLoughlin arrived and 
ordered the removal of the station to Vancouver. There Lacha- 
pelle remained until 1833. In that year he traveled eastward with 
the design of going home ; but arriving on the Saskatchewan he 
gave up his intention and hired again to the powerful fur com- 
pany, and came again to Vancouver. He staid until 1836, when 
being again taken with the idea of going home, he made a second 
trip to the " Great Lone Land," and again returned at Dr. Mc- 
Loughlin's solicitation. In 1841, being superannuated, he was 
allowed or encouraged to go, with sundry other Canadians, to the 
Willamette, where they engaged in farming. He married and 
settled on a farm in French Prairie, and remained there for forty 
years. He died on June 11, 1881, at St. Vincent's Hospital, 
Portland. He was undoubtedly the oldest pioneer of Oregon. 

1824. 

HARVEY, ELOISA, (McLOUGHLIN). 

Born in Fort William, on the northern shore of Lake Superior, 
Feb. 13, 1817. Her father was Dr. John McLoughlin, then 
physician at her birthplace, which was a post of the Northwest 
Fur Company. Her mother was the widow of Alexander McKay, 
John Jacob Astor's partner in the Pacific Fur Company. Father 
and daughter came overland to Oregon in 1824, the latter having 
been, undoubtedly, the first female to cross the continent. In 1838 
Miss McLoughlin married at Vancouver, William Glen Eae, an 
employee of the Hudson's Bay Company, and lived with him at 
various trading posts until 1845, when he died at San Francisco. 
Their children were three, of whom Mrs. Theodore Wygant and 
Mrs. Joseph Myrick, of Portland, survive. She returned to Oregon 
and lived with her father until 1850, when she married Daniel 
Harvey, by whom she had three children — Daniel Harvey, James 
W. McLoughlin Harvey, and Mrs. D. F. Leahy, all residents of 
Portland. Daniel Harvey, Sr., died in 1868, and his widow died 
in the fall of 1884, at her residence in Portland. 

McLOUGHLIN, JOHN, M.D. 

Scotch by birth, and was employed as a physician by the 
Northwest Fur Company in the first quarter of this century, and 



594 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

was stationed for a time at their posts in Canada. On the con- 
solidation of the two rival companies, Dr. McLoughlin was ap- 
pointed, in 1823, chief factor on the west side of the Rocky 
Mountains, with headquarters at Vancouver, and came overland in 
1824, bringing his family and a retinue of the Company's servants. 
He served his employers with marked fidelity and an accurate and 
broad appreciation of his duties as a Christian. His conduct to 
the early American settlers was admirably humane, and showed 
that the claims of humanity outweighed mere business considera- 
tions of every degree. Americans of every stripe came to think 
well of him and to discriminate between his course of frankness 
and generosity, and the mercenary and heartless policy of his em- 
ployers. When the directors of the Hudson's Bay Company 
rebuked him for his sympathy with, and toleration of the 
Americans, he resigned his position, and retiring to his land near 
Oregon City, died there in 1857. His opportunities for doing 
good were very great', and he made the most of them. In his place 
an ignorant or a bad man could have worked an infinity of mis- 
chief ; and it is to his credit that in spite of ingratitude from those 
he benefited, his life was full of good deeds. His kindness was 
ill -requited ; and he lived to be a witness of the classical maxim 
that republics are ungrateful, for the Government of Oregon de- 
prived him of the valuable claim which he occupied at Oregon 
City. The life of Br. McLoughlin, abounded with such incidents 
as form attractive reading ; and his connection with and participa- 
tion in the affairs of the great fur companies, and the new states 
and territories of the west, increase the importance of his actions. 
The story of his life has never been written, but no doubt it will 
some time be fully told. 

1829. 

BATES, JAMES M. 

Born in Washington, D. C, in 1809 ; went to sea in 1827, and 
during the next year found his way to the Pacific Ocean, coming 
in a vessel owned in Boston. When the ship arrived on this coast 
an accident compelled it to put into Gray's Harbor to refit. 
This was in 1829. The ship's crew went in boats up the Chehalis 
River, and after putting to sea again they coasted southward, and 
wintered at Scappoose, where they "raised vegetables." In the 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 595 

spring of 1830 they coasted north to Sitka, and returning, entered 
the straits of Fuca. Took a load of horses to the Sandwich 
Islands, and sold them, and Mr. Bates proceeded on another ship 
to China, and thence home via the Cape of Good Hope. In 1837, 
still a sailor, Mr. Bates came to Oregon in the ship Don Quixote, 
and landing, joined the Missionaries as "blacksmith, and has been 
in this valley ever since. Located at Jefferson, Marion County, in 
1847, his present home. Was married in that year to Mrs. Mar- 
garet Caldwell, and has had one child — Julia, by name, now the 
wife of Eli Vaughn, of Jefferson. Mrs. Bates died in 1882. Mr. 
Bates is, beyond a doubt, the earliest living pioneer of Oregon, if 
we consider his first coming to have constituted him a pioneer ; 
and considering that he spent a considerable part of a year in 
Oregon, his claim to have become then a pioneer is well founded. 
Solomon Smith, who resided at Clatsop Plains, in 1872, claimed to 
have come to Oregon in 1832 with Wyeth ; but this date was 
several years subsequent to Mr. Bates' arrival, so Smith could not 
be considered as the earliest living pioneer, which claim was put 
forth by some one on his behalf several years since. 

1833. 

EBBERTS, GEORGE W. 

Born in Bracken County, Kentucky, in 1810; went to the Rocky 
Mountains in 1829 in the employ of the American Fur Company. 
Visited Oregon first in 1833 and again in 1839. Lived for a year 
in Marion County, but removed then to his present residence in 
Washington County, near Hillsboro. Married in 1838. Children 
— John, Anna and Alfred. 

1835. 

GAY, GEORGE. 

Born in Gloucestershire, England, in 1810; at the age of eleven 
years he was apprenticed as a sailor and followed the sea for twelve 
years, and in 1833 found himself at the port of Monterey, in Cali- 
fornia. Here he deserted his ship and joined Ewing Young in a 
trapping expedition northward. In 1835 he came overland to the 
Willamette Valley with John Turner, Dr. Bailey, and one or two 
others. The next year he returned to California again, to bring up 



596 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

a band of cattle, whose increase soon made him rich. He occupied 
a great and undefined tract of land in Yamhi 
He died near Wheatland on October 7, 1882. 



a great and undefined tract of land in Yamhill and Polk counties 



WILKINS, CALEB. 

Resides four and a half miles northeast of Hillsboro, and is a 
farmer by occupation. He was born in Ohio in 1810; was for ten 
years a trapper in the Rocky Mountains in the employ of the 
American Fur Company, and one of the earliest pioneers of Oregon. 
His first settlement in the State was in Benton County; has held 
office as county treasurer of Washington County for two years. He 
married Marian Stevens in 1852, and their children are — William 
Lloyd, Alfred C, and Florence. 

1837. 

LEE, ANN MARIA (PITMAN). 

Sailed from New York in July, 1836 ; landed in Oregon, June, 

1837 ; married July 16th, to Rev. Jason Lee, and died June 26, 

1838 ; died when her first-born child was ten days old, and is 
buried with it in the Lee Cemetery, at Salem. The headstone of 
their grave bears the inscription : " Beneath this sod, the first 
broken in Oregon for the reception of white mother and child, lie 
the remains of Ann Maria Pitman Lee." 

LESLIE, DAVID. 

Born in New Hampshire in 1797. Was a descendant of Rev. 
Geo. Leslie, of Puritan stock. In 1837, crossed the plains to 
Oregon as a Missionary, commissioned by the Methodist Church. 
He took up his residence ten miles below the present site of Salem, 
but in 1843 came to Salem, then Chemekete. Subsequently he- 
performed a term of ministerial service at Oregon City. Was one 
of the founders of the Willamette Universitv, and was President of 
its Board of Trustees for twenty-five consecutive years. Mr. Leslie 
was married to Miss Mary A. Kinney, and by her had six children. 
The wife died in 1841, and he was again married in 1844, to Mrs. 
A. (Judson) Alley, by whom he had two children, both deceased. 
One of his children is buried in the East ; one in tropical lands ; 
two daughters and a son were carried over the Willamette Falls in 
the dreadful accident related by Dr. White ; three daughters and 



TIISTOTCY OF IMMIGRATION. 597 

the first Mrs. Leslie sleep in Oregon graves, while the second wife 
and one daughter — Helen Leslie — now live in Salem. 

SMITH, SIDNEY. 

Bora in Fulton County, N. Y., in 1809; the son of a Revolu- 
tionary captain and the grand nephew of Ethan Allen of Ticonder- 
oga fame. He lived through the earlier years in his native State, 
and in 1838 found himself in Ohio. Set out for Oregon in the 
spring of 1837, in company with fifteen friends — Oakley, Farnham, 
Wood, Cook. Fletcher, and others — who made their way overland 
with great difficulties and hardships, most of which arose from their 
ignorance of the proper route. They lived on such game as the 
country afforded, eking out an often insufficient supply with roots 
and the flesh of dogs which they bought of the Indians. Their horse> 
were stolen by the Sioux, and it was only by the cool courage of 
Smith and Oakley that they were recaptured. Smith was wounded 
by the accidental discharge of his own rifle, but would allow no 
delay or change of plans on his account, and the cavalcade in time 
reached The Dalles, arriving there on October 2, 1837. In the 
succeeding years, while the strife as to the possession of Oregon 
waxed warm. Smith then, as afterwards, a resident of the Willam- 
ette Valley, bore his part in favor of our government and nation. 
In 1846 he married Miss Miranda Bailey, by whom he had eight 
children, of whoin five are now living. They are — Irene C, born 
1847, and now the wife of Dr. J. F. Calbreath, of Lafayette; Mary 
Almira, horn in 184V), and now married to A. M. Hurley, of Lafay- 
ette: Miranda M., born in 1851, now Mrs. D. L. Kimberlain, of 
West Chehalem; Dr. G. H. Smith (born 1861), and John Bayley 
Smith (horn 1868). Sidney Smith passed most of his life on his 
farm in West Chehalem, purchased by him from the estate of Ewing 
^ oung. FoAen years, however, he was engaged in mercantile 
pursuits at Lafayette (1856-1866, probably). Died September 
18, 1880. 

1 838. 

MEEK, JOSEPH L. 

Born in Washington County. Virginia, in 1810; left home at 
the age of eighteen and went westward to Louisville and St. Louis, 
and joined Sublette's hunting party, and set out in March, 1829, 



598 HISTOKY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

upon the plains, and for many years thereafter led the life of a 
hunter and trapper. (For particulars of his life in the mountains 
and subsequently, see "River of the West.") In 1841 Meek settled 
in the Tualatin Plains, in Washington County, and made that his 
home until his death on the 20th of June, 1875. 

MEEK, COURTNEY. 

Born in Oregon in 1838, the son of Joe Meek. Is a farmer, 
and resides three miles north of Hillsboro. He married Delia 
Newton in 1878, and their children's names are — George and Josie. 

WALKER, MARY RICHARDSON. 

This venerable lady, who is unquestionably the leader of all 
living female immigrants to the region west of the Rocky Mountains, 
resides at present at Forest Grove, in the enjoyment of all her 
mental and most of her physical faculties. Like so many of the 
honored and venerated pioneers of this coast, Mrs. Walker was 
born in the State of Maine. The place of her nativity was the 
town of Baldwin, and the date was 1811. She became the wife of 
Rev. Elkanah Walker, and with him set out for the Pacific 
Slope, and after the usual adventures, hardships and misfortunes 
incident to the trip across the plains arrived, in the year 1838, on 
the Columbia. For nearly ten years Mr. and Mrs. Walker con- 
tinued to reside at the Mission, a short distance below Fort 
Colville, and here some of their children were born. During all 
this time their existence was almost wholly with the Indians, no 
white people living within hundreds of miles, excepting Rev. C. Eells 
and family, who shared with the Walker family the discomforts 
of their life and lot. To the people of to-day it must seem wonder- 
ful and altogether inexplicable, how human beings as tenderly 
nurtured as the Walker and Eells families were, cou^ld live at all 
amid such surroundings, and the wonder increases when it is 
learned that ten years did not serve to dampen the ardor of these 
pious missionary people. Leaving Walker's Claims, as the locality 
of the mission was called, the Walker family removed in 1848, to 
the Willamette Valley, and have since made Washington County 
their home. Mr. Walker died in 1877. The children's names are, 
Cyrus H., Abigail B., Marcus W., Joseph E., John R., Levi C. 
and Samuel T. 



HISTORY <>F [MMIGRATION. 599 

1839. 
BALDRA, WILLIAM. 

Born in England in 1810; came to America in 1836, and lived 
three years on Red River in Manitoba ; came then to Oregon and 
settled on the Tualatin Plains, locating in 184*2 three miles north- 
west of the site of Hillsboro. Had married Maria Callaby in Eng- 
land in 1835. Their children are, Thomas W. and Richard C, 
and a daughter, now Mrs. R. E. Wiley, the later having been the 
first white child born in Washington County. Her birth took 
place August 1, 1840. Mr. Baldra was an employee of the Hud- 
son's Bay Company in the earlier years of his residence in America. 
He speaks of the Indians in Washington County in the " forties " 
as having been numerous, but not troublesome except by their 
thieving. 

GEIGER, WM, M. D. 

Doctor Wm. Geiger, one of the oldest and best known of the 
pioneers, was born in 1816 in Alleghany County, New York, but 
in the year 1833 had settled in Illinois. The American Board of 
Foreign Missions being at that time concerned for the welfare of 
the Indians of the Columbia basin, Mr. Geiger offered his services 
and was appointed missionary teacher, with instructions to proceed 
to the Pacific Coast and engage in the work of proselytizing. It 
happened, however, that the funds of the association ran low, and 
the new plans were defeated. Dr. Geiger, however, did not relin- 
quish his intention of engaging in missionary work, but set out on 
his own account to cross the continent in company with quite a 
number of kindred spirits, whose names are set forth in another 
connection. The cavalcade came on horseback, paying their own 
expenses, and got safely to Oregon in 1839. In the winter follow- 
ing his arrival, the doctor taught school at the old mission not far 
from Wheatland. The station was long since deserted and now re- 
tains no signs of its former use, the buildings being completely gone. 
The next spring he set out for California with the design of meet- 
ing a party of his friends who were to rendezvous at Sutlers Fort; 
but, going by sea to Monterey, he was forbidden to travel in the 
interior without a passport, which was not procurable short of the 
Sandwich Islands. Proceeding there he spent some months, pro- 



600 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

cured the necessary papers and returning to California went to 
Sutter's Fort. The date of his arrival was 1841. There he stayed 
a year surveying for the proprietor, and eventually formed the 
intention of going East by way of Fort Hall. Exchanging his 
property for mules and horses, lie set out, but, arriving at the last 
mentioned place, found it impossible to proceed, owing to the hos- 
tility of the Indians along the route. The result was that he came 
back to Oregon, and has since remained on this coast. In the 
winter of 1842-43 Dr. Geiger occupied Dr. Whitman's place as mis- 
sionary, that individual being on his famous trip to the East, the re- 
sults of which are supposed to have proved so momentous to the peo- 
ple of this country. On Whitman's return, Dr. Geiger came to the 
Willamette Valley and located, November, 1843, on a tract of land 
near the town of Cornelius, in Washington County, which he has 
held ever since. A year or two previous he had begun practice as 
a physician, having studied the healing art in the Eastern States, 
and has continued in his profession until the present. Beginning 
as a " regular " of the blood-letting, fever -starving sort, he has of 
late become a convert to the virtues of the homoeopathic cult, and 
follows its teachings. Of public offices Dr. Geiger has held several, 
being county clerk, county surveyor, etc. The Doctor relates that 
on his arrival in the valley the only practicing physicians were 
Doctors White and Bailey. Doctors Whitman and Gray were in 
the habit of treating the natives who fell under their care, but their 
professional skill was not of ten called upon by white people. Two 
medical men attached to the Hudson's Bay Company attended the 
sick at Vancouver, and made extended trips into the interior when- 
ever their services were asked in behalf of the higher servants of 
that company. Dr. Geiger was married in 1847 to the daughter of 
Rev. J. A. C. Cornwall, who arrived in the valley during the early 
part of that year. The reverend gentleman, with his family, had 
crossed the continent with the immigration of 1846, but entering 
Oregon by Applegate's southern route had been compelled to halt 
in the Umpqua Valley, by reason of their utter lack of transporta- 
tion facilities. The rainy season coming on, these unfortunates had 
to abandon their property and make their way to the settlements. 
But the Rev. Cornwall, unwilling to leave his beloved books, chose 
to abide in the valley during the rough and inclement season ap- 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 601 

proaching. They safely wintered; and in the spring Dr. Geiger 
proceeded to their assistance and aided them on their way to the 
Willamette. Settling here, the minister occupied himself in reli- 
gious ministrations until 1865, mainly at different points in the 
valley. Removing from the State in that year, he died in San 
Buenaventura, Southern California, in 1879. Mrs. Cornwall and 
her daughter, Mrs. Geiger, now reside at Forest Grove. 

GRIFFIN, JOHN SMITH. 

The reverend gentleman whose name heads this article has 
attained and preserved in the course of a long and eventful life of 
over three-fourths of a century, a wide reputation as a man of 
action and integrity and strong convictions. His name has been 
on the tongues of the people for very many years ; his opinions 
and his character have always been influential ; and his professions 
of sanctity and integrity have not exceeded his performances. He 
has lived up to principles as commendable in theory as they have 
proved unique in practice. The strength, earnestness and out- 
spokenness of his convictions has raised up enemies ; but even 
these enemies have borne testimony to the uprightness of his 
principles. Rev. J. S. Griffin- was born in Castleton, Vermont, in 
November, 1807. His ancestors were of English descent. The 
son was educated for the ministry, acquiring the groundwork of 
extensive learning in various schools and seminaries in New Eng- 
land, Vermont and Ohio. Finishing at Oberlin, he was ordained 
as a Congregationalist minister, and was selected to perform 
evangelical work among the Indians of the west. It was in the 
winter of 1838-39 that he was outfitted as a missionary by the 
Congregational church of Litchfield County, Connecticut, and 
in February, 1839, he left that State with the intention of crossing 
the plains to Oregon. He traveled in a light wagon to Oberlin, 
Ohio, and there took in Asahel Munger and wife, destined for 
missionary work, as Mr. Griffin's assistants. In St. Louis, Mr. 
Griffin, feeling the need of a help-meet, married a young lady, Miss 
Desire C. Smith, of Boston, Massachusetts, who being educated in 
the eastern towns, had magnanimously devoted the pleasant years 
of her youth to teaching the children of the western settlers, and 
for that purpose had moved to Illinois. While in such employ- 



602 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

ment she met Mr. Griffin, and their marriage followed in a few 
days. Of the lady's life, the following details are communicated 
by her husband : Born in Boston in June, 1805 ; in 1834 was one 
of the first to answer the call for lady teachers to go to the then 
frontier ; was married to Rev. Mr. Griffin in St. Louis, on April 
10, 1839 ; on her bridal tour crossed the American continent in 
the summer of 1839 ; taught the first Indian school west of the 
Rocky Mountains (1839-40), and was the first white woman in 
the settlement of the Tualatin Plains, Oregon ; still lives (July 1, 
1884,) in the first building erected in that settlement. Mr. and 
Mrs. Griffin crossed the plains on horseback, in company with 
some emigrants and trappers, and stopped at Rev. H. H. Spald- 
ing's mission among the Nez Perces, at Lapwai. In March, 1840, 
Mr. Griffin set about the establishment of a mission among the 
Snake Indians, in Idaho, but was unsuccessful in two attempts. 
Later, he became chaplain at Fort Vancouver, but in 1841 he 
proceeded to the Tualatin Plains and began that settlement in a 
locality admirably suited for the purposes of a colony. Here, 
when a sufficient number of neighbors had been drawn around 
him, he assumed the function of pastor, which he still, though at 
an advanced age, carries on. "Rocky Mountain Retreat" is the 
fanciful name which was bestowed upon his place ; and here he 
has since remained, taken up with his agricultural and other occu- 
pations, but entering with vigor into the political affairs of the 
State and country. His acts are elsewhere alluded to, and his 
career may be profitably studied by those who would understand 
the peculiarities of the puritanic Yankee type, softened and 
ameliorated by the stanchest patriotism and magnanimity. 

HOLMAN, JOSEPH. 

Born in Devonshire, England, in 1815; came to America when 
nineteen years of age, and, after hearing a lecture on Oregon by the 
Rev. Jason Lee, he joined a company of emigrants for Oregon. 
They arrived . the following spring after suffering many hardships 
and privations, and only four of the eighteen who started came 
through; the others becoming dissatisfied, dropped out of the com- 
pany and went to New Mexico. Mr. Holman being a carpenter by 
trade, was immediately employed as mission carpenter. In 1843 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 603 

he took a claim and farmed until 1849; then followed the mercan- 
tile business in Salem until 1853. In 1872 he was appointed one 
of three commissioners on the new penitentiary and was also super- 
intendent of the State capitol; he built the Chemekete Hotel in 
Salem. Married a missionary, Miss Almira Phelps, and had four 
children, two of whom now live — George P., of Portland, and Mrs. 
J. H. Albert, of Salem. Mr. Holman was the founder of the 
Pioneer Oil MilJs of Salem. In 1875 he was married to Miss 
Libbie Buss. He died June 25, 1880. 

1840. 

ABERNETHY, GEORGE. 

Born in New York City, in 1807, and resided there until 1839. 
Set out for Oregon and arrived in May, 1840. For many years he 
lived on the banks of the Willamette below Oregon City. He was 
instrumental in bringing about the Provisional Government of Ore- 
gon, and was chosen the first Governor, holding the position until 
in 1849, when the Territorial Government was organized. Subse- 
quently he became interested in large mercantile enterprises, nota- 
bly in the large mills at Linn City (falls of the Willamette). Re- 
sided in Portland for the last sixteen years of his life, dying in 
May, 1877. 

CLARKE, EMELINE. 

Born in Lowville, New York ; married Rev. Harvey Clarke in 
Independence, Missouri, in 1838. They set out for Oregon two 
years later, to do missionary work among the Indians. They stopped 
at Waiilatpu, upon their arrival in August, until the next year, 
when the}' located at Tualatin, and eventually at Forest Grove. 
Here they lived the most of their lives, excepting one year spent in 
teaching at the Methodist Mission below Salem. Mr. Clarke died 
in 1858; Mrs. Clarke, August 1, 1866. 

COUCH, JOHN H. 

Born in Xewburyport, Mass., February 21, 1811; became a 
sailor and made many voyages during the years preceding 1839. 
Entered the Columbia River in the spring of 1840 on board the 
brig Maryland. Arrived again in the Willamette in 1843 in com- 
mand of the brig Chenamus, of Boston. Remained in this country 



604 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

and kept a store in Oregon City until 1845, in that year removing 
to Portland and taking np a land claim which forms a large part 
of that city. Was appointed treasurer of the Provisional Govern- 
ment of Oregon, but went to the Eastern States in 1847. In August, 
1849, he arrived at Portland again in the bark Madonna, of New 
York. Locating permanently in Portland, he filled the positions 
of county treasurer, county commissioner, pilot commissioner, port 
warden, and U. S. inspector of hulls. Became very widely known 
in the State. Died January 19, 1870. 

JUDSON, LEONARD B. 

Mr. Judson was one of the Methodist missionaries who came to 
Oregon in 1840 in the ship Lausanne. He was born in New York 
State. He now resides in Salem. To use his own words: "I saw 
the Willamette Valley when it was a wilderness, peopled only by 
wild Indians and the Hudson's Bay Company subjects; witnessed 
the first Provisional Government in the new territory; saw Port- 
land when its site was a dense body of timber; saw Oregon City 
when only the log cabin of a single trader was there; saw Salem 
when only two buildings were up, and the whole valley above was 
but a trackless wilderness, roamed over by the red man ; lived the 
first year on boiled wheat slicked over with Hudson's Bay molasses, 
strong enough to go alone, with an occasional cake made of flour 
ground in the coffee mill." 

NAYLOR, T. G. 

Born in Virginia in 1814; he was one of the oldest pioneers of 
Oregon, and one of the earliest settlers of Forest Grove, Washing- 
ton County, where he farmed for an occupation. He married 
Catharine Storey in 1853, and their children number six, four sons 
and two daughters. Mr. Naylor died in 1872. 

PARRISH, JOSIAH L. 

Of all the old settlers of Oregon none commands a greater share 
of respect than the subject of this sketch, nor has any individual 
accumulated a greater amount of experience and knowledge of 
this State. Mr. Parrish came to Oregon as an assistant to the 
Methodist Missionary Board, and continued the work of evangeliz- 
ing the Indians for nearly twenty years. He was born in Onon- 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 605 

daga County, New York, in 1806, and is of Dutch and English 
extraction. He was taught the blacksmith's trade, and being a 
member of the Methodist Church, and gifted with a desire to 
proselytize, he became local preacher for that sect in Alleghany 
County, New York. The Methodist Missionary Board, as will be 
seen by a reference to previous pages, was intent upon forming an 
establishment in Oregon, and in 1839 Mr. Parrish volunteered his 
services, and set out for Oregon with the missionary family 
organized by the Rev. Jason Lee, and set sail for Oregon in 1839, 
in the ship Lausanne, Captain Josiah Spaulcling. The missionary 
force consisted of the following persons : Rev. Jason Lee and wife ; 
Rev. J. H. Frost, wife and child ; Rev. Gustavus Hines, wife and 
child ; Rev. William Kone and wife ; Rev. Alvan F. Waller, wife 
and two children ; Dr. J. F. Richmond, wife and four children ; 
Dr. Ira F. Babcock, wife and child ; George Abernethy (mission 
steward), wife and two children ; W. W. Raymond (farmer) and 
wife ; Henry B. Brewer (farmer) and wife ; Lewis H. Judson 
(cabinet-maker), wife and three children ; Josiah L. Parrish 
(blacksmith), wife and three children ; James Alley (carpenter) ; 
Hamilton Campbell (carpenter), wife and child ; Misses Maria T. 
Ware, Chloe A. Clark, Elmira Phillips and Almira Phelps, 
(teachers); Orpha Lankton (stewardess), and Thomas Adams 
(Indian boy). The above came safely around Cape Horn and 
located first at the old mission near the present town of Wheat- 
land. There, for three years, Mr. Parrish performed the black- 
smithing, and was then appointed missionary to the Indians at the 
Clatsop Plains, and staid there three years. Then returning to the 
valley he became preacher to the circuit which extended from 
Portland to Corvallis, performing these duties in conjunction with 
Rev. David Leslie and Dr. W. H. Willson. In 1847 and succeed- 
ing years he preached in the west side circuit, and for a time in 
Portland. In-lS49 he received the appointment of sub-Indian 
agent from President Taylor, and served for five years, or until 
1 *54. He was thus the first regularly appointed Indian agent in 
Oregon, the circle of his duties extending to all parts of the then 
Oregon. In LS54 President Pierce extended his appointment, but 
owing to ill-health lie was compelled to resign. In 1855 he be- 
came a missionary among the Indians, and visited many tribes, 



606 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

ministering particularly at the Grand Ronde Agency. For three 
or four subsequent years he rode a circuit and preached, in widely 
varying localities ; but owing to ill -health he was compelled to 
retire from active duties, and settled at Salem, his present home, 
Mr. Parrish is regarded as one of the best informed individuals, as 
regards Oregon history, that is to be found ; and his statements in 
all things reflect the candid and straightforward mind of an 
honest gentleman. His recollections cover an interesting and 
extended period in the State's history, and his evidence is indis- 
pensable to any one who would seek to obtain an accurate knowl- 
edge of the events of early years. 

SMITH, ALVIN T. 

Mr. Smith was born in Connecticut in 1802, and now, at the age 
of four -score and two years, is still a hale man, living out the latter 
years of a long and varied life in the town of Forest Grove. Mr. 
Smith left Illinois for Oregon in 1840, the year of his marriage. 
His principal occupation has been farming, at which he has been 
very successful and has accumulated wealth. 

1841. 

BUXTON, HENRY. 

Born on the Red River, British North America, six miles north 
of the United States line, in October, 1829. He arrived in Oregon 
in 1841, coming with the famous Red River immigration of that 
year. He now lives at Forest Grove and cultivates a farm. Has 
eleven children, and has been a resident of Washington county for 
forty -two years. The political significance of the Red River immi- 
gration has been elsewhere touched upon, but Mr. Buxton has con- 
tributed the following facts as to its actual experiences : The parties 
composing the expedition numbered some sixty, and were mostly of 
mixed blood — English, Indian, Scotch, and French. The leader 
was James Sinclair. They set out under an agreement with the 
Hudson's Bay Company to remove from their habitations in British 
North America to Puget Sound, there to engage in agricultural 
pursuits upon land to be set apart for them, and they were to have 
houses specially prepared against their arrival. They came by way 
of Fort Pitt and the Saskatchewan valley to Forts Carlton and 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. C>07 

Edmonton, crossing the Saskatchewan and Assiniboine, and sur- 
mounting the Rocky Mountains at Devil's Pass, so-called, at the 
head of Red Deer River. These were routes never before traveled, 
and of course abounded in difficulties. They had set out with carts 
drawn by animals, but abandoned these and resorted to packing 
when at the eastern foot of the Rockies. Coming by way of Lake 
Pend d'Oreille and crossing the rivers Flat Bow, Spokane and Snake 
f at Riparia), they struck the Columbia near Fort Walla Walla, and 
proceeded down it to near their objective point. The colony, however, 
did not succeed. The lands were found to be unsuitable, and quite 
disadvantageous in comparison with the fruitful plains of the Wil- 
lamette: so, while a portion of the colony tried faithfully to carry 
out their agreement, the most of them drifted off to other sections, 
mostly choosing the Willamette valley as their abode, where a few 
survivors may yet be found, amalgamated with the American pop- 
ulation, and identified with them by community of tastes and 
interests. 

JOHNSON, WILLIAM. 

Born in Washington Territory in 1839; is of English parentage. 
Came with his parents to Oregon when two years of age. Is a 
farmer, and a resident of Glencoe, Washington County. He mar- 
ried Miss Xancy Smith, a native of Oregon, in 1866, and they have 
eight children. 

WILLIAMS, SAMUEL. 

Resides one mile east of Hillsboro, and is a farmer by occupa- 
tion, lie was born in Missouri in 1833; came to Oregon at a very 
early day and settled in Washington county on the place where he 
still lives. He married Ann E. Jolly in 1856, and their children 
are Eliza J., Amanda M., William W., and Frank. 

1842. 

CRAWFORD, MEDOREM. 

Born in Orange County, New York, June 24, 1819. In early 
life was apprenticed to a farmer in Seneca County, with whom he 
lived from his thirteenth to his sixteenth year. Left his home in 
Havana, Schuyler County, on March 17, 1842, bound for Oregon. 
Hi- route of travel led through Seneca Lake Lake Erie, Pittsburg, 



608 HISTOBY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Cincinnati, St. Louis and Independence, and the trip is well 
described in his Occasional Address to the Association of Pioneers, 
delivered on June 15, 1881. On his arrival in Oregon, the young 
traveler located at Salem, and taught the Mission School for nine 
months. In the following year he married Miss Brown, and pur- 
chased an interest in James A. O'Neil's claim, covering the present 
town of Wheatland, where he resided until the fall of 1844. At 
the Wheatland farm, in January, 1844, his oldest son was born, 
being the first male child of American parentage born on the west 
side of the Willamette Eiver. In April, 1845, he removed to 
Oregon City, where he resided for seven years, engaged in trans- 
porting merchandise and produce around the Willamette Falls. 
He was a member of the Provisional Legislature in 1847, during 
which session the Whitman massacre occurred, and again, in 1849, 
the last session under the Provisional government. In 1852 he 
removed to the mouth of the Yamhill river, and settled permanently 
on the " Joe McLoughlin claim," one of the earliest settled farms 
in the valley, to which he subsequently acquired a patent under the 
Donation Law. He was elected to the first State Legislature, but 
was counted out by partisan opponents; was again elected in 1860, 
and took an active part in the election of Oregon's first Republican 
Senator, Col. E. D. Baker. He visited his father in New York, in 
1861, and on returning westward, across the plains, was taken into 
government service and made assistant to Captain Maynadier, U. S. 
A., who commanded the emigrant escort. In the following year he 
went East again, and received from President Lincoln the appoint- 
ment of assistant quartermaster, with the rank of captain, and was 
ordered west, to organize, arm and equip one hundred men, and to 
proceed westward, across the Rocky Mouutains for the purpose of 
assisting and protecting the emigrants. The company performed 
that duty throughout the season, and were disbanded at W 7 alla 
Walla in October, 1862. Returning East again, in 1863, he, for 
the third time, crossed the plains westward in charge of emigrants, 
and in the next year resigned his commission. President Lincoln 
then conferred upon him the appointment of collector of internal 
revenue, which Captain Crawford held for Hve years. In 1871 he 
was appointed by President Grant appraiser of merchandise for the 
port of Portland. This office he administered also for about five 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 609 

years, retiring, in 1876, to his farm on the Yamhill, where he has 
since resided. Mrs. Crawford died, May 20, 1879, and in the fol- 
lowing year he married Mrs. E. Burrows. His children, all of 
whom are by the first wife, are: Medorem, Frederick A., Mary E. 
(Mrs. H. C. Stevens), John M., Albert, and Henrietta. Medorem, 
Jr. (who, as before mentioned, was born at Wheatland), was, in 
1862, appointed by President Lincoln to West Point, and without 
other educational advantages than the then primitive schools of 
Oregon afforded, passed his examination and was admitted as a 
cadet. Graduating with honor, in 1867, he took rank as lieutenant 
in the Second Artillery, where he still remains. 

HOLMAN, GEORGE P. 

Born in Salem, Oregon, in 1842, being the fourth white person 
born in the State. Represented Marion County in the Legislature 
in 1870. 

LOVEJOY, ASA L. 

Born in Massachusetts, March 14, 1808; came to Oregon in 
1842; was an attorney by occupation; died at Portland, September 
11, 1882. Wife's previous name, Elizabeth McGary. Children — 
Ada M. (deceased), Amos L., Elizabeth M., Nellie, and William R. 

McKAY, CHARLES. 

Was born at sea of Scotch parents in 1808; lived at Winnipeg 
where he was married to Letitia Bird in 1827; in 1841 went to 
Washington Territory, remaining at Steilacoom one year; then 
came to Oregon and settled at Glencoe, Washington County, where 
his family yet reside, farmers by occupation. His children's names 
are — Charles, Mrs. Elliott and Mrs. Plumey. Mr. McKay is de- 
ceased. 

MATTHIEU, FRANCIS XAVIER. 

Born in Canada in 1818 and removed to New York in 1838 
from political reasons, having been one of the insurrectionary party 
in 1837-38. He became clerk for the American Fur Company, and 
made two trips to the Rocky Mountains in 1840-41. He entered 
Oregon in 1842 and settled among the Canadian -French inhabitants 
of the northern part of Marion County. His presence among them 



610 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

was useful to the American cause, for his influence was thrown in 
favor of republican principles and movements. Contemporary 
writers have spoken of F. X. Matthieu in terms of gratitude and re- 
spect. He was, doubtless, the most influential of the people of that 
nativity in Oregon. He served in the State Legislature in 1874 and 
1878; and in the Cayuse war was deputy quartermaster. Resides 
now on his original donation claim one and a half miles south of 
Butteville. Married, in 1844, Rosa Ossang, who bore him seven 
sons and seven daughters. His occupations have been farming and 
merchandising, and for twenty years he was in trade at Butteville. 

MOSS, SIDNEY W. 

Born in Bourbon County, Kentucky. Came to Oregon in 
September, 1842. Residence, Oregon City, and occupation, stone- 
cutter. Mr. Moss' flrst wife's name was Rebecca Taylor, and the 
second, Dorcas Richardson. Their children were — Sarah E., 
Catharine M., Alfred, William H. H., Sidney, John M., Walter S., 
Henrie Lenora, Volney (X, and Charles P. — of whom the first five, 
and the last named, are deceased. 

WESTON, DAVID. 

Born in Indiana, July 4, 1820 ; removed to Arkansas in 1836 ; 
set out for Oregon in 1841, but had to winter in Missouri, and 
during the next year arrived in this State. Mr. Weston was a 
blacksmith, and after his arrival worked at that trade for T. J. 
Hubbard, in the Willamette Valley, who had come here with 
Captain Wyeth. He took up a land claim adjoining Dr. Newell's, 
on the Willamette, where his family yet reside. In 1847 he be- 
came a soldier in the Cayuse war, attaining the rank of lieutenant. 

1843. 

APPLEGATE, CHARLES. 

Born in Henry County, Kentucky, January 24, 1806 ; removed 
to St. Louis, Missouri, in 1820. Married in 1829 to Miss Melinda 
Miller. Set out with his brothers, Jesse and Lindsay, for Oregon 
in the memorable year 1843. Settled in Polk County, and re- 
mained there until 1860, when he removed to Yoncalla, Douglas 
County, and resided there until his death, August 9, 1879. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 611 

APPLEGATE, JESSE A. 

Born in Missouri in 1835 ; came to Oregon with the world- 
famous party led by his relatives, Charles, Jesse and Lindsay 
Applegate, in 1843. Has lived at various points in the valley. 
Studied law with the firm of Wilson & Harding, at Salem, and 
was admitted to the bar in 1864. Was married in 1863 to Virginia 
Watson. Their children are — Glendower, McClellan and Erie. 
Mr. Applegate was superintendent of schools for Polk County in 
1863-64, and member of the Legislature in 1865-66. Residence, 
Salem. 

APPLEGATE, LINDSAY. 

Born in Henry County, Kentucky, September 18, 1808 ; his 
family settled near St. Louis, Missouri, in 1820, and about three 
years later he joined General Ashby's far company, and participated 
in an expedition into the country of the hostile Indians. Return- 
ing to St. Louis he was married in 1831 to Elizabeth Miller. He 
served in the Black Hawk war. Set out for Oregon in May, 1843, 
and settled in Polk County. The expedition of the above year 
was, probably, the most important of all the movements of that 
sort whose direction was to this State, and Lindsay Applegate, 
with his brothers, Charles and Jesse, were the moving spirits 
therein. Its details are elsewhere set forth. In 1844 Lindsay 
Applegate served as a member of the first organized company of 
soldiers designed to protect the infant settlements from the invasion 
of hostile Indians. In 1846 he, with Jesse Applegate, sought out 
the Southern Immigrant Route, by which, in that year, a con- 
siderable number of pioneers entered this State. In 1848 he went 
to California by land, and returned during the same year by 
water. In 1850 he joined General Lane in pursuit of the deserting 
regulars from Vancouver. In the same year he served as special 
Indian agent under Gen. Palmer. Commanded, in 1853, a com- 
pany of volunteers who enlisted to combat the Rogue River tribes, 
but was not in action. In 1859 he purchased the toll road leading 
from Northern California to Southern Oregon, and went to reside 
on the Siskiyou Mountains. In 1861 he was chosen captain of a 
volunteer company, whose object was to protect incoming immi- 
grants, and set out to patrol the southern route from Klamath 



612 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

eastward. Was a member of the Legislature of Oregon in 1862, 
and was likewise special Indian agent. Served at Klamath, as 
such, until 1869. Resides at Ashland, Jackson County. 

ARTHUR, DAVID. 

Born m Kentucky, in 1843 ; lived mainly in Missouri, and 
joined the emigration of 1843, with his parents, William and 
Millie Arthur, to cross the continent with the Applegate party. 
Settled in Yamhill County, near McMinnville. Lived afterwards 
in Lane County. Married, in 1846, Mary J. Malone. Has family 
of four living children — Sophronia GL, Abbie E., Arcelia A., and 
Eugene L. Mrs. Arthur, who also belonged to the aforesaid 
party, died in 1879. The family now reside in Salem. 

BAKER, ANDREW J. 

Born in North Carolina in 1820 ; went to Tennessee at the age 
of twelve, and staid there three years ; spent the next six years- in 
Missouri ; came to Oregon in the memorable year 1843, and 
settled in Yamhill County. In 1846 he made a trip to California, 
but returned in 1849, having participated in the hostilities between 
the Americans and Mexicans. Mr. Baker's present address is 
Lafayette, and his occupation is farming. Was married in 1857 
to Miss Mary Lake, by whom he has had Charles, Annie, Rosa, 
Alsa and Lina. 

BAKER, JOHN G. 

Born in Hopkins County, Kentucky, in 1818. At the age of 
nineteen he emigrated to Missouri. Two years later he married 
Catherine Blevins, the mother of his present family of four children 
— William D., Morgan A., Mary A., and Aville L. He set out 
with his family for Oregon along with the important immigration 
of 1843. With the party were one hundred and twelve wagons 
drawn by oxen, making a very imposing train, which was six 
months on the way, and obtained all the usual experiences attend- 
ant upon that long and arduous journey. Arriving in Oregon, Mr. 
Baker became the first settler between " the two Yamhills." In the 
early years of his residence he was troubled somewhat by the dep- 
redations of mischievous Indians, who killed his stock and made 
themselves detested and feared. Mr. Baker, unwilling to endure 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 613 

sucli ills, raised a company of volunteers and pursuing the ravagers 
gained a decisive victory over thern, killing two of the miscreants 
and removing from the others any further desire to brave the white 
man's wrath. Mr. B. became sheriff of Yamhill County under the 
Provisional Government. This position he held for four years, and 
when the Territorial Government was organized by General Lane, 
his appointment was continued for an additional term of two years. 
While performing the duties of sheriff in the new and unorganized 
region, he gained many unique experiences. For example: He 
narrates how, when in charge of the first jury impanelled at Lafay- 
ette, lie asked instructions of the presiding judge as to where he 
should take them to deliberate, the judge replied with a touch of 
humor born of much experience with domestic animals, "Stake out 
the foreman, and I guess the others will stay around.' 1 This learned 
judge was A. A. Skinner, a very useful and careful judge and, 
withal, an exemplary citizen, who became Indian agent at a later 
date, and was for a time settled in Rogue River Valley on the first 
donation claim ever taken in that beautiful region. In 1852 one 
McCormack was tried, found guilty and sentenced to three years 1 
imprisonment for an infamous crime. The trial occurred at Lafay- 
ette, and from lack of either a county jail or a State penitentiary, 
the judge remanded the convict to the care of the sheriff, to be kept 
until the county commissioners could meet and make provision for 
his imprisonment. Private instructions were given that in case the 
commissioners did not act, that the prisoner should be allowed to 
take French leave. This course was followed and the guilty man 
escaped. Such was the course of justice in the early days, where 
the absence of courts and the machinery of the law made it impos- 
sible t<> properly punish crime. Mr. Baker now resides at McMinn- 
ville. lie i> the proprietor of a square mile of valuable land, in 
the immediate vicinity of the town, of the richest and most produc- 
tive quality. 

BROWN, ORUS. 

Born in 1800; came from Missouri to Oregon. Located a 
donation land claim a mile north of Forest Grove. Returned to 
Missouri in 1845, and brought his family to Oregon in 1846. 
Resided in Washington County for twenty years, then removing to 
Salem, and lived there until 1874. Died May 5, 1874. 



614 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

CARY, CYRENE B. (TAYLOR). 

Was born in Richmond City, Virginia, July 24, 1815. "My 
parents moved to Christian County, Kentucky, when I was three 
years old. There I married Miles Cary in 1831, and moved to 
Missouri in 1834, where we remained until 1843, when we started 
to Oregon. We started with plenty of provisions and took in 
three men on the plains that had been turned off by others, but 
still we had plenty. Had no trouble, only sickness and the death 
of a little daughter three years old, at Fort Bridger. Had a false 
Indian alarm, when Fremont came up with the American flag. 
Some of the men were without bullets. While the men corralled 
the cattle, Mrs. Andrew Hembree and myself run bullets. Mr. 
Gray came to our wagon to borrow a gun. My husband told him 
he could have mine; I said, 'No you can not have my gun, for I 
am going to fight for my little ones and need my gun.' My 
husband said I had better get in the wagon and put the feather 
beds around the children and myself so the arrows would not hit 
us ; I told him I could not do that, for we had better be killed than 
taken prisoners. But just as we were ready for battle, the word 
came that it was Fremont's company. When we arrived at the 
Hudson's Bay post on the Columbia River, we left our cattle in 
the care of a man there, until the next summer. My husband 
worked for Dr. McLonghlin, at Oregon City, until the next June, 
when we moved up to Yamhill County, and took up a claim and 
began farming. For a new country that was inhabited by Indians, 
and so few white people, we fared exceedingly well. The first 
winter there were but three settlers on the north side of the 
Yamhill river; two of them were bachelors — Dr. Sitton and Mr. 
Paul. A negro girl I brought with me and myself were the only 
women on that side of the river, and no way to cross only foot 
logs. We sent for our cattle, bought some pigs and chickens from 
a man on Sauvie's Island, in the Willamette River. We then 
made plenty of butter and cheese. We had to go to Oregon City 
for our flour, and groceries. Some wore moccasins for lack of 
shoes. The men wore buckskin pants. The women could get 
clothing from Vancouver or Oregon City by paying for it. We 
had no more trouble with the Indians than we could expect; I 
was frightened worse than hurt many times; but I look back now 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 515 

and wonder how we ever escaped a> we did. It was a higher 

power than ours that protected ns. You asked me what our 
provisions consisted of. We bad beef, venison and elk. sugar, 
coffee, butter, cheese and bread. There were no fruits here at that 
time. T have been a widow since 1858. My husband died on 
September 26th of that year. I have three children living — J. J. 
Cary, W. B. Gary and Bff. Ettie Gary. I live in Lafayette. 
Yamhill County:* 

CASON, ADONIRAM J. 

Born in Richmond, Virginia, November 27. 18*29: came to 
Oregon in 1843. Occupation, farmer: residence, Oregon City. 
Wife's previous name, Eliza J. Glover. Children, Katie E., Honor 
J.. George L.. Wilhelmina (deceased). Ada J., and Charles L. 

CASON, FENDAL C. 

Born near Richmond, Virginia. Was a farmer by occupation, 
and died near Oregon City in 1860. Wife's previous name was 
Rebecca R. Holliday. Children — Francis C. (deceased). Rebecca 
R. (deeea-ed), William A. (deceased), Adoniram J., James P., John 
L. (deceased). Joseph H. (deceased), and Benjamin F. (deceased). 

CAVE, REV. JAMES. 

Came to Oregon in l84o: he had entered the ministry when 
<[iiite young, and preached forty years. lie died in Washington 
County in 1863. 

CAVE, RILEY. 

B«»rn in Missouri in 1841; came with his parents to Oregon. 
Was educated "at the Pacific University. Has served fourteen years 
as justice <»f the peace at Hillsboro, his present residence. Is now 
a dealer in hardware, also practices the hlacksmith^ trade. Mar- 
ried Mis> Malinda Boyd in 1866, and by her has four children — 
Lillie \L, .fame- W.. Charles ML, and Lottie B. 

COZINE, SAMUEL. 

Born in Kentucky in 1821 : came across the plains to Oregon. 
After his arrival he lived in Oregon City two years; then moved t<> 
Yamhill Countv and settled on the land where the McMinnville Col- 



616 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

lege now stands; he still owns part of the claim. Married Miss 
Mahala Arthur in 1845, and has had eight children, ^ve of whom 
are deceased. The living are — Lucretia, Pleasant, and Auburn L. 
Mr. Cozine is a blacksmith by occupation, and lives at McMinnville. 
Owns one hundred and seventy-five acres of land and city property. 

EMERICK, SOLOMON. 

Born in Montgomery County, Ohio, November 30, 1821. Came 
across the plains with Peter H. Burnett's company. With James 
Hayes went over the Cascade Falls in a thirty -foot canoe. In No- 
vember, 1843, came into what was known as Tualatin County, now 
Washington County, and has resided there since, farming most of 
the time, and still owns a donation claim at Cornelius; was a vol- 
unteer in the Cayuse war. Was married in June, 1845, to Miss 
Luceta Zachary; has five children living and six deceased. The 
living are — Thomas, John, David, Ellen, and Charles. 

HEMBREE, W. C. 

Is a farmer and merchant of McMinnville, Yamhill County. He 
was born in Warren County, Tennessee, in 1829; moved to Mis- 
souri in 1837; came to Oregon in 1843 and settled at Lafayette, 
Yamhill County. Married Nancy A. Garrison in Yamhill County 
in 1861, and their children's names are — Oscar L., Minnie E., Rosa 
L., Carrie I., Walter L., Clark P., Nellie D., Eva G., and Maud. 

HILL, ALMERAN. 

Born in Chariton County, Missouri, in 1822; when he arrived 
in Oregon he settled on what is now called " Spring Hill Farm," 
near Dilly; two years later took a donation claim near Gaston, 
Washington County, on which he still lives. Mr. Hill has had the 
rough experience known only to the earliest pioneers of Oregon, 
and can relate many instances regarding life among the Indians, 
and the manners and customs of pioneer life, that are both startling 
and amusing. He married Sarah J. Reed in 1841, and their 
children's names are — Deantha, Frank M., Mrs. M. Campbell, Mrs. 
T. Mooney, Mrs. H. Cowles, Mrs. S. J. Brisbine, and A. L. Hill. 

HOLMAN, DANIEL S. 

Born in Lincoln County, Tennessee, November 15, 1822. In 
1829 went to Clay County, Missouri. In 1843 came to Oregon 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. <>1 7 

and settled at Forest Grove. His present residence is Bellevue, 
Yamhill County, and occupation, farming. He married Martha E. 
Burnett in Polk County, August 21, 1847, and their children's 
names are — William D., Woodford P., Glen O., Lucretia M., Wil- 
lis M. (deceased). Mary E.. Charlie W., John E., Powell L., and 
Walter B. 

HOLMES, WILLIAM L. 

Born near Nashville, Tennessee, May 30, 1807; came to Oregon 
in Xoveniber, 1843: occupation, farmer. Was elected sheriff of 
Clackamas County in 1811, and served eleven years. Married 
Mary A. L. C. Williams, and had by her the following children — 
Elizabeth J. (deceased), Minnie G., Samuel D. (deceased), Frances 
E. (deceased), Mary L., William X. B. (deceased), Ermina A. 
(deceased), and Theodore E. Mr. Holmes died in 1879, at his 
at his residence, Pose Farm, near Oregon City. 

HUCK, JAMES. 

Mr. Huck was born in Ohio, in 1819; left that State twenty 
years after, and located in Iowa; started overland to Oregon, with 
the emigration of 1813, crossing the plains with Colonel Xesmith 
and party. Two years' residence in Oregon being ended, he went 
to California, and then to Mexico, and took part in the war of 
1816. After a variety of experiences he returned in 1857 to Ohio 
and married Miss Mary Jones, who, however, died a year later. 
Mr. Huck's second wife was Miss Frances E. Albert. He returned 
to Oregon again in 1875, and now resides in McMinnville. Mr. 
Huck's life has been remarkable for its multiplicity of adventures 
and incidents. His travels have been wide, and his experiences 
remarkable. 

LENNOX, DAVID T. 

Born in Xew York in 1801 ; removed to Kentucky, and thence 
in 1837 t<:> Missouri. Settled in the Tualatin Plains, Washington 
County, Oregon, and resided there for many years. Lived subse- 
quently in Portland, and Umatilla County, dying there on October 
19, 1871. AVas a deacon in the Baptist church for more than forty 
years. 



618 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY, 

LENNOX, LOUISE. 

Born in in 1808; came to Oregon with her husband, 

Judge Lennox, and settled on a farm in Washington County. She 
became the mother of nineteen children. She died on November 
16, 1879, having outlived her husband by several years. 

McCARVER, MORTON M. 

Born in Kentucky in 1807; after coming to Oregon was com- 
missary general in the Rogue River war, and held a number of 
other public positions. His first wife's previous name was Mary 
A. Jennings, and that of the second, Julia Backalow; his children 
were — Thomas J., Mary A., Jennie, Elizabeth, Julia, Dollie and 
Naomi. Of these, Thomas J., Julia and Dollie are deceased. 

McCLANE, J.B. 

Is a native of Pennsylvania, and was born in 1820. He left his 
home in 1842 and went to Texas, and shortly after to Iowa, and in 
1843 set out for Oregon with the Applegate-Nesmith party. In 
early days Mr. McClane was engaged in fiour milling and lumber 
producing, and owned mills in North Salem, which were among 
the first of their kind. His occupation, also, included merchandis- 
ing. He took part in the Cayuse war, was the first postmaster of 
Salem, holding the office for several years preceding 1861; was 
county treasurer of Marion County in 1850-51, and has been prom- 
inent in a variety of ways. Of all the living male residents of 
Salem, Mr. McClane came earliest. He married, in 1846, Miss 
Helen C. Judson. There have been nine children, namely — George 
F., Isabella, Louie (deceased), Eva, Charles, James, Helen, Harold, 
and John. 

MAUZEY, WILLIAM. 

Resides iive miles northwest of Hillsboro, Washington County, 
where he settled in 1845; is a farmer by occupation. He was born 
in Fleming County, Kentucky, in 1819; married Eleanor Evans in 
1847, and their children are — Lucinda J., Thomas A., Maria, Anna, 
and Mary. 

NESMITH, J. W. 

Of all the early pioneers of Oregon, none have become more 
widely known, and none have done more to deserve celebrity, than 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 619 

Mr. Nesniith. Through more than forty years his name and his 
person have been familiar to the people of Oregon, who have come 
in the lapse of time to regard his fame and that of the State as one 
and the same. From the time of his arrival here, coming as he did 
with the Applegate party in 1843, he has been a leader in enter- 
prises and deeds demanding vigor of mind and body, and determin- 
ation of spirit. He was the adjutant of the emigration of 1843, 
and the list given in these pages of the names of his party was com- 
piled by him in the pursuit of his official duties. His birthplace 
was New Hampshire, and his ancestry of Scotch -English type. He 
took a valiant part in the Cayuse war, as narrated elsewhere. Some- 
what later Captain Nesmith, as he was then called, led an explor- 
ing band southward through the dangerous Indian country of South- 
ern Oregon, seeking for a practicable route to California. In the 
Yakima war he served the country, having previously led a com- 
pany of volunteers from the Willamette to the Rogue, in defence of 
the settlers of Southern Oregon, and was present at the- Lane treaty 
of peace, in September, 1853. At a later date he entered upon 
political life. He had, however, been judge of Oregon in 1845 
under the Provisional Government. Subsequently, he held many 
high offices, culminating in his election as IT. S. Senator, his col- 
league being E. D. Baker, who fell at Ball's Bluff, in Virginia. His 
conduct during the trying times of the civil war, when he stood up 
manfully for the Union, is his best passport to fame. It is impos- 
sible to give within the brief limits of a sketch like this, the names 
and dates of all the offices he held, or all the services he rendered 
to the people of the Northwest; but, to sum up all in a sentence, 
it seems clear and indisputable that he has done more for Oregon 
than any other Oregonian, and that he has attained an equal posi- 
tion among the three greatest of them. Gen. Nesmith's residence 
for many years was at Deny, Polk County, where he farmed on a 
large scale and kept house in the old style of hospitality and wel- 
come. As for his qualities of mind, he will be longest remembered 
for his wit and strong sense of humor. He is of a border type of 
mankind — not refined, but masculine, forceful and strong in art and 
expression. His stories and sayings gained a world-wide celebrity, 
and rivaled Lincoln's in their appositeness and wit. 



(320 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

NEWBY, W. T. 

Born in McMinnville, Warren County, Tennessee, March 25, 
1820; moved to Missouri in 1839, and came to Oregon in 1843. 
Lived for a short time at Oregon City. Founded the town of 
McMinnville, Yamhill County, in 1855, naming it after his old 
home. There were six settlers in that part of the valley on his 
arrival in 1844. Some difficulty was experienced with the Indians, 
who made raids upon the cattle. In 1853 Mr. Newby built a 
grist-mill, and in 1854, a store. He held the office of assessor in 
1848, and in 1870 that of State Senator. Married Miss Sarah J. 
Gray, in 1841, having by her eight children — Luther A., Virginia, 
Harrison C, Ollie, Emma, Martha A., Eosa Lee, and James B. 
(deceased). Mr. Newby died October 22, 1884. 

OWENS, THOMAS. 

Born in Wales, July 4, 1813; in 1833, came to New York; in 
1836, moved to Ohio, and in 1841, to Missouri. Two years later, 
came to Oregon and settled at Lafayette, Yamhill County. His 
present residence is at McMinnville, and occupation, farming and 
stock-raising. He married Emiline Young, in Portland, Oregon, 
December 25, 1850, and they have eight children — Catharine K., 
Ellen E., James R., Thomas L., George, Evan, Mary E., and 
Annie J. 

SHADDEN, THOMAS. 

Lives in McMinnville; was born in Tennessee; lived in Ar- 
kansas and Missouri prior to coming to Oregon. He arrived in 
the Willamette Valley, October 3, 1843. Was with Fremont in 
the Mexican war; afterwards engaged in farming and stock-raising. 
Married Miss Martha Sumner in 1832; has had twelve children, 
three of whom are living. 

SITTON, N. R. 

Born in Missouri in 1825. Mr. Sitton came to Oregon in 1843, 
by way of Fort Hall. Soon after, taking up a residence in 
Yamhill County, where he has since remained. His post-office 
address is Carlton. Mr. Sitton was married in 1847 to Miss P. 
Rogers, by whom he had Charles E., Wilbur, Hubert, Fred., and 
Elbridge. The lady dying about 1870, he afterwards married 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 621 

Mrs. Mary Laughlin, by whom he had issue. Ward, Pratt, and 

Minnie. 

STRAIGHT, HIRAM A. 

Born in Washington County, New York, in 1814; arrived in 
( )regon in December, 1 843. ( >ecupation, farmer ; present residence, 
Oregon City. Wife's previous name, Susan Lasswell. His chil- 
dren are — Cyrus B.. Mary, Jane, John, Hiram, and Julia. 

WALDO, WILLIAM. 

Born in Gasconade County, Missouri, in 1832, and removing 

with his parents to Oregon, settled in Marion County. His father, 
Daniel Waldo, attained great prominence in this State. He was 
educated in part at the Willamette University, and studied law at 
Salem under L. F. Grover, in I860, and was admitted to the bar 
in 1863, was fleeted State Senator in 1880, and again in 1882, 
and President of the Senate in 1885. Resides in Salem. 

WALLER, O. A. 

Is a resident of Salem. He was born in Oregon City, in 1843, 
and is a son of the Reverend A. F. Waller, celebrated in the history 
of the State. Salem has been his place of residence for many 
years, the town consisting of a very few houses on his arrival. His 
education was received at the Willamette University; he is now a 
gunsmith by occupation. In 1864, he was married to Miss Mary 
Chamberlain, by whom he has live children — Charlie A., Alpha, 
Riley C, Albert B., and George C. 

1844. 

CASE, WILLIAM M. 

Born in Randolph County, Indiana, in 1820. Set out for 
Oregon with his family in 1842, but being compelled to delay his 
progre-s. arrived here in December, 1844, having crossed the 
plains with ox -teams in the ordinary manner of that date. He 
settled with hie family on a donation claim of six hundred and 
forty acres, three miles south of Champoeg, Marion County, where 
he -till resides. He went to the California mines in 1849, remain- 
ing one summer. Held the office of county commissioner of 
Marion County for eighl years. Married Sarah A. Potter in 1841. 



622 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Children — Mrs. Fanny Moreland, John N., Mrs. M. E. Felt, Mrs. 
Alice Borthwick, Mrs. Annie Hoyt, Mrs. Jane E. Croghan, Geo. 
W., Elenora, and Ida Bell. Mrs. Case was born near Mount 
Holly, New Jersey, January 17, 1822, but was reared to woman- 
hood in Wayne County, Indiana. She died March 30, 1877. 

EMBREE, C. D., 

Of Dallas, Polk County, was born in Clark County, Kentucky, 
in February, 1806; in 1820 moved to Missouri; in 1844 started 
across the plains with a party of emigrants, with Colonel Ford, his 
brother-in-law, as captain. The party arrived at The Dalles late 
in the fall of that year; in 1845 Mr. Embree took up a claim in 
Polk County, upon which he now lives: his house was the second 
built on La Creole Creek. He sat on the first grand jury held in 
Polk County, the jury holding their consultation in the brush on 
the creek. In 1846 he was elected sheriff and served 'over one 
term of court and then resigned. In 1834, and while in Missouri, 
he married Miss Lucinda Fowler; they had six children, all of 
whom are yet alive. Their names are — Thomas V. B., now a 
physician in Corvallis, Mary L, Marcus A., Benton, Alice I., and 
John B. Mrs. Embree died May 7, 1881, from injuries received in 
a fall. 

FORD, NATHANIEL. 

Born in Virginia in 1795; reared in Kentucky; in 1844 came to 
Oregon across the plains, and held the position of captain of the 
emigrant train which he accompanied. He settled in Polk County 
in 1845, and that county continued to be his home until his death. 
In early times he was engaged in surveying, and at the time of the 
Indian outbreak in 1855 was examining a line between California 
and Oregon. Col. Ford held public offices in Missouri and served 
several terms in both houses of the Legislature of Oregon. Mar- 
ried Miss Lucinda Embree in Missouri in 1820, and ten children 
were born to .them, only two of whom are now alive, namely — r 
Josephine, who was the wife of James Boyle; and Sarah Burch, 
both of whom live near Dixie, Polk County. Col. Ford died in 
1870, and his wife in 1874. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 623 

HAWLEY, J. H. 

Born in Canada in 1834, but was taken to Michigan at an early 
age. He removed subsequently to Iowa and Missouri. His parents 
came to Yamhill County, Oregon, in 1844, and their son worked 
upon his father's farm until 1857, when he removed to Polk County 
and entered upon merchandising at Bethel. Was justice of the 
peace from 1862 to 1868. Was Representative in the Legislature 
of 1882. Married Miss Eliza Mulkey in 1857. Their children are 
— Horace G., May, William H., Curtis, Constance, Luke, and 
Maud. Mr. Hawley is now occupied in farming, and is also a grain 
dealer. 

HINMAN, ALANSON. 

Mr. Hinman also belongs to the band of immigrants known as 
the Ford company, who crossed the plains in 1844. He had then 
reached the age of twenty-two years, and was a native of Chenango 
County, New York. His earliest work in Oregon was teaching 
school in the Salem Institute, the precursor of the Willamette 
University. He stayed here two years, and in 1847 went to The 
Dalles and took charge of the missionary station there as secular 
agent, that being an outpost of Whitman's station at Waiilatpu. 
This was shortly before the Whitman massacre. The occurrence 
of that dreadful tragedy was unknown to Mr. Hinman, whose first 
intimation of what had occurred was given him on a row-boat in 
which he was proceeding to Vancouver. The messenger who 
carried the tidings had accompanied him, and on the way disclosed 
his secret. Mr. Hinman returned from Vancouver as quickly as 
possible to the assistance of his wife, but, fortunately, found mat- 
ters at The Dalles in the same condition as he left them. The 
situation, however, was critical. The Wascoes, who inhabited the 
country round about, were not to be depended on to protect the 
white occupants, who were few and unable to protect themselves. 
The Indians refused to assist in the departure of Mr. Hinman and 
his friends, until he hit upon the ruse of telling them that the 
white people of Oregon would hold them responsible for any harm 
that might result from an invasion by the hostile Cayuses. Upon 
this the W ascoes, in alarm, offered their services to assist the 
mission party away, and the whites immediately left the dangerous 



624 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

locality. The names of the white occupants of The Dalles station 
were, Mr. Hinman, wife and children; Mrs. McKinney, Miss War- 
ren (sister of Henry Warren, of Yamhill, and afterwards married 
to Mr. White), and Perrin Whitman, nephew of Dr. Marcus Whit- 
man. Soon after these occurrences, Mr. Hinman moved with his 
family to what is now Washington County, and located on a claim 
nine miles from Forest Grove, and stayed thereupon until about 
1855, when he removed to Forest Grove, and has since remained 
there. His occupations have been farming, dealing in live-stock, 
and merchandising. For six years he served as collector of 
customs at Astoria. Has been a member of the State assembly. 
Is now a merchant in Forest Grove. Has a family of six children. 
Mrs. Hinman (born Miss Gerrish) came with the Gilliam immigra- 
tion in 1844. 

HOLDEN, HORACE. 

Born in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, July 10, 1810. Ee- 
sided in various localities in early life; followed the sea for a time; 
turned sugar planter in the Sandwich Islands. After many adven- 
tures, came to Oregon in April, 1844. (See page 285.) Resides 
now three miles north of Salem on an extensive farm. He was 
married in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1836. His childen are — 
Horace, Eugene, Ellen, Isabelle, and Theodore. 

HOOVER, JACOB. 

Born in Green County, Kentucky, in 1814; lived in Indiana, 
Illinois, and Missouri prior to his arrival in Oregon. His first place 
of residence in this State was near Glencoe, Washington County. 
His present residence is one mile south of Glencoe, and occupation 
farmer. He has been a constant resident of Washington County 
for forty years, and, with the exception of four years spent as county 
treasurer, has remained on his farm. He married Malinda Cave in 
1843, and their children's names are — Thomas, Jackson, Jacob, 
Harriet, and Lucretia. 

JOHNSON, DANIEL. 

Born in Massachusetts in 1812; moved to New York and after- 
wards to Indiana; left then in 1844, and coming to Oregon brought 
cattle with him and located in Yamhill County and began farming. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 625 

Has spent the subsequent years in the same pursuit with good re- 
sults. Has always been one of the principal farmers of the West 
Side. Married in 1844 to Elsina Perkins, and has had Hall, Me- 
lissa, Anna, Lilian, J. P., Erne, G. D., Jennie Gr., and Minnie 
Maud. Residence, Lafayette. 

JOHNSON, DAVID. 

Lives in Independence, Polk County, and is a farmer. Was born 
in North Carolina in 1815; came to Oregon from Missouri in an 
early day and settled in Polk County; took a donation claim. He 
was married in 1840 to Miss Araminta Thorp; by her had two 
children — Angelina, and Richard M. She died in 1849, and in 
1854 he married Mrs. L. Webb; by her he had two children — 
Anna and John — both now deceased. 

JOHNSON, JAMES. 

Born in Massachusetts in 1814; moved to New York and resided 
there until twenty -two; lived in Indiana six years. Married Juliet 
Perkes in 1839, and they have the following children— Burr, Juliana, 
Wright W., Viola, Julia, James K., Augustus, Ellen, and Clara. 
Resides in Lafayette, having retired from his occupation of farming, 
but is still a large land owner, possessing several hundred acres in 
Yamhill County besides town lots. 

McDANIEL, ELISHA P. 

Born on the Cumberland River, in Kentucky, in January, 1824; 
reared to manhood in that State and Illinois, and set out for the 
Pacific Coast in 1844. Settled first in Yamhill, but removed in 
1 845 to Polk County, where he still remains, at his residence near 
Independence. Married in 1846 to Miss L. J. Carmack, a native 
of Tennessee. Their children numbered nine, named William, 
Joseph, Lane, John, Elisha, S. J., J. D., Robert E., and S. P. Mr. 
Mc-Daniel's occupations have included farming and stock-raising, 
which latter pursuit he carries on in Yakima County, W. T. He 
saw rough service in the Cayuse war, and on the discovery of gold 
in California visited that country twice. 

MINTO, JOHN. 

Born in Wylam, Northumberland, England, in October, 1822; 
came to Oregon " with Americans and as an American " across the 



ww 



6*26 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

plains, in 1844, and settled at the old mission, near Wheatland. 
On July 7, 1847, he married Martha Ann Morrison, a native of 
Montgomery County, Missouri, born December 17, 1831, the 
daughter of R. W. Morrison, also an emigrant of 1844. Mr. Morri- 
son was one of the captains in Gilliam's overland trains, and served 
in the Cay use war, and afterwards represented Clatsop, Tillamook, 
and Yamhill in the Legislature. Mr. and Mrs. Minto reside now 
live miles south of Salem. Their children were — John Wilson, 
Mary Ellen, Robert Burns, William Jasper, Irwin, Douglas, Harry 
Percy, and May. Of these, Robert Burns, Irwin, and May, are de- 
ceased. Mr. Minto's services to the State have been very great, and 
his standing as an old pioneer is hardly second to any one. He has 
always been regarded as an authority on Oregon's history. He has 
held several civil offices of importance. 

MOORE, M. 

Born in Ohio in 1820; moved to Indiana when eight years old; 
and later to Illinois. In 1844 left for Oregon, coming by ox-train, 
and landed in Tualatin County. Occupation, farmer and black- 
smith, residing in Hillsboro, Washington County. Was married 
in 1847 to Mary McWilliams. Their children's names are — Sarah 
J., Robert S., William E., Lucy E., Edward W., Ralph A., and 
John M. 

NEAL, OLDAY. 

Born in Tennessee in 1802, and married at the age of twenty- 
one, to Jane Adams, by whom he had two children — Robert and 
William. He came to Oregon in 1844, crossing the plains, and 
some time after purchased a farm of six hundred acres in Marion 
County. He married his second wife while in this State. Their 
children were — Elvira, Phoebe, Melinda, Moses, and Jesse. Mr. 
Neal possesses property in Montana Territory and resides there 'a 
part of the time. 

NELSON, GEORGE S. 

Born in Cox County, Tennessee, July 20, 1801. Mr. Nelson 
left that State in his eighteenth year for Missouri and there re- 
mained until 1844, when he set out for Oregon, accompanied by a 
large concourse of fellow travelers, whose effects were carried in 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 627 

seventy wagons. He went immediately to Yamhill County and 
there remained until 1848, when he proceeded to California, but 
soon returned to Oregon. Mr. Nelson was married in 1825 to Miss 
Margaret Crawford. They have three children now living — Josiah 
C, Cornelius G., and Thomas B. Three died — two boys and a girl. 
Mr. Nelson resided for the closing years of his life in Lafayette, dying 
there in January, 1885. 

NELSON, J. C. 

Born in Jackson County, Missouri, in 1827. Came to Oregon 
in 1844, going direct to Yamhill County, and remaining there ever 
since. He secured a donation claim of five hundred acres, it being 
yet in his possession. Mr. Nelson was a volunteer in the Cay use 
war; and was afterwards elected to the first State Legislature. In 
1882 he was again a member of the Legislature, and was re-elected 
in 1884. Was prominent in Lafayette as a merchant, in partner- 
ship with Mr. Bird, and married Miss Mary E. Bird in 1850, by 
whom two children were born to him — Nancy Jane (Mrs. Belcher) 
and William W. Mrs. Nelson died in 1856, and in 1860 Mr. 
Nelson married Sarah Cummings, who has brought him Hive 
children, named Cora A. (deceased), Cornelia M. (Mrs. Fletcher), 
Mary Estella, Maggie L., and Walter H. 

NICHOLS, BENJAMIN F. 

Born in Clay County, Missouri, in 1825. Coming to Oregon in 
1844 he wintered first at Waiilatpu, Dr. Whitman's station, and re- 
moved the next year to Oregon City and soon after to Dallas. Here 
he resided until 1877, farming. Was sheriff of Polk County under 
the Provisional Government, and again after the territory was or- 
ganized. Studied law and became an attorney, and was clerk of 
Polk County for one term. Married Miss Sarah Ann Gilliam in 
1850. Mr. Nichols now resides in Wasco County, which he has 
represented in the Legislature. 

PRATHER, WILLIAM B. 

Mr. Prather came with the immigrants of 1844. He was a 
Virginian by birth, born in 1818; being bred to the life of an 
agriculturist, he took a claim in the Luckiamute Valley; now 



628 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

resides at Buena Vista. His wife was formerly Miss Clara Barbra, 
whom he married in Polk County, in 1848. Their children were — 
Perry W., Martha, James M., Eliza Jane, Martin V. B., Miles, and 
Ruth. 

REES, WILLARD H. 

Mr. Rees is a native of the State of Delaware, and was born in 
Dover, the capital of the State, in 1819. He was taken to Cincin- 
nati, Ohio, in 1826, and fifteen years later moved to Illinois. He 
came very early to Oregon, arriving with the immigration of 1844, 
and settled on the Willamette near Butteville, taking a donation 
claim, which he still possesses. His occupation is farming, and in 
this patriarchal pursuit he has been very successful. He served in 
the Provisional Legislature in 1847 and 1848. Went overland to 
California in 1848, during the gold excitement, and returned the 
next year. In 1850 he officially took a census of Marion County. 
He married in 1847, Amanda Hall, by whom he has had five sons 
and seven daughters. 

ROWLAND, JEREMIAH. 

Born in North Carolina in 1805 ; removed to Tennessee, and 
thence, in 1844, to Oregon. Settling in Yamhill County, he was 
appointed by Governor Abernethy probate judge of that county, 
serving seven consecutive years. Occupation, farmer. Married in 
Tennessee in 1830 to Miss Lucy Butler. He died in 1880, leaving 
a large family, of whom Dr. L. L. Rowland, of Salem, is one. 

ROWLAND, L. L. 

Born in Tennessee in 1831; came to this State with his father, 
Jeremiah Rowland, and settled in Yamhill County. Was dis- 
tinguished as a student in his youth, and acquired, mostly without 
aid, a very unusual amount of knowledge. Went to Virginia and 
graduated from Bethany College in 1856. Taught school for a 
time, studied medicine, and, eventually, in 1859, returned to Oregon. 
Teaching for a while in Polk County, he became in due time su- 
perintendent of schools for that county. This occurred in 1860. 
During his term of office he organized the first teachers' institute 
ever held in the State. For a time he was president of the Chris- 
tian College at Monmouth. Removing to Salem in 1870, he held a 



HISTORY OK IMMIGRATION. 629 

professorship in the medical department of the Willamette Univer- 
sity for eight years, and was made an emeritus professor from long 
service. AY as elected State Superintendent of schools in 1874, and 
served ooe term. The doctor, in addition to his professional de- 
grees, has recived the honorary degree of LL. D., and signs himself, 
also, as member of the Royal Society of Great Britain, an honor 
held by few but Englishmen. Dr. Rowland is , now engaged in 
practice in Salem, and is president of the State Insurance Society, 
one of the most meritorious and substantial business institutions in 
( )regon. He was married in 1859 to Miss Emma Sanders, and has 
had five children, of whom but one — Livia — is alive. 

SCOGGIN, W.G. 

Born in Missouri in 1830; came to Oregon and settled in Wash- 
ington County, and now lives in the same county near Dilley, and 
is a farmer by occupation. He married Amanda Grubb in 1852, 
and their children's names are — Mary I., Thompson, James W., 
Woodson V., Thomas G., Lizzie J., John F., Avara G., Alonzo J., 
and Eva K. 

SHAW, B. F. 

Born in Missouri in 1829; came to Oregon in 1844. Now lives 
at Vancouver. Is a dealer in live-stock. 

SHAW, THOMAS C. 

Born in Missouri, February 23, 1823, and was raised on a farm. 
Came with his parents to Oregon in 1844. Served in the Cay use 
war, and became second lieutenant of a company. Took up a 
farm on Howell Prairie, Marion County, about 1851, where he 
still lives. Was elected county commissioner in 1864, holding that 
office four years. Was county assessor from 1870 until 1874, in 
the latter year being elected sheriff. Became county judge in 1880. 
Married Miss Josephine Headrick, November 28, 1850. 

SUVER, JOSEPH W. 

Born in Berkeley County, Virginia, in 1814; came to Oregon 
in 1844, and settled at Luckiamute Valley, where he still lives, 
engaged in the occupation of farming. He married Delia Pyburn 
in Polk County. Oregon, in 1851, and their children's names were 
Caroline, Marshall, and Green B. 



: ^mM 



630 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

WATT, JOSEPH. 

Born in Knox County, Ohio, December 17, 1817; at the age of 
twenty he went west as far as Missouri, where he lived two years 
engaged at the carpenter's trade. Started for Oregon in 1843, but 
did not arrive until the following year. Returned east in 1847 
and accompanied his father's family to Oregon in 1848, who came 
direct to Yamhill County and settled there. Mr. Watt shipped the 
first load of wheat around Cape Horn from Oregon in 1868; is now 
a farmer and stock grower and owner of three thousand six hun- 
dred and forty acres of land. On his return to Oregon in 1848 he 
brought a carding machine, the first on the Pacific Coast. Married 
Miss L. A. Lyons, daughter of Hon. Lemuel Lyons, consul to Japan 
under President Grant, the marriage taking place in 1860. The 
children by that union are — John L., Maria L. (deceased), Arling- 
ton B., Earl B., and Mary C. Mr. Watt's residence and address are 
Amity, Yamhill County. 

WARRENER, THOMAS. 

Born in Virginia, July 30, 1809; moved to Kentucky with his 
parents in 1815; to Sangamon County, Illinois, in 1834, and to 
Missouri in 1839. In 1841 married Miss Lucy McFall. In 1844 
came with Colonel Gilliam to Oregon. Served in Captain Maxon's 
company during the Cayuse war. Resides on a farm near Zena, 
Polk County. 

WHEELER, SOLOMON. 

Is a farmer living at Harris Bridge, Washington County. He 
was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1809; settled in Clackamas 
County on his arrival in the State, in 1844. He married Melissa 
Foster in Missouri, and their children numbered twelve, nine of 
whom are now living. 

WILLIAMS, J. J. 

Born in Tennessee, January 5, 1830; came to Oregon in 1844; 
settled on the Luckiamute Biver, in Polk County, in 1845; was 
occupied in farming until 1874, then being elected sheriff, and in 
1876 was re-elected. Owns now five hundred acres of land and 
city property in Dallas. Married Miss Sarah A. English in 1852, 
and their family consists of ten children, namely — Susan, James F. 



HISTORY OF [MMIGRATION. fi31 

Mary A., Jennie, Clara, Otho, Ethel, Ralph, Hattie, and Walter. 
Mr. Williams is the son of J. E. Williams, who was a member of 
the first Legislature of Oregon under the Provisional Government. 

1845. 

BABER, G. H. 

Born in Bedford County, Virginia, February 14. 1817; came to 
Oregon in 1845, and remained in Oregon City until the following 
year. vhen he moved to what is now Linn County. The gold 
excitement in California called him to that State in 1848; he 
mined three months with great success, on the American River. 
Returned to Oregon in 1849; in 1851 was elected county judge of 
Linn County, and served one term; lived in Napa County, Cali- 
fornia, in the year 1868, but again returned to Oregon, and is now 
a resident of Forest Grove, Washington County. The judge has 
been married twice; first, in 1843, to Miss Elizabeth J. Knox, who 
died in 1874; and in 1875, to Miss Minnie Krauss. He has one 
child — Livern Hay ward. 

BACON, J. M. 

Born in Buffalo, New York, October '27. 18 '2 2; came to Oregon 
in 1845. Occupation, postmaster and merchant at Oregon City. 
Wife's previous name, Rachel Newman. Children — Robert D., 
Theodore A., Ella L, James J., May A., Laura E., Lennie E., 
Elmer J., Oscar J., Grant C, Herbert B., and Claude M., five of 
whom are deceased. 

BAILEY, CAROLINE E. 

Born in Ohio in 1827; came to Oregon with her parents; was 
married first to Mr. Dorris, by whom she had — George P., Alice 
S.. James T., and Sidney S. In 1872 she married Dr. J. W. Watts. 
Resides now at Lafayette, Yamhill County. 

BARLOW, JOHN L. 

Born in Marion County, Indiana, May 25, 1828; came to Ore- 
gon in December. 1845. Merchant by occupation. Died at Oregon 
City, March 8, 1879. Wife's previous name, Mary E. Miller. Chil- 
dren — Margaret J., Samuel (deceased), James W., Frank T., Ada 
(^deceased^), and Netta X. 



632 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

BOON, H. D. 

Was born in Iowa in 1840; came to Oregon with his father, J. 
D. Boon; resides in Salem, Marion County, and is a dealer in books, 
stationery, etc. Married Miss Duenna Jones in 1869, and has five 
children — Emmett R., Daisy, Cora, Shelby, and an infant. 

BOON, J. D. 

Born and reared in Ohio ; then came to Oregon and settled in 
the Willamette Valley, where he farmed for some time, after 
which he went into the mercantile business in Salem, and carried 
it on for several years. Was elected to a territorial office, and 
when Oregon became a State, was chosen the first State Treasurer. 
Married Miss Martha J. Hawkins, by whom he had seven children. 

BOYLE, JAMES W., M.D. 

Born in Virginia in 1815; studied medicine in St. Louis, and 
graduated from the medical college there. In 1845 he crossed the 
plains to Oregon, and practiced in this State until his death, which 
occurred in 1864. In Polk County, in 1846, he was married to 
Miss Josephine Ford, daughter of Col. Nat. Ford; by that marriage 
there are five children living, namely, Hannah, Rena, James, 
William, and Charles. The family still reside on their old dona- 
tion claim near Dixie, Polk County. 

BUCK, WILLIAM W. 

Born in Cayuga County, New York, January 19, 1804; came to 
Oregon in 1845. Is now a retired merchant and resides at Oregon 
City. He was married tw x ice; his first wife's previous name was 
Olive Charles, and that of his second, Jane Hurd. His children's 
names are — R. E., Hannah S. (deceased), Marion E., Charlotte L., 
and Fannie H. 

BUFFUM, WILLIAM G., 

Is a resident of Amity, Yamhill County, and a farmer by occu- 
pation. Born in Vermont, June 25, 1804; moved to Ohio at eleven 
years of age and resided there until 1825; then went to Illinois, and 
from thence to Missouri in 1841; four years later came to Oregon. 
Married, in 1828, Miss Caroline Thurman. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 633 

BURCH, BENJAMIN F. 

Born in Chariton County, Missouri, May 2, 1825. Crossed the 
plains to Oregon when twenty years old, and the next year assisted 
in opening the Applegate route to incoming settlers. In the 
Cayuse war he served as adjutant, and in the Yakima war com- 
manded a company of volunteer troops. In 1857 he had a seat in 
the Constitutional Convention; was a member of the first State 
Legislature, and was State Senator in 1868, 1870, and 1884, being 
president of that body in the former year. Married Miss Eliza A. 
Davidson, September 6, 1848, the daughter of Hezekiah Davidson, 
and herself a pioneer of 1847. The pair have had two children, of 
whom one, Benjamin F. Burch, Jr., is now living. 

BURTON, J. J. 

Born in in ; came to Oregon in 1845 and set- 
tled on a farm upon the North Yamhill River; resided there until 
a few months before his death, which took place in Portland, Sep- 
tember 15, 1879. He built the Burton House in that city. 

BUTLER, ISAAC. 

Born in Alabama in 1820; came to Oregon and settled near 
Hillsboro, Washington County, which is his present place of resi- 
dence, and farming is his occupation. He married Tabitha J. 
Tucker in 1845, and fifteen children are the fruits of this marriage. 

BUTT, JOHN. 

Born in Virginia in 1810, and lived there until 1836. He was 
married in 1836. In 1845 he started for Oregon and his wife died 
while on the way, and he came on to Washington County, Oregon, 
witli his children. His principal occupation since arriving in this 
State has been farming. He held the office of county treasurer two 
years. At present he lives with his sou Wilcox, at Forest Grove. 

CHAMBERS, ROLAND. 

Born in Madison County, Ohio, in 1813, and coming to Oregon 
in 1845. settled at King's Valley. He built the King's Valley 
mill in the summer of 1854. His occupation was milling and 
farming. He married Sarah King, in 1841, who died September 
3, 1845; married Lovisa King in 1846. Children^ — Martha, 



634 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Margaret, James, William, Jackson, John, Franklin, Henry, 
Ordelia, Samuel, Lydia, Rebecca, Julia, Lincoln, Anna, and Alice. 

COOLEY, E. C. 

Born in Missouri in 1812; crossed the plains in 1845 and located 
in Oregon City, but eventually removed to Woodburn, Marion 
County. Was married in 1849 to Lydia Bonney. Their children 
were — B. F., Laura E., and Mary E. 

CORNELIUS, JESSE. 

Born in Howard County, Missouri, in 1829; is a farmer by 
occupation, and lives four miles northwest of Hillsboro, where he 
has resided since his arrival in the State. He married Julia Mills 
in 1854, and Caroline Freeman in 1868; his children are — John 
W., Thomas E., Rachel A., Eliza J., Julia A., Edwin C, Margaret 
E., Benjamin P., Hettie, and Jesse. 

CORNELIUS, T. R. 

Born in Missouri in 1827; is the son of Benjamin Cornelius. 
He came with his parents to Oregon, and three years later entered 
the Cayuse war as a volunteer and was in all the actions with the 
Indians during that war. In 1855 he enlisted in the Yakima war 
and served as captain of a company three months when Col. Nes- 
mith resigned and he was elected to fill the vacancy, and held that 
position during the remainder of the war. In 1856 was elected to 
the Territorial Council, and served until the State was admitted; 
was then sent into the State Senate and elected to every session of 
the Legislature until 1876, but was out one term during the war, 
when himself and two others were authorized by President Lincoln 
to raise a cavalry regiment for the United States service. He was 
elected colonel of the regiment. The regular troops being ordered 
east, Col. Cornelius was placed in command of the post at Walla 
Walla in 1862; during the summer he resigned and returned to his 
home. He has twice served as President of the Senate. In 1876 
he resigned public duties and returned to private life. In 1872 he 
had removed from his farm to the town of Cornelius, in Washing- 
ton County, it having been laid out the preceding year and named 
for the colonel. A large warehouse had been built in 1871 and 
the railroad was built through the town in 1872. The colonel 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 635 

opened a store there in 1872, which is now conducted by his son, 
Thomas S., and his son-in-law, G. H. Shaw. The colonel was 
married in 1850 to Miss Florentine Wilkes, by whom he had six 
children; she died in 1864; he married again in 1866 to Miss Mis- 
souri A. Smith. The colonel is now a resident of Cornelius; owns 
three farms aggregating eleven hundred and forty -eight acres, and 
two unimproved farms of three hundred and sixty acres, a saw mill, 
warehouse, and store. 

CRABTREE, JOHN J., 

Is a resident of Scio, Linn County, and a farmer by occupation. 
Born in Lee County, Virginia, June 20, 1800; married in 1825, 
Melinda Geary, a native of Kentucky, born in 1808; their children 
were — George, Peggy, Job, William, Hiram, Isaac, James, Polly, 
Betsy, Becky, Jasper and Newton (twins), Phoebe, Virginia, and 
Martha. Twelve of them are yet alive, and Mr. Crabtree has a 
long list of grandchildren. Since 1846, he has resided on his farm 
at Scio; he is of English extraction and of old Revolutionary stock. 

DAVIS, MRS. NANCY. 

Born in Saratoga, New York, in 1799. She married John L. 
Northrop in Onondaga County, in that State, in 1821, her family 
name being Baird. She came with him to Oregon and they settled 
at Glencoe, Washington County. Their children are — Perrin, 
Harvey, Sarah, and Charlotte. Mrs. Northrop married Thomas 
Davis at Glencoe, in 1870, with whom she is still living, at 
Mountain Dale, Washington County. 

DOVE, BETHUEL. 

Born in Ohio in 1814; married in 1842 to Eachel Story; their 
children are— E. P., Elizabeth, C. J., John, Andrew, David, and 
Bethuel C. Came to Oregon and settled in Polk County. Mr. 
Dove has a fine farm and cultivates it. Post-office address, Salem. 

ELKINS, J. E. 

Born in Virginia in 1822; came to Oregon and settled in the 
Luckiamute Valley. His present residence is Monmouth, and 
occupation, farming. He married Lucy J. Zumwalt in 1851, and 
their children's names are — John, William D., Anna, Eliza, 
Lorenzo, and Laura E. 



636 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

FIELDS, HUGH. 

Lives at Brownsville, Linn County, engaged in farming and 
stock -growing. Was born in Grayson County, Virginia, December 
28, 1828, and was married May 10, 1855, to Miss Sidney Younger. 
Their children — Annie and Emma — are both deceased. 

HALE, MILTON. 

Born in Mercer County, Kentucky, September 6, 1821. Was 
the first settler in Linn County, on the Santiam Biver, and built 
the first ferry on that stream — said ferry being now owned by 
Ashby Pierce. He is now a farmer by occupation, and lives near 
Albany. Married Miss Susanna Brown in 1843, by whom he has 
had eleven children, only four of whom are alive. 

HARRITT, JESSE. 

Born in Indiana in 1818. Started for Oregon in 1844, went as far 
west as the Mississippi Biver and laid over until the next year, when 
he completed his travels. Went to Polk County the year of his 
arrival. Made an excursion to California in 1 848 but returned to 
Oregon in the succeeding year. Has resided in Polk County ever 
since. Occupation, farming. Lives two miles from Salem on his 
old donation claim. Married Miss Julia F. Lewis in 1846. Chil- 
dren — John W., Caroline A., Byron W., and Elmer E. 

HARVEY, AMOS. 

Born in Pennsylvania, March 29, 1799; was of Quaker extrac- 
tion, and was reared in the State of his nativity. Came to Oregon 
and settled on the present site of Portland, but afterwards removed 
to Yamhill and then to Polk County, where he took a donation 
land claim. Married in Pennsylvania to Jane Ramage, by whom 
he had a large family, four children still surviving. These are — 
Eleanor (Mrs. Denny), James (now in Eastern Oregon), Mary 
(Mrs. Bobbins), and Jane (Mrs. Kelty). The mother died in 
1866, and Mr. Harvey followed her in 1877. 

HELMICK, HENRY. 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1832; came to Oregon and settled in 
Washington County. Present residence, Monmouth, Polk County, 
and occupation farming and stock-raising. He married Sarah 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 637 

Steepson in Iowa in 1845, and their children's names are — Lewis, 
James, Harmon, Mary C, and William H. When Mr. Helmick 
arrived in Oregon, he, with a company of others, came down the 
Columbia River on a raft, which also contained all their goods. 
The raft was wrecked at the Cascades and one man was drowned 
and all their property lost. 

HERREN, DOSHA (ROBBINS). 

Born in Henry County, Kentucky, in May, 1804; married to 
John Herren, in June, 1822; removed to Indiana and settled in 
Decatur County, in 1838, but went to Piatt County, Missouri, and 
there resided until 1845, when they came across the plains to 
Oregon. Located first near Wheatland, but in February, 1846, 
settled in Marion County, where they continued to reside until 
their respective deaths. Mr. Herren died March 2, 1864, Mrs. 
Herren September 15, 1881. Their family included thirteen chil- 
dren — seven sons and six daughters — ten of whom survived their 
mother. 

HERREN, W.J. 

Born in Henry County, Kentucky, January 17, 1824; came to 
Oregon in 1845, settling in Marion County. Present residence, 
Salem; occupation, manager of the Salem flouring mill company. 
Married, in 1847, Evelina Hall, by whom he had — David, Bertha 
(deceased) , Albert, George, Willard, and Edward. Mr. Herren, in 
1875, built the Farmers' Warehouse and managed it until 1882 when 
it was sold to the present flouring mill company. He has held 
several public offices, and has been a man of note for many years. 

HILTIBRAND, PAUL. 

Born in Adams County, Ohio June 7, 1823; moved to 
Kentucky in 1832, to Missouri in 1842. Then came to Oregon 
and settled in Luckiamute Valley, where he still lives, and his 
occupation is farming and stock-raising. He married Evaline 
Tetherow, in Polk County, Oregon, in 1846, and their children's 
names are Lavenia, Iba E., James, and John W. 

HIASHAW, SANDFORD. 

Born in Warren County, Indiana. 1841; came to Oregon from 
Missouri and settled in Luckiamute Valley. Present residence, 



638 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Mill Creek, Polk County, and occupation, farming. He married 
Elma C. Childers in Dallas, Polk County, in 1878, and their chil- 
dren's names are — Isaac, Emma, and Stella. 

HOSFORD, E. F. 

Born in Green County, New York, in 1820; came from Indiana 
to Oregon and lived until the following year in Yamhill County; 
then, in 1846, went to California and volunteered in the Mexican 
Avar. Returned to Oregon in 1849, and settled in Polk. County, 
near Salem, on a farm, and still resides there. Married Miss Mary 
Emmett in 1857, by whom he has had seven children — Lucia, 
Walter S., Olive, William, Stella (deceased), Minnie, and Ethel. 

HOWLAND, JOHN S. 

Lives at Oregon City and is a farmer by occupation; he was 
born in Kent, England, in 1809; married Elizabeth Howe and their 
children are — Cornelia, Charles, Henry E., Lenora, Alfred T., 
Mary E., Levina, John, Maggie and May (twins), and Edward. 
The first three named are deceased. 

JOHNSON, HEZEKIAH. 

Born in Maryland in 1798. He was sent as a missionary to 
the Pacific Coast by the Baptist denomination, and died at Oregon 
City in 1866. His wife's previous name was Eliza Shepherd. 
Children — Martha (deceased), Mary E., Olive, William C, Tappan 
(deceased), Franklin, Julia A., Hugh (deceased), Charlotte, Hugh 
(deceased), Lucetta (deceased), Amy, Albert (deceased), Hezekiah, 
and Noble S. (deceased). 

JOHNSON, W. CAREY. 

Was the son of the Reverend Hezekiah Johnson (q. v.). He 
was born in Frankfort, Ohio, October, 1833; was employed in 
Oregon City, first as clerk in a store, and afterwards as compositor 
in the printing offices of the Spectator and Argus newspapers. 
He studied law in 1855, and was admitted to the bar in the 
following year; in 1857 he ran on the Republican ticket for the 
Legislature. Subsequently he held the offices of city attorney, 
recorder, and treasurer of Oregon City, which has been his home 
for nearly forty years. Was elected district attorney in 1862, and 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 639 

State Senator four years after. Is a strong advocate for schools, and 
equally active in forwarding religious enterprises. His time is 
mainly taken up with the profession of the law. Mr. Johnson 
married Josephine Devore, December 25, 1868, and they have four 
children — Balfe D., Nello D., M. D., and an infant boy. 

LEWIS, WILLIAM H. 

Born in Marion County, Oregon, in 1845; lived in that county 
until 1863; served three years in the First Oregon Cavalry. Since 
then has lived in California, Oregon, and Washington Territory. 
His present place of residence is Dundee, Yamhill County, and oc- 
cupation, railroad foreman. He married Maria S. Dibble in 1876, 
and their children's names are — Mark T., and Rex W. 

LOWNSDALE, DANIEL H. 

Born in Marion County, Kentucky, April 8, 1803. Married, at 
the age of twenty-three, Miss Ruth Overfield, and removed to (lib- 
son County, Indiana. Here his wife died in 1830, leaving three 
children — a boy (J. P. O. Lownsdale, of Portland), and two girls. 
After traveling in the south and in Europe, he set out for Oregon 
in 1845; arriving late in the year, he immediately took a land claim 
near the site of Portland, then a wilderness and untrodden by 
whites. This claim is now known as the Amos King claim, and 
adjoined that of Lovejoy and Pettygrove. In 1848 he purchased 
the site of Portland from F. W. Pettygrove, paying five thousand 
dollars — doubtless then an extravagant price. In 1850 he married 
Mrs. Nancy Gillihan and had by her two children — M. O. Lowns- 
dale, now of Portland, and Mrs. Ruth Hoyt, of Columbia County. 
Mr. Lownsdale held several public positions, among them that of 
U. S. Postal Agent in Fillmore's administration, and he also had a 
seat in the Legislature. Died May 4, 1862. 

McBRIDE, JAMES. 

Born in Tennessee about the year 1801; resided for a time in 
Springfield, Missouri; emigrated to Oregon in 1845; settled upon 
a farm in Yamhill County, but about 1870 removed to St. Helens, 
Columbia County. He was a physician, but did not practice much 
in the latter half of his life. Was United States Minister to the 
Hawaiian Kingdom from 1863 to 1866. Was the father of four- 



640 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

teen children, some of whom have attained distinction. Died in 
St. Helens, December 18, 1875. The doctor was one of the most 
prominent and useful men of the early days, and left a large fund 
of endearing recollections to posterity. 

McKINNEY, CHARLES. 

Born in Indiana in 1830; left that State eight years later, went 
to Iowa and remained there until 1845, when he came to Oregon, 
traveling by way of Meek's celebrated cut-off. His occupation is 
farming, and he possesses real estate in Hillsboro, Washington 
County, his present residence and post-office address. 

McKINNEY, J. N. 

Born in Iowa in 1838; his first place of residence in Oregon was 
in Washington County, and his present residence is at Hillsboro, in 
that county, where he keeps a feed and livery stable. He married 
Miss Cornelius in 1866 and they have live children. 

McNARY, ALEXANDER. 

Born in Kentucky in 1800; moved to Indiana and thence to 
Illinois, and from there to Oregon; settled in Polk County and set 
out the first peach orchard in that county. While in Illinois he 
married Miss L. Stockton, by whom he had five children. Those 
now living are — Sarah, Hugh M., and Alexander W; and the de- 
ceased are — Nancy C, and Davis. 

McNARY, ALEXANDER W. 

Born in Illinois in 1833; is the son of the preceding, and came 
with his father to Oregon. Lived in Polk County, engaged in 
stock-raising and farming. Served in the Yakima war as a 
volunteer under Captain B. F. Burch. Married Miss Seatta 
Grubbs in 1857, and by her had two children — Elizabeth and 
Ella. That lady died in 1862, and in 1874 Mr. McNary married 
Mrs. E. J. Miller, and by her has one child, named Archie A. 
Mr. McNary lives at Eola, and is the oldest settler of that place. 
That village was first settled by William Durand about 1849, was 
laid out in 1851, and called Cincinnati, and was once proposed as 
the State Capital. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 641 

McNARY, HUGH M. 

Born in Illinois in 1827; removed to Missouri, and later crossed 
the plains to Oregon. Went direct to Polk County with his father, 
Alexander McNary, and took a donation claim near Eola. His oc- 
cupations have been stock-raising and farming. In the interest of 
the former pursuit he spent seventeen years following 1859 in East- 
ern Oregon and Washington Territory, returning to Polk County 
in 1876. Was county commissioner of Klickitat County for four 
years. Married, in April, 1854, Miss Catherine Frizzell. Children 
— Sarah, Lena, Anna, Lillie, Angelo, Lawrence, Hugh, and Wilson. 

McNEMEE, JOB. 

Settled on the site of Portland in 1845, and after the foundation 
of that city attempted to acquire title to the land as a donation 
claim ; was unsuccessful after carrying the matter through several 
courts. Died in Portland October 1, 1872. 

MELDRUM, JOHN. 

Born in Kentucky, March 27, 1808. His ancestors were of 
Scotch descent, and are traceable back to the times of Robert the 
Bruce and William Wallace. Rev. Wm. Meldrum, the father of 
John, originated the American line, he coming to the United 
States in 1804, and settling in Kentucky. John Meldrum lived 
subsequently in various western States, and on December 11, 1834, 
married Susanna Depew Cox, in Green County, Illinois. The pair 
celebrated their golden wedding — the fiftieth anniversary — in Oregon 
City in 1884. Their children have been — Margaret Octavia (Mrs. 
W. S. Moore, of Klamath County, Oregon), George McDonald 
(deceased), John William, Mary Relief (Mrs. D. P. Thompson, of 
Portland), Sarah Mabry (Mrs. F. O. McCown, of Oregon City), 
Charles Westley ("deceased), Edwin O. (deceased), Henry, Susan 
Frances (deceased), and Helena. The five first-named were born 
before the family removed to Oregon, the others subsequently. 
They came with the emigration of 1845, and soon after settled at 
Oregon City. Mr. Meldrum's occupation was farming. 

MELDRUM, JOHN W. 

Born near Burlington, Iowa, December 17, 1839; and came to 
Oregon with his parents in 1845. Resides near Oregon City, and 



642 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

is a farmer and deputy U. S. surveyor. Married Miss Georgia 
Pope, and there were born to them — Charles E., Willie (deceased), 
Eva S., and D. Thompson. 

MILLER, WIL-LIAM P. 

Born in Missouri, March 12, 1836, of parents who were farmers. 
The family came to Oregon and settled at first in Washington 
County, removing to Sauvie's (Sauveur's) Island a year later. 
From thence they went, in 1855, to Jackson County, and W. P. 
served in the war against the Indians in that year. Col. Miller led 
the band of prospectors who discovered the placers of John Day, 
Powder, and Burnt rivers in 1861. He lived in the Yakima Coun- 
try from 1869 until 1877, returning then to The Dalles. He was 
appointed warden of the State prison in 1878. Married Miss Sarah 
E. Kaffety September 21, 1864. 

PALMER, JOEL. 

Born in Canada, in 1810, of parents who were residents of 
New York; moved in early life to Indiana, and resided there for 
many years, becoming in 1844 a member of the State Legislature. 
In the spring of 1845 he set out for Oregon, arriving in the fall of 
the year. His errand was to view the country ; and so well was 
he pleased, that in the following year he returned home, proposing 
to bring out his family. In 1847 the Palmer emigration took 
place accordingly, which derives its name from his leadership, 
which he attained from his knowledge of the way. A large num- 
ber of people constituted the party, among whom were Messrs. 
Geer and Grim, of Marion County, the Grahams and Collards, and 
Christopher Taylor, of Yamhill, and others. Arriving again in 
Oregon, General Palmer took up a donation claim upon the 
Yamhill River, and laid out the town of Dayton. When the 
Whitman massacre occurred he joined the volunteer forces and 
was chosen quartermaster and commissary general, and served 
throughout the Cayuse war, thus earning the title of general. 
Subsequently' he held the position of Superintendent of Indian 
Affairs. For several terms he was a member of the Legislature, 
and in 1870 was Republican candidate for Governor of Oregon, 
but was defeated. He was twice married, and his second wife and 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 643 

seven of their children survived him. Gen. Palmer died June 9, 

1881. 

PENTLAND, ROBERT. 

Born in Newcastle, England, in 1820; came to the United States 
in 1844 and joined the Oregon immigration of the succeeding year. 
Arriving on the Willamette, he took charge of a grist mill at Ore- 
gon City belonging to George Abernethy, and continued therewith 
until 1849, when he paid a visit to California. Settled next on a 
donation claim near Albany, and engaged in flour milling and mer- 
chandising at that place. In 1855 he become a partner with Aber- 
nethy and Leander Holmes in the purchase of the Linn City property 
at the Willamette Falls. They erected the largest flouring mill in 
Oregon ; at the same time Mr. Pentland owned an interest in the 
Portland water works with Stephen Coffin. In 1860 the Linn City 
improvements were destroyed by fire, and as soon as the transpor- 
tation works were renewed by Mr. Pentland in company with 
Colonel Kelly, the great flood of 1861-62 washed all away. Mr. 
Pentland then removed to The Dalles and engaged in business for 
fifteen years, building, among other structures, two flouring mills. 
In 1878 he purchased the flouring mill at Scio, Linn County, and 
now runs it besides a sash and door and furniture factory. Married 
Miss Jane Law at Newcastle, England, in 1841. She died in 1875, 
and the next year he wedded Mrs. Eliza E. Reynolds, a native of 
Maine. Has two children living — Mrs. S. L. Brooks, of The Dalles, 
and E. C. Pentland, of Alkali, Wasco County. 

PETERSON, ASA H., 

Is an Eclectic physician and dentist, residing in Lebanon, Linn 
County. Born in Lewis County, West Virginia, April 12, 1822; 
came overland to Oregon, and in the year following his arrival, 
settled in Linn County, on the north side of Peterson's Butte, so 
named for his family. He was a descendant of John Paul Jones, 
of Revolutionary fame. Our subject is coroner of Linn County, 
his name having been placed on both the Republican and 
Democratic tickets. Married Susanna Johnson, a native of Ken- 
tucky; born November 16, 1826; and their children are — David 
H., Lawson J., Melissa J., and Walter C. 



644 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

PETERSON, HENRY J. 

Born in Virginia; came from Iowa to Oregon and settled in 
Linn County; took a donation claim and became a farmer; was 
elected to the Territorial Legislature in 1848 and served one term. 
He was a descendant of John Paul Jones, of revolutionary fame. 
Died in 1864. 

PETERSON, W. A. 

Lives in Albany ; has been a farmer ; was born in Virginia in 
1828; married, in 1852, Miss Eliza Smelser, who died in 1867; by 
her he had ^ve children. 

PHILLIPS, JOHN. 

Born in Wiltshire, England, in 1814; came to America in 1834 
Resided for a time in Florida, and was in government employ 
during the Seminole war. Lived in New Orleans and St. Louis 
successively, and came to Oregon in 1845. Settled on a donation 
claim in Spring Valley, Polk County, where he now lives. Married 
Miss Elizabeth Hibbard, in New Orleans, in 1839, and had eleven 
children, of whom the following are alive, namely — John E., 
Charles, Samuel, Hannah, Amelia (now Mrs. Basey, of Salem); 
Mary J. (now Mrs. Martin, of Weston) ; Elizabeth J. (now Mrs. 
McCurly, of Umatilla); Cornelia (now Mrs. Claggett, of Inde- 
pendence). 

RIDGEWAY, WILLIAM. 

Born in Buchanan County, Missouri, September 3, 1842; came 
to Oregon and settled at Mill Creek, Polk County, which is still 
his place of residence; he is a farmer by occupation. In 1878 he 
married Matilda J. Blair, and they have one child — Mary C. 

RINEARSON, PETER M. 

Born in Butler County, Ohio, February 6, 1819. Came to Ore- 
gon in November, 1845. Resides now at Oregon City and is a 
farmer by occupation. Married twice — to Rebecca Cornelius, and 
to Isabelle McDonald. Children's names — Cornelius (deceased), 
Sarah, Abraham B., Isaac V., Peter M., Jacob (deceased), Cicero, 
Emma, George, Edward, and Jacob S. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 645 

RISLEY, JACOB S. 

Lives near Oregon City, and is a farmer by occupation; he was 
born in Columbus County, Ohio, in 183-2; married Miss Mary S. 
Scholl, and their children are — Charles W., Orville (deceased), 
John F., Arthur B. (deceased), Elmer S. (deceased), Mary A., and 
Ralph E. 

RISLEY, ORVILLE, 

Lives in Portland, but is a farmer by occupation ; he was born 
in Xew York, in 1803, and was twice married; first to Miss Mary 
Ball, and second to Miss Amelia Snyder. His children are — Jacob 
>.. and Charles M. The latter is deceased. 

RITNER, S. B. 

Born in Switzerland in 1815; came to Oregon and settled in 
Luckiamute Valley, Polk County. Occupation, farming. He mar- 
ried Sarah Weeding, and their children's names are — John, Louis, 
Sophronia, and Franklin. 

ROBINSON, JAMES B. 

Born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, in 1824. He 
came to Oregon and settled near where Hillsboro now stands, in 
Washington County, and engaged in farming. He married Melissa 
H. Warner in 1842, and their children's names are — Francis M., 
and George A. Mr. Robinson is deceased, but his wife and chil- 
dren still reside on the old homestead in Washington County. 

ROGERS, JAMES W. 

Lives near McMinnville, Yamhill County, and is a farmer by 
occupation. He was born in Indiana, April 13, 1821; moved to 
Iowa in 1839; six years later came to Oregon and settled at 
McMinnville. He married Mary E. Henderson in 1849. She 
died in 1869, and in 1878 he married Mary A. Small. Their 
children's names are — James O., June A.. Priscilla E., Lewis J., 
Thomas H. Cora B., and Frank. 

SAPPINGTON, GEORGE W., 

Son of J. M. Sappington; was born in 1841, and came across 
the plains with his parents. Since 1846 has lived in Yamhill 
Count\ ; ha> been a farmer and butcher, and is now a merchant in 



646 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

partnership with James Roberts. Was postmaster four years, but 
has now resigned. Married Mary F. Laughlin in 1864, who died 
in 1868, leaving one child. In 1870, he married Miss Mary E. 
Robinson, and by her has had five children. Residence, North 
Yamhill. 

SAPPINGTON, JAMES M. 

Was a native of Kentucky, and a farmer by occupation. Mar- 
ried Miss Mary A. Anderson, of Kentucky, who died, leaving four 
children, namely — John W., George W., Eliza F., and Sarah P. 
Mr. Sappington died on the Tualatin Plains in 1846. 

SAPPINGTON, JOHN A. 

Born in Montgomery County, Kentucky, in 1837; the son of 
James M. Sappington; after his arrival in Oregon, settled in Yam- 
hill County; now lives three miles east of Gaston; is a farmer by 
occupation. He married Lucinda Laughlin in 1857, and their chil- 
dren's names are — I. M., E. B., Rosa E., W. D., Fanny, Nancy, and 
Henry H. Mr. Sappington served as justice of the peace in 1880, 
and was elected to the Legislature in 1882, and served one term. 
He also served in the Yakima war. 

SAVAGE, WILLIAM. 

Born in Oswego County, New York, in 1826; in 1842 moved 
to Hancock County, Ohio; came to Oregon across the plains, and 
drove the third wagon of the first train that crossed the Cascade 
Range, in July, 1846. He settled in Yamhill County; now lives 
on the Yamhill River, in Polk County, near Sheridan, and his % 
occupation is that of farming and stock-raising. He married Sarah 
Brown in 1854, and Mary C. Lady in 1883. Their children are — 
Edison, Gibson, James, Laura, William, Sarah, Austin, and Irving 
(deceased). Mr. Savage was a member of the Oregon Legislature 
from Polk County in 1880. 

SIMPSON, ISAAC N. 

Born in Georgia in 1813; moved to Tennessee in 1815, and to 
Arkansas in 1833. Came overland to Oregon, arriving here with 
no property but three cows, a mule and a pony, and eight dollars 
in cash. Settled in the Luckiamute Valley, where he still resides. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. <>4 7 

Occupation, farming and stock-raising. Married Martha Jackson 
in Arkansas, in 1885. Children — Amos C, Marshall W., Eliza, 
and Isaac X. 

SKINNER, ALONZO A. 

Born in Huron County, Ohio; studied law and was admitted to 
the bar. Came to Oregon in company with Orville Risley and 
others, in 1845. In the year after his arrival he was made Circuit 
Judge of Oregon under the Provisional Government. The salary 
of this office was originally fixed at $200, but it is said that it was 
raised to $800 to induce Judge Skinner to accept the place. Peter 
H. Burnett, afterward Governor of California, was Supreme Judge 
of Oregon, but resigned because Judge Skinner received the largest 
salary. Skinner was a Whig originally, but became a Republican 
on the formation of that party. From 1851 to 1853 he was Indian 
Agent, and was located in the Rogue River Valley, where he took 
up the first donation land claim recorded in that section. In 1853 
he was candidate for Delegate to Congress, against Joseph Lane, 
by whom he was badly beaten. From 1862 to 1864 he was clerk 
of Lane County. He was esteemed a well-read lawyer, modest and 
unassuming, and of good morals and fine feelings. 

SMITH, HIRAM. 

Born in Dunnville, New York, and grew to manhood there; re- 
moved to Ohio, and in 1845 organized an expedition for Oregon. 
Subsequently he crossed the plains six times. In 1862 he went out 
upon the plains to protect and guide the immigrants of that year. 
1 [e resided mainly in Portland and accumulated a fortune. Was 
very widely known, and was a man of great usefulness and strength 
of character. Old pioneers will remember him best by his nick- 
name of "Red Shirt Smith." He died in San Francisco, January 
17,1870. IIi> widow still lives. Her residence is in the city of 
Portland. 

SMITH, JOSEPH S. 

Born in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, June 20, 1824. In the 
fall of 1844 he started for Oregon Territory, reaching Oregon City in 
the spring of the following year. He began the study of law, and 
while he was acquiring knowledge supported himself by manual 



648 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

labor, such as sawing logs and splitting rails. One of his early jobs 
of work was helping to build a warehouse for ex- Senator JNesmith 
at Canemah. In July, 1849, he was married in Salem to Miss 
Julia A. Carter, who survives him. Before this he had been ad- 
mitted to the bar. In 1853, Mr. Smith moved to Puget Sound 
and served some time as prosecuting attorney for the third district 
of Oregon Territory. In 1854 or 1855 he was elected to the 
Territorial Legislature, and was unanimously chosen Speaker of 
the house. Subsequently he was appointed by President Buchanan 
United States district attorney for the territory. In 1858 he 
returned to 'Salem, where he resided until 1870, when he removed 
to Portland. He was a member of the law firm of Grover, Smith 
& Page for a number of years. In 1860 he became manager and 
financial agent of the Willamette Woolen Mills at Salem, the oldest 
industry of the kind on the Pacific Coast. In 1867 Mr. Smith 
went with his family to Europe, his health necessitating a change 
of climate. Upon his return in the following year he was 
nominated by the Democracy for Congress, and was elected, defeat- 
ing David Logan by 1200 majority — the first Democratic Con- 
gressman sent from Oregon in eight years. After his term in Con- 
gress had expired Mr. Smith came to Portland, and lived there 
continuously until his death, though he spent a great deal of time 
in travel, principally in the Southern States, whose mild climate 
suited his weak constitution. In 1882 he was nominated for 
Governor on the Democratic ticket, but was defeated by the Re- 
publican nominee, Governor Z. F. Moody. He made judicious in- 
vestments in real estate in Portland in early days and died wealthy. 
His decease took place on the twenty-eighth of September, 1884. 
Mr. Smith left three children— Walter V. Smith, Mrs. H. Y. 
Thompson, and Preston C. Smith. 

STAATS, ISAAC. 

Born in Albany, New York, in 1814; came to Oregon and set- 
tled at Luckiamute Valley, where he still resides. Occupation, 
farming and stock-raising. He married Orlena M. Williams in 
Oregon in 1846, and their children's names are — James M., Henry 
D., John O., Isaac W., Clarence E., Asa C, and Mary I. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 649 

STAATS, STEPHEN. 

Born in Albany, New York, July 16, 1821; removed succes- 
sively to Kansas (1835), Missouri (1837), and to Oregon (1845). 
Married Miss Cordelia C. Forrest March 29, 1846, in Polk County, 
the marriage being the first that ever took place in that county, 
and, probably, the first on the West Side. Went overland to Cali- 
fornia in the spring of 1847, taking his family along, the mode of 
travel being by horse or mule back. Spent some months in that 
State acting as clerk for Sam Brannan, but returned to Oregon in 
the fall of 1848, coming in the Sabine, a sailing vessel. Subse- 
qently, Mr. Staats was elected to the Legislature of Oregon. His 
residence is in Monmouth, Polk County, and occupation, farmer and 
stock-raiser. The names of his children are — John H. (died March 
29, 1871), Elizbeth A., Cordelia J., Clara A., Mary C, Cordelia 
C, Stephen A. D. (died January 21, 1884), William H., Charles S., 
and Lillie F. 

STUMP, DAVID. 

Born in Ohio in the year 1819; lived for a time in Iowa, and 
arrived in Oregon in 1845. He settled in Polk County, and took 
a donation claim of six hundred and forty acres, which he still 
owns. In 1850 went on a prospecting expedition in Rogue Biver 
Valley. In 1874 was elected to serve in the legislature. He has 
worked as surveyor at times. He was married to Elizabeth Cham- 
berlain in 1850, and has four children — Mary A., Joseph S., Kath- 
erine B. and John B. 

TETHEROW, THOMAS B. 

Born in Platte County, Missouri, in 1838; came to Oregon and 
settled in Polk County. Present residence, Monmouth, and occu- 
pation, farming and stock-raising. He married Martha A. Mc- 
Loughlin in Buena Vista, November 18, 1858, and their children's 
names are — Joseph A., and Minnie E. 

THOMAS, FREDERICK. 

Was a soldier in the war of 1812; came overland to Oregon at 
a very early day and settled in the forks of the Santiam River. 
Was the first settler on Thomas Creek. Children — Sally E., Jesse 
B., John S., George C, Susan W., Thomas A., Charles M., and J. W. 



650 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

WALKER, C. C. 

Born in Virginia in 1819; removed with parents to Missouri in 
1829, and crossed the plains to Oregon sixteen years later. In 
1849 he went to California, accompanied by his brother, W. P. 
Walker, also an immigrant of 1845, and labored in the mines for a 
short time. Took a donation claim in Spring Valley, Polk County, 
on which he still resides. Occupation, farming and fruit - raising ; 
address, Zena, Polk County. Was married July 4, 1850, to Miss 
Louisa Pur vine, an immigrant of 1848. 

WALKER, JOHN H. 

Resides three miles southeast of Gaston, Washington County, 
and is a farmer by occupation. He was born in Jefferson County, 
Indiana, in 1819; came to Oregon and settled near Forest Grove. 
He married Lucinda Wilkes in 1841, and they have five children — 
William B., Winfield S., Leonard E., Mrs. Louisa Gahey, and Mrs. 
Lucinda Johnson. 

WAYMIRE, JOHN. 

Born in Ohio in 1813, and after living at various times in 
Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, and serving as a volunteer in the 
Black Hawk war, came to Oregon in 1845. Worked in Portland 
in 1846, and built the first wharf there. Afterward, moved to 
Dallas and worked as carpenter. Still resides there. Mr. Way- 
mire has been married three times and has eleven children. 

WHITE, EDWARD NEWTON. 

Born April 27, 1828, in Illinois. Settled m Linn County, Ore- 
gon. Married July, 1848, Miss Catharine J. Burhart. They had 
three children — Cynthia L., Adalia A., and M. T. Mrs. White died 
in 1859, and Anna Woodsides became his second wife. Eight 
children were born to this union, seven being now alive — Jane, 
Eudocia, Grant, Aaron, Bertha, Eleanor, and Edward. Mr. White 
resides mainly at Prineville, Crook County, being engaged in the 
stock business. 

WILCOX, RALPH. 

Born in Cattaraugus County, New York, in July, 1818, the 
son of a physician, with whom he studied medicine. Removed to 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 651 

Missouri and practiced. Married Miss Fickels. Removed to 
Oregon, and in 1846-47 was a member of the Provisional Legisla- 
ture. In 1851 was a member of the Territorial Legislature and 
Speaker of the House. From 1856 to 1859 was Register of the 
Oregon City Land Office. From 1859 to 1869 was judge of 
Washington County. Served a term in the State Legislature in 
186 *2, and in the next year became clerk of the United States Dis- 
trict Court at Portland. Shot himself, and died on April 18, 1877. 

WILEY, RICHARD E. 

Born in Hamilton County, Ohio, in 1823; came to Oregon in 
1845; married to Jane Baldra; children — Wilbur D., Annie M., 
William V., Dora A., Ella F., and Benemma. Mr. Wiley's pres- 
ent residence is Hillsboro, Washington County, and his occupation 
is dealing in wines, liquors and cigars. 

WILLIAMS, P. w. 

Born in East Tennessee in 1832. Coming to Oregon he settled 
in the Luckiamute Valley, and has resided there since. Is a car- 
penter and farmer. He married Emma Snelling in Benton County. 
Children — Dora, Minerva, George, Thomas, and Richard. 

WOOLEY, JACOB. 

Born in New Jersey ; from there he went to Ohio, then came to 
Oregon and settled on the Tualatin Plains, where he resided until 
his death, which occurred in 1868. His wife's previous name was 
Miss Ellen Rose, by whom he had four children. 

zumwalt, c. P. 

Born in Calloway County, Missouri, August 12, 1827. Settled 
first in Yamhill County. Resides now on his farm at Perrydale, 
Polk County. Married Irene Goodrich in 1849. Children — John 
T., C. A., Henry O., May E., Sarah M., Glenn B., William B., 
Guilford L., Frank, Tamine (deceased), and Fred (deceased). 

1846. 

ALDERMAN, A. L., 

Lives in Dayton, Yamhill County; has been a farmer and fruit- 
grower, and at one time owned the largest orchard in the State. 



652 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

He was born in New York in 1820; married in 1850 to Miss Mary 
J. Burns, who died in 1863. In 1867, he married Miss Charlotte 
Odell. Has four children by the first wife and five by the second. 

BLAKELY, JAMES, 

Lives near Brownsville, Linn County, engaged in stock-growing 
and farming. He was born in Knox County, Tennessee, in 1812; 
in 1835 he married Miss Sarah Dick, and their children are — Ellen, 
Catherine, William, Caroline (deceased), Harriet, Henry, Margaret, 
James, Joseph, Sarah, and George. 

BONNEY, JAIRUS. 

Jairus Bonney, with his wife Jane, and their six children, crossed 
the plains from Illinois to California in 1845, and in the following 
year came to Oregon. The survivors of the family are the mother, 
Jane Bonney, who is aged seventy -five years; Martha (Bonney) 
Rhodes, aged forty-eight; B. F. Bonney, aged forty-six; Emily 
(Bonney) Broyles, of Wasco County; and Ellen (Bonney) Bidwell, 
aged thirty-eight, of Drain, Douglas County. The latter is said to 
have been the first child born in California of parents who were 
American citizens. The mother and her two first named children 
live in Clackamas County. 

BOUNDS, JOHN. 

Born and raised in Tennessee; settled in Polk County. Occupa- 
tion, farming. Married Miss Elizabeth Lovelady. Children — Nancy 
(deceased), Margaret (Mrs. Tharp), Thomas, Jane (Mrs. A. V. Mc- 
Carty), Jesse, Amanda (Mrs. E. W. McCarty), John, Ann (deceased), 
Sarah (deceased), and James S. 

BROCK, EUNICE. 

Born in Wood County, Ohio, in 1839; came to Oregon and 
settled near Forest Grove ; now lives at Gaston and conducts a hotel. 
She married George Brock in 1857, and their children's names are 
— James W., Mrs. Florence Bryant, and Wilson E. 

BURNETT, GEORGE W. 

Born in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1811; lived, the first year of 
his residence in Oregon, on Tualatin Plains. In 1847 moved to 
Yamhill County; was a farmer. Served during the Cayuse war 



HISTOKY OF IMMIGRATION*. 653 

as captain of the company organized in Yamhill and Washington 
counties. Returned to Yamhill County after the war, where he 
spent the remainder of his life. He served one term in the Legis- 
lature. Married Miss Sidney Younger in 1831, and seven chil- 
dren were born to them, four of whom now live — Anna Mary, 
Lncretia, Emily J., and George H. Mrs. Burnett lives in McMinn- 
ville. Mr. Burnett died in . 

CARLIN, JOHN. 

Born in Massachusetts in December, 1820; came across the plains 
in an immigrant train, of which Captain William Martin was the 
leader; lived in Yamhill County two years. In 1849 went to Cal- 
ifornia in the first schooner ever built in Oregon. Returned to 
Yamhill County, Oregon, the following year and settled on a farm 
three miles from McMinnville. Moved to McMinnville in 1884 
and now lives there, but still owns five hundred acres of land. Mar- 
ried Miss Martha E. Garrison in 1850, and has four children living 
— George D., Henry W., Mary O., and Wayne — and two deceased 
— James W., and Martha E. 

COLLINS, F. M. 

Born in Missouri, in 1834, the son of Smith Collins; came to 
Oregon in 1846. His father settled in Polk County, and took a 
donation claim in 1847, on which he lived until his death. The 
subject of this sketch has traded in stock, and kept a meat market 
for some time. Served as deputy under Sheriffs Smith and S. T. 
Birch. In 1859 he married Miss Martha E. Blake, daughter of 
the Colonel Gilliam who was killed in the Cayuse war. Mr. 
Collins has two children — Henrietta Blanche and Anna Bertha. 
He is now a resident of Dallas. 

COLLINS, JAMES L. 

Born in Warren County, Missouri, May 9, 1833. Came to Ore- 
gon with his father, Smith Collins, in 1846, by way of the "South 
Road,' 1 or Applegate's cut-off, his company being the first that 
came that way. Settled in Polk County; went to California in 
1 853, and remained for a time; served in the Yakima war; was 
admitted to the bar in 1859. Married Miss Mary Whiteaker in 
1861, who died in 1865, leaving one child. In 1867 married Miss 



654 HISTOKY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Mary E. Kimes. Was appointed county judge of Polk County in 

1869. 

COLLINS, SMITH. 

Born in Virginia in 1804; came to Oregon and settled in the 
Luckiamute Valley, Polk County, where he still lives. He is a 
farmer. He married Emily Wyatt, in Missouri, in 1836. Children — - 
Elizabeth T., James L., Frank M., Eliza M., Douglass W., William 
W., George W., David C, Alexander H., Emily A., Samuel A., 
and Mary. 

COLLINS, WILLIAM W. 

Born in Warren County, Missouri, in 1843 (the son of Smith 
Collins), and was taken to Oregon with the emigration of 1846. 
Located in Luckiamute Valley, and is a farmer. He married Letitia 
Fuqua, in this State, in 1870. Children — Mary J., Laura E., Joseph 
W., and Ralph L. 

CURRY, GEORGE L. 

Born in , in 1820; came to Oregon in 1846, and soon 

after became editor of the Oregon Spectator, the earliest and then 
only newspaper of the Northwest. In 1854 President Pierce ap- 
pointed him Governor of the Territory, and he held that position 
until the organization of the State government in 1857. Died in 
Portland, July 28, 1878, aged 58 years. 

Davidson, Andrew. 

Born in Tennessee in 1812; came to Oregon in 1846. Lives at 
Ballston, Polk County, and is a farmer. He married Mrs. Rachel 
Owens in 1845. Children — Mary J., Nancy, Sabrina, Margaret, 
Joseph, Ellen, Martha, Rachel, H. D., Dollie, and James. 

DAVIS, A. C. 

Born in Wood County, Ohio, March 4, 1838; was taken to 
Missouri in the same year, and to Oregon ten years later. He set- 
tled in Washington County, but later removed to McMinnville, 
Yamhill County, where he still resides engaged in farming and 
stock-raising. He married Pauline Beman in Yamhill County, 
November 29, 1874, and their children's names are — John B., Lizzie 
E., Rosley A., and Lelah B. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 655 

DAVIS, JOSEPH. 

Born in New Jersey. August 3, 181 '2. He came to Oregon and 
settled at what is now known as Dilley; his occupation was farm- 
ing. He married Lucy Carpenter January 31, 1836, and their chil- 
dren numbered six. only two of whom are living, namely — Mrs. 
Eunice Brock, and Mrs. Henderson. Mr. Davis died in 1877. 

DAVIS, LEVI T. 

Born in Andrew County, Missouri, March 28, 1838; came to Or- 
egon and settled in Washington County. In 1866, Mr. Levi Davis 
and his brother invented a combined header and thresher; it was 
patented in 1867, and sold in 1883. He and his father, Samuel 
Davis, were the incorporators of the Blue Mountain wagon road, 
which was built in 1865. In Marion County, June 17, 1873, he 
was married to Margaret A. Hunsaker, and their children's names 
were — Mary E., and Earnest T\ ., both deceased. Mr. Davis is now 
a farmer and stock -raiser, and lives at McMinnville, Yamhill County. 

DAWSON, WILLIAM. 

Born in Scotland, December 31, 1816, and left that country for 
America in 1838. Proceeded to Missouri and followed the occupa- 
tion of farmer in that State until 1843, when he started for Oregon 
and arrived on the Pacific coast 1846, and settled on a farm in 
Yamhill County. In 1876 he moved to Monmouth, where he has 
since been engaged in the business of grocer, and druggist. Mr. 
Dawson served as county commissioner of Yamhill County before 
and after < Oregon was organized as a State, and was United States 
commissioner of that county seven years. He was married to Miss 
Mary E. Searcy in 1843, and six children were the fruits of this 
union, namely — Phcebe E., Ann, Margaret. Amanda, Ella, and Lou. 
Hi- wife- dying, he married again in 1864, and one other child was 
born to him. named William. 

DESKINS, DANIEL. 

Born in Kentucky in 1820; on his arrival in Oregon he settled 
at North Yamhill : was a farmer. He married Miss Shuck in 
1854, and their children's names are— Ellen, Caroline, Emma, and 
Edith. Mr. Deskins died in 187:;. 



656 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

DICE, E. C. 

Was born in Adair County, Kentucky, January 4, 1816. Ke- 
sided in that State until 1841, when he went to Illinois, and the 
same year to Missouri. In 1846 he came across the plains to 
Oregon, and was met at Fort Hall by Jesse Applegate, and came 
with him across the mountains by the Applegate route. During 
the Cayuse war he was one of a company of sixteen to take dis- 
patches to California, but the deep snow in the Siskiyous prevented 
them from crossing, and they were obliged to return to the valley. 
They then enlisted in a volunteer company, and after considerable 
hard traveling in pursuit of the Whitman murderers returned to 
Oregon City, and were discharged in June, 1848. Mr. Dice then 
returned to his claim in Polk County. Since then he has resided 
at various times in California and Walla Walla. He now owns 
a farm of two hundred acres near Independence and also city 
property. Was married to Miss Minerva A. Steward, September 
27, 1848, and to them the following named children have been 
born — Frances M., Mary E., Orlena E., and Benjamin C. 

EDGAR, RANKIN. 

Born in Boone County, Indiana, December 18, 1844; came with 
his parents to Oregon in 1846. Besides now at Camp Polk, Crook 
County, Eastern Oregon. Is a prominent stock- raiser. Married 
Elizabeth A. Tracy, and has three children — Effie, Elizabeth E., 
and Wayne. 

ELLIOTT, WILLIAM. 

Born in Vincennes, Indiana, September 14, 1815. Occupation, 
farmer. Postoffice address, Oregon City. Wife's previous name, 
Nancy Sconce. Children — Annie M., John W., Robert H. (de- 
ceased), Eliza C, and Ella L. 

FAULCONER, A. B. 

Born in Kentucky in 1816; came from Missouri to Oregon; set- 
tled in the Willamette Valley and took up a claim near Sheridan, 
on which he still lives. In 1840 he married Miss Mary Graves, and 
by her had four children, two of whom, James and Anna, are liv- 
ing. Mrs. Faulconer died and he was married again to Mrs. Mary 
A. Cutting; has six children by her — Mary, Estella, Hattie, Thomas, 
Edward, and Sheridan. 



HISTOEY OF IMMIGRATION. 657 

GARRISON, JOHN M., A.M. 

Born in Atchison County, Missouri, in 1845, and brought to 
Yamhill County, Oregon, the next year. His father settled near 
Amity, and was a farmer. The son was educated at the Willamette 
University. Salem, graduating in 1866. Is now a teacher of pen- 
manship. Married Miss Mary Blank, of Forest Grove, in January, 
1876. 

GEER, F. W. 

Born in Connecticut in 1817; came to Oregon and settled in 
Clackamas County. Present residence on the banks of the Wil- 
lamette, opposite Butteville, and occupation hop-farming. He 
married Mary A. Prentis, of Rochester. New York, July 17. 1811, 
and their children are three sons and four daughters. 

GOOD, D. H. 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1818; came across the plains to Oregon 
and settled in Clackamas County, where he died in 1871. Married 
in 1847 to Miss Mary E. Dunbar, and had nine children, six of 
whom now live. 

GRAVES, CHARLES B. 

Born in Kentucky, in January, 182-1; was the son of James B. 
and Diana Graves: parents removed to Missouri eight years later, 
and in 1846 the son left that State for Oregon, crossing the plains. 
Settled in Yamhill, but now lives in Polk County, where he has 
resided since 1864. Is a farmer by occupation; was married in 
Polk County, in 1851, to Miss Mary H. Burnett. Their children 
numbered thirteen, of whom the eight folio win g still live — Emma 
S., Thomas J., Gleun O., James, Mary F., Nellie, Xettie, and Daisy. 

GUTHRIE, DAVID M. 

Born in Boone County. Missouri, May 28, 1824. Started over- 
land to Oregon in May, 1846, and arrived in December. Being a 
farmer, he settled in Polk County, taking up a land claim. His 
residence is four miles south of Dallas. Here he has a fine farm, 
with excellent improvements, and lives thereon in comfort, with his 
large family. A part <>f his attention is given to stock-raising, at 
which ht- is regarded as yerj successful. Be married Mary Ellen 



658 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Davidson, September 21, 1851, in Polk County. She died October 
23, 1860, leaving five children— -Harvey Elias, Aaron, James 
Thomas, Sarah Margaret, and Henry. Mr. Guthrie was married to 
Martha Emeline Miller, in Polk County, October 18, 1868. By 
her he has had — David A., George H., Jonathan F., Odis M., Joseph 
L., Mary E., Laton A., Forest L., Martha T., and Lillie M. 

HALL, EDWARD C. 

Born in Illinois in 1841, the son of Reason B. Hall. Has 
resided in Polk County since coming across the plains with his 
father in 1846. Now lives in Buena Vista, and is a farmer; was 
for nine years a vvagon -maker. Married Miss Margaret L. Leasure, 
and has seven children — George S., Josephine E., John E., Henry 
R., Charles C, Ralph, and James C. 

HALL, REASON B. 

Born in Georgia in 1794; was taken to Kentucky by his father 
and reared there. Served in the war of 1812 and in the Black 
Hawk war. Married in 1823, while in Indiana, Miss Martha 
Wright, by whom he had ten children, eight of whom still survive 
— Mary (Mrs. H. Croisan), Sarah (Mrs. Joseph Smith), Lawrence 
M., Edward C, Reuben and William (twins, born on the plains), 
Andrew Jackson, and Benjamin F. Mr. Hall brought his family 
across the plains in 1846, and in the next year settled permanently 
on a donation claim where Buena Vista now stands. This town 
he laid out in 1861, and named it from the celebrated battle field 
in Mexico. Mr. Hall died December 13, 1870. 

HALL, REUBEN P. 

Born in 1846, upon the plains, while his parents were en route 
for Oregon. Son of R. B. Hall. Was raised in Polk County, 
which has been his home ever since. Resides in Buena Vista, and 
conducts the livery stable of that place. Married Miss Fannie 
Bevens in 1869, and has had seven children, five of whom are 
living — Mary B., Nettie, Pearl A., Rupert, and Grace E. 

HAYES, SARAH A. 

Born Sarah A. Finlay, in Missouri in 1843, and came with her 
parents to Oregon. Mrs. Hayes has been twice married, her first 



HISTOET OF IMMIGRATION. 659 

husband having been a Mr. Yawter, and by whom she had two 
children — W. J. and Ira Vawter. Her second husband was S. W. 
Hayes, who was murdered in Halsey in 1876. (See Seth Hayes). 
Mrs. Hayes 1 present residence is Halsey. 

HENDERSON, J. J. 

Born in Buchanan County, Missouri, April 16, 1842; when 
four years of age he came to Oregon and lived in Yamhill County, 
and now resides in Bellevue, that county, occupied in farming. 
He married Lucinda Van Buskirk in Yamhill County, February 
19, 1865, and they have one child, named Lloyd B. 

HOLMAN, JAMES D. 

Born in Woodford County, Kentucky, August 18, 1814; was 
married in 1840 to Miss Rachel Summers; came to Oregon six years 
afterwards, and settled in Pacific County, AY. T. Represented that 
district in the first legislative session under the Provisional Govern- 
ment. Went to California in 1848; returned in 1850, and founded 
Pacific City, on Baker's Bay, at the mouth of the Columbia. Moved 
to Portland in 1856, and resided there until his death, on the 20th 
of December, 1882. He was one of the first directors of the pub- 
lic schools of Portland, and was also identified with the affairs of 
the First Presbyterian Church, of which he was a member. His 
wife survives him, as also four of their children — Fannie A., Kate 
S., Fred. Y., and George F. 

IMBRIE, JAMES. 

Mr. Imbrie's native State was Ohio, where he was born in 1818. 
Coming to Oregon, he settled in Washington County, and is now a 
resident of Hillsboro. His occupation is farming and stock-raising. 
He married Miss Mary Cornelius in 1851. Children — James J., 
Lizzie, Josephine, Thomas, William C, and Nellie. 

JONES, WILLIAM T. 

Born in Dorsetshire, England, September 15, 1819; came to the 
Pacific Coast in 1846, and lived in California a short time prior to 
coming to Oregon. On his arrival here he settled at Muddy Creek, 
Yamhill County. His present place of residence is at McMinn- 
ville, and occupation, farming and stock-raising. He married Eliza- 



660 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

beth Meader, a native of England, in Yamhill County, July 14, 
1857, and they have seven children, viz. — Eliza J., John W., Mary 
E., Charlotte A., Thomas A., Esther E., and Walter H. 

KINSEY, ANSON. 

Born in Howard County, Missouri, February 6, 1824. Located 
in Yamhill County in 1846; went to the California mines in 1849, 
returning in 1852. Since then has resided in Polk County. Oc- 
cupation, farming; address, Deny. Married Miss Elizabeth Beatty 
in 1853. Children — Nancy J., and Willard H. Mrs. Kinsey died 
in March, 1882. 

LANCEFIELD, ALBERT J. 

Born in Kent, England, March 12, 1817; came to New York in 
1832, to Missouri in 1837, and to Oregon nine years later. He set- 
tled at Amity, Yamhill County, and still resides there. He is a 
farmer. He married Sarah Henderson in Canada in 1835, who 
died in 1849; married Sarah Mulkey in Oregon in 1850, deceased 
December 5, 1855; married Eliza Allen in Oregon in 1863. Chil- 
dren — Robert W., and Mary E. 

LINVILLE, HARRISON. 

Born in Campbell County, Tennessee, September 22, 1813; 
removed when seven years old, to Missouri. In 1836 married 
Nancy Bounds, and in 1846 came to Oregon with his family. 
Settled on a farm at what was known as Bloomington, Polk 
County, and remained there until 1865, when he removed to Buena 
Vista, and subsequently to Parker's Station, on the West Side 
railroad, and in 1884 to Independence, where he still lives. Mr. 
Linville was elected a member of the Territorial Legislature in 
1848, and was the first county judge of Polk County. For a time 
he was United States Indian Agent at the Malheur Agency. The 
first Mrs. Linville died in 1855; and two years later Mr. Linville 
married Mrs. Clara L. Frederick. His children by his first wife 
were — Mary E., Harriet L, Cordelia, Joan, Hannah J., Julettie, 
Willard S., Granville, and Clara. Of these, Joan, Julettie, and 
Granville are dead. By his second wife he has had Joseph A. and 
Viola H., both now living. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 661 

LOVELADY, T. J. 

Born in Tennessee, March 19, 1806; in 1832 went to Missouri 
and served there as justice of the peace for eight years. In 1846 
came to Oregon and took a donation claim in Polk County, two 
miles east of where Dallas now stands. Was county judge under the 
low a statute in 1848, and the county court was held in his house 
for some time. Was county commissioner until 1856. Moved 
to Dallas in 1858, and built a hotel, which he kept until 1867. 
Married Miss Mary Bounds in 1827, and ten children were the 
fruits of this marriage, five of whom are now dead. The living- 
are Thomas B., Margaret, Eliza A., Andrew J., and Mary F. Two 
sons were in the Indian war. Mr. Lovelady is still a resident of 
Dallas. 

POMEROY, F. F. 

AYas a native of New York; came to Oregon in 1846, then went 
to California, and was murdered in 1849, for money in his 
possession. He had been married to Miss Mary Catching, who 
died in 1852, and left a family of four children. 

SHELTON, J. W. 

Born in Franklin County, Missouri, in 1833; came to Oregon in 
1N46, and settled at Lafayette, Yamhill County. Occupation, 
farmer, and residence Carlton, Yamhill County. Married Miss 
Mary J. Burford, in 1853, and their children's names are — Mattie, 
C. M., Lucy, Arthur, Bertie, Ward, and Lena, 

SIMPSON, BEN. 

Born in Tennessee in 1818, but taken by his parents to Missouri 
in 1820, where he resided until 1846. Was married in 1839 to 
Miss Wisdom, who died two years after. In 1843 he married Miss 
Nancy Cooper; came to Oregon in 1846, bringing his family, con- 
sisting of his wife and three sons, John Thomas, Sylvester C, and 
Samuel L. Settled on French Prairie in 1847. Served in the 
Cayuse war. Was a member of the second Territorial Legislature. 
Made a voyage to California in 1849, and sold a cargo of timber. 
Has represented, at various times, Clackamas, Benton and Polk 
counties, in the legislature; was Indian agent at the Siletz reserva- 



662 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

tion for eight years; was in the J umbering business at Clackamas 
City, Parkersville, Yaquina Bay and Santiam City; was surveyor- 
general of Oregon from 1872 to 1876. 

SMITH, B. F. 

Born in Cedar County, Missouri, in 1840; his first home in Ore- 
gon was in the Luckiamute Valley; his present residence is Louis- 
ville, Polk County, and occupation that of a farmer and merchant. 
He married Rachel M. Burns in Polk County in 1864, and their 
children's names are — William W., and Mary E. 

SMITH, ELIZABETH M. (WRIGHT). 

Born in Clarke County, Kentucky, in 1812. She married James 
Smith in Missouri in 1831. Their children were — John H., Henry 
S., Minerva J., Maria, Eliza A., Margaret E., James D., Benjamin 
F., George W., L. D., and Cornelia C. Mr. and Mrs. Smith came 
to Oregon and settled in the Luckiamute Valley, where the lady 
still lives. Her husband died March 22, 1872. 

SMITH, J. D. 

Born in Missouri, January 5, 1839, and came with his parents to 
Oregon in 1846. They settled in Polk County and took a dona- 
tion claim near Louisville, which is still owned by the heirs and is 
the present home of the mother. The subject of this sketch lived 
on the farm until 1877, when he removed to Dallas and has since 
held the office of postmaster, and was elected county commissioner 
in 1874. Married Miss L. P. Sheldon in 1856, and they have one 
child — Otis C. Mr. Smith owns a farm of one hundred and seventy 
acres near Louisville. 

SMITH, LUCIUS S. 

Born in Iowa, October 6, 1841; came to Oregon in 1846. His 
father, William Smith, died on the plains, while on his way to Or- 
egon. Mr. Smith is a livery stable keeper, and stage contractor; 
resides at Turner. Wife's previous name, Sarah E. Snodderly. 
Children— Mary A., Addie, William C, and Walter E. 

WHEELER, JAMES. 

Born in East Tennessee in 18 20. On his arrival in Oregon he 
settled in Luckiamute Valley, where he still resides, engaged in 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 663 

farming. In Oregon, in 1850, he married Mary E. Hawkins, who 
died in 1869. In 1870, he married Eliza J. Miller, who is also 
deceased: she died in 1879. His children's names are — Sarelia, 
Mansel, Wilbur, Ida, Zillah, Alonzo, Johanna, Ellis, and E. J. 

WHEELER, JOHN. 

Lives in Hillsboro, Washington County; was born in Oregon 
in 1846, and is the son of Solomon Wheeler who crossed the plains 
in 1845. He was reared on a farm near Oregon City, Clackamas 
County. 

ZUMWALT, ISAAC. 

Born in St. Charles Countv, Missouri, in 1815. He married 
Sarah Crow in 1837, and in 1846 left that State for Oregon. 
Settled in Washington Comity, but now resides in the Luckiamnte 
Valley, where he carries on the business of farming, and is also a 
millwright. His children are — William H., Matilda J., Commo- 
dore, Lewis S., Andrew J., Nancy A., Benjamin F., Melinda C. 
Mary E., Charles N., George W., and Amelia C. 

1847. 

ADAMS, E. M. 

Was born in New Jersey ; came to Oregon from Missouri ; farmed 
in Yamhill County. Died in 1877, and left two children. 

ALDERMAN, ORLANDO. 

Born in Ohio in 1833; went to Illinois when young, and crossed 
the plains when fourteen years of age, accompanying his mother, who 
was then a widow. Resided at first in Linn, but a few years later 
located at Dallas. Later still (in 1 865) he went to his present farm 
in Spring Valley, Polk County. Was married in 1851 to Miss 
Isabella Baker, a pioneer of 1845. Her father, George M. Baker, 
now lives at Shoalwater Bay, W. T. The Aldermans have eleven 
children — Charles L., John W., Sarah A. (Mrs. Parrish), Nancy E. 
(Mrs. Wesley), Mary M. (Mrs. Lewis), George L., William J., 
Henry N., Ira ()., Rosa A., and Albert E. 

APPERSON, j. T. 

Captain Apperson was born near Hopkinsville, Kentucky, in 
1834; was taken by his parents to Missouri, and lived there until 



664 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

1847, when they started to Oregon. His father died on the plains, 
but his mother brought him across and settled near where Portland 
now stands. He lived in California from 1849 to 1855, returning 
in the latter year. In 1858 he entered upon river steamboating 
and in the course of years achieved success. He served in the 
United States army throughout the years of the war, returning to 
the command of a Willamette river boat at its end. In 1870 he 
became a representative in the State legislature; in 1874 he was 
elected sheriff of Clackamas County, and at the close of the term 
became State senator. In 1882 he was defeated for that office. He 
is a successful farmer and stock-raiser, and is President of the State 
Agricultural Society, and likewise President of the Oregon Pioneer 
Association. Resides at Oregon City. Wife's previous name, Mary 
A. Elliott. 

BEDWELL, E. 

Was born in Missouri in 1 819, and was reared on a farm in that 
State. He came to Oregon, settled in Yamhill County, and took a 
donation claim, and lived on it twenty -fiVe years. Moved to Polk 
County in 1874, and now lives on a farm near Monmouth. In 1850 
he was married to Miss A. M. Shelton, and ten children have been 
born to them, only five of whom are now alive, namely — Mary, 
Mildred, Barbara, Edward B., and Loring. 

BELLINGER, J. H. 

Born in New York State in 1791 ; served in the war of 1812, 
Built the first canal boat used in New York. Emigrated to 
Oregon in 1847, and later became a farmer in Marion County. 
Died near Salem, in November, 1878. 

BEWLEY, T. R. 

Born in East Tennessee in 1834; moved to Indiana in 1836. 
Settled first at Oregon City. Lives now at Sheridan, Yamhill 
County; occupation, farming and stock-raising. Married Elizabeth 
E. Patty, in September, 1859. The lady is a native of East 
Tennessee, and. was born September 8, 1841. 

BIRD, JOHN. 

Bom in Kentucky in 1819; went to Illinois when nineteen years 
old, and became a farmer. Served in the Black Hawk war. Mar- 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 665 

ried Mrs. Bland, and had four children — two sons and two daughters, 
the later being now dead. The sons' names are James M., and 
Robert P. In 1847 Mr. Bird brought his farnity to Oregon by the 
route across the plains, and went to Clackamas County. Made a 
visit to California during the time of the gold excitement, but 
stayed only four months. Returned to Oregon and settled in Yam- 
hill County, where he has since lived. He was a volunteer in 
Captain Ankeny's company in the Yakima war. He has filled 
several civil offices, among them that of county treasurer. Resides 
at Lafayette. 

BRIDGEFARMER, D. 

Born in Missouri in 1837; arrived in Oregon at an early day and 
settled near Vancouver; now lives two and a half miles north of 
Gaston, and is a farmer by occupation. He married Sarah J. 
Archer in 1867, and their children's names are — John W., William 
S., Mary E., and Julia A. Mr. Bridgefarmer served three years in 
the war of the rebellion in the 1st Oregon Cavalry; also in the 
Indian war of this State. 

BROWN, GEORGE. 

Born in Kentucky in 1823; moved to Indiana in 1825, and to 
Missouri in 1831. From there, came to Oregon and settled in 
Polk County, and he now lives near Dallas where he has a farm. 
He married Martha O. Hines in Yamhill County, in May, 1850, 
and their children are — William N., June E., James M., Emma E. 
(deceased), Thomas M. (deceased), Lillian M., Nettie B., Edgar M., 
Alvin R., and George F. 

BROWN, ALVIN CLARK, 

Of Forest Grove, was born in Warren County, Missouri, in 
1829, and in 1847 came to Oregon and settled near his present 
location. His occupation is farmer. His wife's name was Sarah 
E. Ross, whom he married in 1854. Their children are — Elma 
M., A. Victor, Ernest C, Mary T., Emma Q., and Elizabeth. A. 
C. Brown's father, Orus Brown, crossed from Missouri to Oregon 
in 1843, and after quite a series of adventures, returned and 
brought his family out in the year mentioned. The old gentleman 
was born in Massachusetts in the year 1800, and after an active 



666 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

and useful life, died in this State in 1874. He held claim to the 
land upon which Forest Grove now stands, but sold his right to 
Harvey Clark for five hundred bushels of wheat. 

BROWN, W. C. 

Born in Ohio in 1824, and came to Oregon and settled near 
where Albany now stands, but moved the following year to Dallas. 
Carried a chain in the first survey of Albany, also of Dallas. Built 
the first brick building of old Dallas. Erected the second building 
intended for business purposes in old Dallas, and the first in the 
present town. Was engaged in the mercantile business nearly 
thirty years, and at present owns a half interest in a hardware store 
in Dallas. Mr. Brown is the owner of two thousand acres of land 
in Polk County. He served in the Legislature in 1874. "Married 
Miss Martha J. Townsend in 1848, and has five children — John G., 
Joseph L., Alonzo, Henry, and Ann, all of whom are married. 

BRUSH, JOHN. 

Lives in Albany, Linn County; is proprietor of the Oregon 
Wire Works. Born in New York in 1822; married in 1854 to Miss 
Almira Brewster; children — Sarah (deceased), Charles L., Emma, 
and Ida. 

BUTLER, GEORGE W. 

Born in Washington County, Oregon, in 1847. Is a salesman 
and surveyor by occupation, and resides at Salem. Mr. Butler is 
remarkable as having been one of the first white children born in 
Oregon. 

CAUFIELD, ROBERT. 

Born in County Antrim, Ireland, May 5, 1805. Came to the 
United States in 1832, and lived in Cincinnati until 1837. In that 
year he was married to Miss Jane Burnside. Came to Oregon and 
settled in Oregon City, where he still lives. In 1850 he was elected 
treasurer of Clackamas County, and re-elected the following term. 
In 1852 was elected Probate Judge, and served two terms. Was 
the first County Judge of Clackamas County after the admission of 
Oregon as a State. The names of his children were — John (de- 
ceased), Mary J. (deceased), Robert F., David, Clarinda, Charles 
H., Edwin Gr., and Elizabeth (deceased). 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 6ti7 

CAREY, JOHN. 

Born in Philadelphia in 1802; came to Oregon in 1847, settling 
in Yamhill County. He removed later to Polk County, and died 
there in 1880. Was postmaster of Dayton, and justice of the peace; 
had a seat in the legislature for a term. Mr. Cary possessed poet- 
ical gifts of a noticeable order, and produced several creditable 
poems. He married Ruth Odell in 1826, and had by her Sarah, 
John W., Joseph D., George W., Amanda E., Alfred M., and Car- 
oline E. 

CHAPMAN, M. N. 

Born in Illinois in 1845; is the son of W. Chapman (deceased), 
and came with his parents to Oregon. Is now a resident of Salem 
and clerk of Marion County, elected in 1882; has served as deputy 
clerk, at different times, for twelve years. Married Miss Jennie 
Thatcher in 1868. Children — Lorie, May, Nina (deceased), and 
Oda. 

CHAPMAN, W. 

Born in South Carolina in 1814; came from Illinois to Oregon; 
settled in Marion County in 1848; served as Representative in the 
Lower House of the Territorial Legislature; held offices in Salem 
for many years. Married Miss R. Farmer in 1833, who died in 
1847; by her he had five children. Married again in 1850 Miss 
Ellen Matlock, by whom he had three children. He died in Clack- 
amas County in 1884. 

CHAPMAN, WILLIAM W. 

Born at Clarksburg, Virginia, August 8, 1808. Studied law 
and was admitted to practice. Married Margaret Ingram in 1832. 
Moved in succession to Ohio, Illinois and Iowa. AVas United States 
attorney for Wisconsin, and was the first Territorial Delegate to 
Congress from Iowa. Was a member of Iowa's Constitutional Con- 
vention, and sat in the Legislature of the new State. Came to 
Oregon with his family in 1847. Visited California in 1849. Was 
several times a member of the Legislature under the Provisional, 
Territorial and State governments. Participated in the Rogue 
River Indian war of 1855-56. (See pages 433-438.) Rose to the 
rank of lieutenant -colonel. In 1849 he acquired a third interest in 



668 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

the town site of Portland, and devoted himself thenceforward to 
building up that city. Has always been enterprising in a high de- 
gree, doing a great deal for the introduction of railways, steamship 
lines, and everything progressive. (See page 492.) 

CHAPMAN, WILLIAM. 

Born in New York, September 16, 1824; in 1843 went to 
Michigan, but returned to New York in 1846; came from New 
York to Oregon. He immediately enlisted in the Cayuse war, and 
was in all the fights which followed. In 1848 he went to the 
mines in California; returned to Oregon in 1849. In 1852 took a 
donation claim near where Sheridan now stands, and which is still 
his place of residence, and employed in farming. Married Miss 
Esther L. Bewley in 1849. Miss Bewley had been captured by 
the Indians at the Whitman massacre, and was their prisoner three 
weeks, and a brother, Crocket Bewley, was killed. (See page 311.) 
Ten children were born to them, namely — John M., Catherine, 
Eusebia J. (deceased), Leonora, Mary, Charles (deceased), Frank, 
Nettie, Charles, and Fred. 

COCHRAN, WILLIAM. 

Born in Madison County, Kentucky, November 20, 1813; he is 
a stock -grower, and resides in Brownsville, Linn County; has lived 
in that county since 1849. He married Miss Mary Johnson, and 
his children are — Nelson, Robert, William, Sarah E., Nancy E., 
and Mehala. 

COFFIN, STEPHEN. 

Born in Ohio, in ; came to Oregon, bringing his family. 

Settled at Oregon City, but two years later purchased a half -interest 
in the town-site of Portland, it being the Lownsdale claim, now 
covered by that portion of the city between the Willamette river 
and Sixteenth street, and A and Caruthers streets. He grew rich 
by the sale of lots, and manifested immense enterprise in the vari- 
ous projects for building up the city of Portland. Steamship com- 
panies, roads and railroads, felt his influence, and the city owes 
much to his sagacity. General Coffin, as he was commonly known, 
helped organize the People's Transportation Company in 1860, 
which, for many years, controlled the traffic on the Willamette, and 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 669 

carried on a fierce battle with the O. S. N. Co. for the control of 
that of the Columbia. Previously he had. in company with his part- 
ners, Lownsdale and Chapman, purchased a controlling interest in 
the steamer Gold Hunter, which was to run between San Franciscd 
and Portland, in opposition to the vessels of the Pacific Mail Com- 
pany, which was opposed to Portland and strove to build up St. 
Helens in opposition to it. The project of the Gold Hunter -proved 
unsuccessful. In 1851 he organized a company to build a plank 
road to connect the rising metropolis with the towns of the " west 
side. 11 The project was only partially successful. In 1860 he was 
contractor for the bridge work of the Oregon Central Railroad, 
west side division. Stephen Coffin died at Dayton, Yamhill County, 
in March, 1883. 

COLEMAN, JAMES. 

Born in Ohio in 1831; came to Oregon and settled in Yamhill 
County. Present residence, St. Paul, Marion County, and occupa- 
tion, farmer. He married Fanny Murray, of Iowa, in 1845, and 
they have eleven children. 

COLLARD, E. B., 

Of Lafayette, was born in Illinois, in 1838; came with his 
parents to Oregon in 1847. His father, F. A. Collard, was a 
member of the Legislature of Oregon for three terms. The subject 
of this sketch worked at various times in Idaho and Eastern Oregon 
before settling in Yamhill County, which he did in 1874. Since 
coming to that county he was in the grain business at Dayton until 
1882, in which year he was elected sheriff, and was re-elected in 
1884. He is a member of the Masonic and Odd Fellow's Orders. 
Married Miss Isaphenea Waldron in I860, and their family con- 
sists of eight children — Frank A., Agnes A., Lyman, Roy L., Ella 
Maud. Mabel, Samuel, and an infant unnamed. 

CONKLIN, CHARLES. 

Born in Ohio in 1818; on arriving in Oregon he settled one 
mile northeast of Glencoe, and was a farmer by occupation. He 
married Margaret A. Beach nee Dobbin, in 1851, and their chil- 
dren's names are — Ann Louisa, Catharine, Charles T., Ada, and 
Sarah. Mr. Conklin died in 1882. 



670 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

CONNER, NATHAN. 

Born in Preston County, Missouri, in 1821. Came to Oregon 
and settled in Polk County, and resides there still. Is a farmer by 
occupation. He married Miss E. Buell (born in Louisa County, 
Iowa), and they have had eight children. 

CONNOR, J. 

Born in Darke County, Ohio, and came to Oregon in 1847. 
Settled at Ballston and engaged in the pursuits of agriculture. He 
married Miss P. A. Biggs in 1853. Children— B. 8., T. E., C. J., 
L., B., M. L., and N. A. 

COSGROVE, HUGH. 

Born in Ireland in 1811; arrived in Canada in 1820; came to 
Oregon and settled two and a half miles south of Champoeg on a 
farm and still resides there. Married Mary Bossiter in 1831, who 
is now dead. Children — Mrs. A. Eldridge, Mrs. Mary Jackson, 
Mrs. E. Murphy, Mrs. C. Vantine, Susan Cosgrove, and Mrs. E. 
Wagner. 

CYRUS, WILLIAM, 

Is engaged in farming and stock-growing at Scio, Linn County. 
He was born of Scotch and English parents in Granger County, 
Tennessee, on the seventeenth of December, 1820; came overland 
to Oregon and has lived for a great number of years on his farm in 
Linn County. Was elected a State Senator from that county in 
1866, and in 1872 was elected county commissioner. His farm at 
Scio consists of eleven hundred acres of land. He was married 
three times; his first wife's previous name was Mary A. Deakins, 
a native of Indiana. By her his children are — Bebecca J., Enoch, 
Bachel, Hepsibah, Henry, Charlotte, Mary E., Nancy C, Chris - 
tiancy M., and John E. . By his second wife, Jane Brisco, of In- 
diana, his children are — Owen B., Jane, and Warren. His third 
wife was Margaret H. Charlton, of Virginia. In 1884 there were 
photographed on Mr. Cyrus' farm, his family, consisting of sixty- 
four children and grandchildren. 

DAVIDSON, J. E., M.D. 

Born in Barron County, Kentucky, November 17, 1823. Mov- 
ing in 1829 to Illinois, he resided there until he came to Oregon, 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 671 

and took up a claim to the land whereon Independence now stands. 
In 1850 he erected there the first business house of that place, in 
company with Burbanks. Two years preceding he had spent in 
the California gold mines. When the Cayuse war ensued, Dr. 
Davidson joined Nesmith's command and served against the Indians. 
The Doctor has practised medicine since 1853, but secured his di- 
ploma in 1868, at the Willamette University. He was married in 
1850 to Mary Davis. Is in medical practice at Independence. 

DAVIDSON, JAMES O. 

Born in Warren County, Kentucky, in October, 1825, and was 
taken to Illinois two years later. He came to Oregon in 1847, and 
settled at Monmouth, Polk County, but now resides at Buena Vista. 
Is a farmer and stock-raiser. He married Mary E. Linville in 
1850, in Polk County, and their children are — Annette, Lida, Or- 
ville P., Ellis, Mary B., James L., and Ralph L. 

DORRIS, J. J. 

Born in Nodaway County, Missouri, April, 1841; set out with 
his parents f or Oregon when six years old ; the father died on the 
journey, and the family, destitute and unprotected, settled on the 
La Creole in Polk County. Subsequently the widow married Alvis 
Kinsey, w T ho lived four miles south of Dayton, Yamhill County; 
but he dying in 1858, the Dorrises, with their mother, removed to 
Linn County, where J. J. Dorris has continuously resided since, ex- 
cepting Hve years which he spent in California. He married Mary 
E. Shields in 1860, and they have had twelve children, of whom 
ten are now living. Address, Scio, Linn County. 

DURHAM, GEORGE H. 

Born in Springfield, Illinois, December 4, 1843. His parents 
settled in Clackamas County, Oregon, in 1847. He was educated 
in the Willamette University and the Pacific University, graduating 
from the latter in 1866. Was a member of the First Oregon Cav- 
alry. Studied law and was admitted to practice in 1869. Was 
elected district attorney of the Fourth Judicial District of Oregon, 
in 1872. Is in legal practice at Portland. Married Miss S. E. 
Clarke, daughter of Rev. Harvey Clarke. 



672 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

FREDERICKS, JAMES M. 

Born in Ohio in 1814; went thence to Illinois and Iowa, coming 
to Oregon in 1847, and settling in Polk County. Bought the 
Applegate farm and cultivated it. Married Clara L. Downer, in 
1837. Children — Martha J., Irene, Judith E., and Jacob W. Mr. 
Fredericks died in 1856. 

FULKERSON, JAMES W. 

Born in Virginia, August 28, 1803; in 1807 his family moved 
to Tennessee, and in 1817 to Missouri. In the spring of 1847 he 
set out for Oregon, and arrived in Polk County in October of that 
year. He made that locality his home until his death, May 31, 
1884. Served several terms in the Territorial Legislature. Was 
married in 1823 to Miss Mary Fuller, by whom he had eleven 
children, six of whom still live. These are — Elizabeth (Mrs. 
Willis Gaines), Sarah (Mrs. A. Cain), Virginia (Mrs. J. McDaniel), 
Margaret (Mrs. Caleb Curl), Hannah (Mrs. S. Crowley), and 
William H. Mrs. Fulkerson died on the plains, and in 1848 he 
married Mrs. Catharine Crowley, mother of the Miss Leland 
Crowley, whose death and burial at Grave Creek form such a 
romantic episode in the history of Southern Oregon. The lady 
was a pioneer of 1846. 

FULKERSON, WILLIAM H. 

Born in Missouri in 1840; the son of the preceding. Came with 
his parents to Oregon when seven years of age, and has lived in 
Polk County ever since. Is a farmer by occupation, his farm being 
in Polk County, near Salem. Married Miss Sarah J. Craven in 
1867. They have had five children — Frederick (deceased), Albert 
N., Pearly P., James M. (deceased), and Lois F. 

GEER, JOSEPH C, Sr. 

Born in Windham County, Connecticut, February 5, 1795; 
served in the war of 1812, for which, many years after, he obtained 
a pension. In 1815 married Mary Johnston, a native of Khode 
Island, and three years after moved to Madison County, Ohio, and 
was a farmer for twenty-two years. In 1840 he moved westward 
again, settling in western Illinois. In 1847 he set out for Oregon. 
He located in Clackamas County, opposite Butteville, and died 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 673 

there of old age, August 27, 1881. He left an aged widow, seven 
sons and four daughters. His lineal descendants, all residing on 
this coast, number one hundred and fifty persons. He was the 
oldest member of the Pioneer Association. 

GIBSON, W. O. 

Born in Tennessee in 1810; crossed the plains with a family of 
six children and his mother. The year following his arrival in 
Oregon he settled in Washington County — then Tualatin County — 
and took a donation claim near Forest Grove, on which he lived 
twelve years. He has resided in Hillsboro since 1875; owns city 
property and some land. In 1830 married Miss M. Burgin, and 
has four living children and six dead. The living are — James W., 
Elizabeth, Eliza J., and Jacob. 

GILLIAM, ANDREW J. 

Was born in Carrol County, Missouri, in 1818; came to Oregon 
and settled in Polk County. His present residence is Dallas, and 
occupation, farming. He married Sarah T. Clay in Missouri in 
1839, by whom he has eleven children. 

GRAVES, G. W. 

Born in Warren County, Missouri, in 1833, the son of the 
succeeding. Coming to Oregon, he settled at Sheridan, near which 
town he still resides, occupying himself in the pursuits of agricul- 
ture. He married Miss Ellen McCanein October, 1855. Children 
— Walter, Lucy E., James F., Ezra C, J. O., Cora B., and C. C. 

GRAVES, JAMES B. 

Born in Virginia in 1797; moved to Kentucky in an early day, 
and was married to Diana Newton in 1823. Moved next to Mis- 
souri, and from there to Oregon in 1847. Settled near what is now 
Sheridan, in Yamhill County. Was a member of the Territorial 
Legislature one term. Had a family of nine children, of whom 
eight grew up. Six of these still live. Their names are — Charles 
B., Helen M., Thomas N., George W., Lacy, and Harrison T. 
Mr. Graves died in 1882. 

GRAVES, THOMAS NEWTON. 

Born in Missouri in 1831; came to Oregon in 1847, and settled 
in Yamhill County, where he still reside. Is a farmer. Marrird 



074 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Miss Miranda 1ST. Bewley in 1862. Children — Henry H., Eugene 
M., Charles, Walter P., Edward B., L. C, Nellie E., Louis J., 
Christine M., Wilbur and Bertha. 

GREEN, JAMES. 

Mr. Green came to Oregon in 1847. His birth took place in 
Pennsylvania, in 1817; he resided throughout his early years in 
that State, New York, and Illinois; started for Oregon in 1847, 
and settled in Yamhill County. His occupation has been farming, 
and his present residence is at Lafayette. 

GRIMM, j. w. 

Judge Grimm was born in Ohio, June 16, 1820. He removed 
to Illinois at the age of ten years, and in 1847 joined the noted 
and important immigration of that year, and came to Oregon by 
the usual route across the plains. He settled in Marion County, 
and still resides there. His home is on a farm two miles west of 
Aurora. The Judge has been prominently connected with the 
growth and progress of the State, and has held various important 
offices. In 1849 he was a member of the first Territorial Legisla- 
ture; in 1850 he became county commissioner and ex officio probate 
judge, and was re-elected two years later. Was chosen State 
Senator in 1858, and served until 1866. Again, from 1878 until 
1882 he held the same position. His acceptance of the latter 
office was only at the solicitation of the celebrated Colonel and 
Senator, E. D. Baker. Judge Grimm is a prominent member of 
the Pioneer Association. He married in 1843, Miss Frances E. 
Geer, by whom he has had twelve children, whose names are — 
Byron J., Martha (Mrs. Schneur), William, Thurston, Isaiah, 
Edgar, Edwin, John W., Mary E., Jacob C, Ralph and Alice. 

HACKLEMAN, A. 

Born in Indiana; came to Oregon and took a donation claim, 
on which a part of the city of Albany now stands. Owns a farm 
of five hundred acres near Albany. Married Miss Eleanor B. 
Davis, by whom he has had five children, namely — Pauline, Thurs- 
ton P., Josephine (deceased), Denver D., and Frank. 

HARRIS, REUBEN. 

Born in Tennessee in 1820, and removed, when young, to Illi- 
nois; and afterwards to Iowa and Missouri. Married Miss Clarinda 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 675 

Buck, by whom he has had — John E., Lafayette T., Sultana, Al- 
zada, Mehala, Mary, W. E., and Thomas J. Crossed the plains by 
ox-team in 1847, and halted in Washington County. Spent a year 
in California. Farmed in Yamhill County. Is partner with John 
Haney in the boot and shoe business at Lafayette. 

HEMBREE, J. M. 

Born in Oregon in 1847; farmer until 1879. Married, in 1874, 
to Miss Mary Perkins; family includes two children — Clinton E., 
and Dora; residence, Lafayette. 

HILL, HENRY. 

Born in Jefferson County, New York, in 1820; moved to Ohio 
in 1831; to Illinois in 1840; and seven years later left Illinois for 
Oregon; arrived in Polk County and became the founder of Inde- 
pendence in 1868, which town is still his place of residence, and oc- 
cupation, farming. He married Martha A. Virgin in 1851, and 
their children's names are — Roseltha, Clarinda, Ladue, Mary E., 
Lucy V., Nellie M., Homer V., Yerdie, and one other. 

HOLMAN, HARDY. 

The son of James S. Holman, was born in Missouri in 1840, and 
came with his parents to Polk County, Oregon, in 1847. He en- 
gaged in farming, and now possesses considerable real estate. He 
was in the mercantile business at Buena Vista for eight years. Was 
also in the stock business in Eastern Oregon. Was elected sheriff 
of Polk County in 1882, having previously been deputy for his 
father. Married Miss Margaret E. Allen in 1861, and they have 
seven children — James M., Mary E., Eva H., Nathaniel A., Addie 
E., Alice, and Meda. 

HOLMAN, JAMES S. 

Born in Tennessee in 1813; emigrated to Missouri when young, 
and while there married Miss Mary Bowman in 1832. Came across 
the plains to Oregon and settled in Polk County. Became a mem- 
ber of the Territorial Legislature and of the Constitutional Conven- 
tion ; was sheriff of Polk County seven years, and held that office at 
the time that Oregon was admitted to the Union. Was a member 
of the Legislature two terms after the State was organized. He was 



6?6 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

an active member of the Baptist Church, and one of the founders 
of the college at McMinnville. His children numbered seven when 
he came to the State of Oregon, namely — Hardy, John, Preston, 
Nathaniel, Amos H., Nancy, and Mary H. Three of them, John, 
Nancy, and Mary H., are now deceased. Mr. Holman died Janu- 
ary 13, 1881. 

HOLMAN, NATHANIEL. 

Born in Platte County, Missouri, in 1846, son of James S. 
Holman; came when an infant to Oregon, and now lives at Dallas, 
Polk County. His occupation is that of a farmer and livery stable 
keeper. He married Martha A. Waters, in Polk County, in 1868, 
and their children's names are — William H., Nettie J., John D., 
and James N. 

HOLMAN, PRESTON. 

Lives in Dallas, Polk County. He was born in Missouri in 
1844, the son of James S. Holman, and came with his parents to 
Oregon when three years of age; received his education at the 
Baptist College, McMinnville, and entered the ministry at twenty - 
five years of age, and now, in connection with ministerial duties, is 
engaged in a tannery, in partnership with Charles McDonald. 
Was in the war in 1864-67. Married Miss L E. Hubbard in 1866. 
Children — Frank, Mollie E., Nellie M. (deceased), Fred J., and 
Juanita P. 

HUBBARD, G. 

Born in Pike County, Missouri, in 1830; came from Illinois to 
Oregon and settled in Polk County. His present residence is Dixie, 
and occupation farming. He married Nancy J. Smith, in Polk 
County, in 1858, and their children's names are — Laura, Samuel 
H., McClellan, David R., Hannah H., Nettie A., John V., Thomas 
G., James I., Charles A., Jemima E., Grace J., Joseph C, Lee F., 
and Metzler. 

HUMPHREYS, THOMAS DABNEY. 

Born in Indiana in 1822; spent his early life in the Mississippi 
States, and taught school on reaching sufficient age. Left St. Jo., 
Missouri, May 5, 1847, for Oregon, and arrived at Oregon City on 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 677 

September 15tli of that year. Mined on Feather River, California, 
in the early days, but returned in less than a year, settled on a 
donation claim in Washington County, and engaged in farming. 
His first location, made in 1847, was on the Tualatin, nine miles 
from Hillsboro, but about 1868 he removed to that town, and has 
lived there since. Was probate judge in old times, and since has 
been United States assessor, county clerk, and* county judge, and 
now (1885) acts in the latter capacity. Married in 1849 to Miss 
Elizabeth A. Taylor, and their children, eight in number, were all 
born in Oregon. Their names are — S. H., Mrs. J. D. Morgan, 
Mrs. Bruce Wolverton, John H., Thomas J.. Araminta E., Arthur, 
and Samuel. 

HUNT, G. W. 

Born in Wayne County, Indiana, in 1830; set out for Oregon 
at the age of seventeen, and arrived in October. Is now a resident 
of Whiteaker, Oregon, dealing in general merchandise. Imports 
Shropshire and Leicester sheep and Essex swine, and has done 
much to improve the breeds of domestic animals in this valley. 

HUNT, JOHN A. 

Born in Union County, Indiana, in 1836. Removed to Oregon 
and settled ten miles east of Salem. Visited California during the 
gold excitement. Removed to Douglas County. Represented that 
section in the Legislature of 1882. Married in 1860 to Miss Ellen 
Ammen. 

ILER. W. E. 

Born in Missouri in 1845; came to Oregon in 1847 and settled 
at Oregon City. Present residence two miles east of Butteville; 
and occupation farmer. He married Loulie Stevens in 1870, and 
their children's names are — Emma R., Arthur, Birdie, and Ettie. 

JENNINGS, BERRYMAN. 

Born in Jessamine County, Kentucky, June 16, 1807; resides 
near Oregon City, and is a farmer by occupation. Has been mar- 
ried twice, tlie first wife's name having been M. White, the 
second, Martha Pope. The children were — Edward T., Charles H., 
Ella A.. Ada ('.. William B., May E., John F., and Lillie M. 



678 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLET. 

JOHNSON, H. A. 

Born in New York in 1819; moved to Illinois when twenty -one; 
married Miss Elizabeth Whitley the next year; in 1847 set out for 
Oregon, and settled in Marion County; went next year to the 
California mines for a short stay; in 1862 went into mercantile 
business, and so occupied himself for five years. Mr. Johnson re- 
sides at Salem with his family, which includes seven children — J. 
C, W. G., W. W., H. A., Jr., S. T., F. M., and Rachel C. 

JOLLY, W. B. 

Born in Knox County, Illinois, May 26, 1843, and was brought 
by his parents to Oregon in 1847. Married, November 9, 1865, a 
daughter of Rev. J. S. Griffin; she died on October 25, 1877, and 
on April 10, 1879, he married Miss Hattie E. Woodworth, of 
Howell's Prairie, Marion County. Mr. Jolly resides near Hillsboro, 
Washington County, and is a farmer. 

JORY, HUGH S. 

Born in St. John's, New Brunswick, in November, 1833; 
present residence, South Salem. Occupation, wagon and carriage 
maker. Married in 1857 to Miss Mary Budd, who came to Oregon 
in that year. Their children were — Charles, Oliver, Allie, and 
Ralph. The two latter were drowned in the Willamette in 1879. 

KENNEDY, BARNEY. 

Born in Ireland in 1811; came to Oregon and settled on a farm 
two and a half miles south of Champoeg. Occupation, farming. 
Married Arah Underwood in 1839, and they had John, William, 
Mary, and Sarah. Mr. Kennedy died in 1865. Mrs. Kennedy 
still resides near Champoeg. 

KETCHUM, W. M. 

Lives in Albany, Linn County, engaged in a planing mill and 
sash and door factory. He was born in New York in 1820; mar- 
ried in 1851 to Miss Laura Patterson; have four children — Emma, 
Ella, Frank, and Alva. 

KINNEY, ROBERT CROUCH. 

Born near Summerville, Illinois, July 4, 1813; married Miss 
Eliza Bigelow in 1833; founded the town of Muscatine, Iowa; par- 



BISTORT OF LMMICrKATIoX. I'm'- 1 

ticipated in the Black Hawk war; came to Oregon with his family 

and his brother Samuel, in Palmer's company; the brothers settled 
in the Chehalem Valley, Yamhill County, and became successful 
farmers, Robert removed to McMinnville in 1857, to be near school; 
bought the McMinnville flouring mill; in 1863 bought the Brooklyn 
flour mill opposite Portland: removed to Salem in 1867 and in- 
vested in the woolen manufacturing company, and afterwards en- 
tered upon Hour milling with great success, handling one-fourth of 
tlie < Oregon wheat crop, and shipping great quantities of flour and 
grain to Europe. Mr. Kinney died in February, 1875. He had 
held several public offices, having been a member of the Constitu- 
tional Convention and Territorial Legislature. His children were 
— Mary Jane, wife of J. H. Smith, of Harrisburg: Albert William, 
of Salem (died January 1. 1881): Augustus C, a physician; Mar- 
dial J., of San Francisco; Alfred C, a physician; Josephine E.. of 
San Francisco: William S.. and Eliza L. 

KINSEY, JAMES. 

Born in Virginia in 1784* settled eventually in Missouri after 
considerable wandering, and was county judge of Holt County for 
several years. Came to Oregon, and settled in Polk County. His 
residence was near Dixie. Occupation, farming. Married Miss 
Hannah MeCracken. Children — Edson, Benjamin, and Anson. 
Mr. Kinsey died in 1861, and his widow two years later. 

KNIGHTEN, THOMAS. 

Born in Missouri in 1831; came to Oregon, and his first settle- 
ment in thi- State was made near Gales' Peak. Washington Count}. 
He now lives three miles west of Forest Grove, engaged in farm- 
ing, lie married Nancy Ranes in !>.")"). and they now have six 
children. 

LAROQUE, GEORGE. 

Born near Montreal, Canada, in 1 >>-!<>: came to the United 
States in 1836, and three years later entered the service of the 
American Fur Company, and set out to the Rocky Mountain 
country. Il»- continued in the wild plains life for several year-, 
and in ls47 settled in the Willamette Valley. In the fall of 1848 
he went to California on the brig Henry, and spent several months 



680 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

prospecting for gold. In one year he took out $12,000 in gold, 
and returned to Oregon. In 1851 he became a member of the 
firm of F. X. Mathieu &> Co., at Butte ville, and remained therewith 
for several years. He afterwards embarked in the wheat trade and 
milling business at Oregon City, and so remained until his death 
at Oakland, California, February 23, 1877. Left a wife, daughter, 
and three sons. 

LAUGHLIN, LEE. 

Born in Missouri in 1833; came to Oregon when fourteen years 
of age; was in the Yakima war in 1856, and served until its close. 
He took a donation claim when he became of age. Commenced 
mercantile business in 1866 at North Yamhill, and is still engaged 
therein. In 1860 was elected assessor; was elected to the Legisla- 
ture in 1870, and re-elected in 1874. Was' a candidate for a seat 
in the State Senate in 1884, which is now being contested. Mar- 
ried Miss Emma Stewart in 1856. 

LAUGHLIN, SAMUEL, SR. 

Born in Pendleton County, S. C, December 2, 1792; removed 
to Kentucky in 1803, and to Missouri in 1815; came to Oregon in 
1847 and settled in Yamhill County. In 1868 the members of the 
Laughlin family residing in Yamhill numbered one hundred and 
eleven persons. Mr. Laughlin died in 1869. 

LEE, NICHOLAS. 

Born in Pike County, Ohio, in February, 1818; learned the 
trade of cooper; married in 1840 to Miss Sarah Hopper, a native 
of Virginia. They moved westward in the following year, and 
stopped for a time in Iowa, but in 1847 came overland to Oregon 
by the southern route. In the following spring they moved to Polk 
County, and one year later settled on the Lee homestead, two and a 
half miles south of Dallas. Mr. Lee tilled the soil and raised stock 
until 1862, when he established a business house in Dallas and con- 
ducted it until 1876, when he disposed of it and retired to the old 
homestead. He died on July 11, 1879, and Mrs. Lee survived him 
for eighteen months, dying on the eleventh of January, 1881. Mr. 
Lee was instrumental in founding the LaCreole Academy and was 
one of the first trustees. He was licensed as a local preacher of the 



iiistoky ov immigration. 68<1 

M. E. Church in 1854. Of their children, Joseph D., E. Jennie 
Smith and George W. Lee live in Polk County; Mrs. Martha A. 
Odell, in Yamhill County; Miss Sarah L. Lee, and Mrs. V. A. 
Gwynn, in Benton County, and Mrs. Mary A. Butler in Whitman 
Countv, Washington Territory. 

LEE, PHILANDER. 

Lives at Canby, Clackamas County, and is a farmer by occupa- 
tion: was born in New York in 1802; married Miss Annie Green, 
by whom his children were — Emily A. (deceased), Edwin T. 
(deceased"), Heman A., Elvira, Oren (deceased), Caroline, Jason R. 
(deceased), and Albert H. 

MARVIN, LUCINDA (COFFIN). 

Born in Indiana in 1839, the daughter of General Stephen 
Coffin (q. v.); came with her parents to Oregon in 1847; lived 
mainly at Oregon City and Portland, and married, first, C. A. 
Reed, and, second, Albert M. Marvin. Residence, Salem. 

MAY, HARVEY B. 

Born in Shelby County, Kentucky, in September, 1833; came 
to Oregon in October, 1847. Resides now at Canemah, and is a 
carpenter by trade. Married ISTarcissa A. Morris, and their chil- 
dren are — Albion W., Emma A., Minnie E., Eugenia, Franklin 
M., Lawrence, Lake A., Elvin S., and Fred O. 

MAY, THOMAS W. 

Born in North Carolina in 1812; was a farmer by occupation; 
married Caroline McXealey, and their children were — Harvey B., 
AYilev W., Sophia, Delilah, and Stephen L. (deceased). Mr. May 
died near Oregon City in 1880. 

McBRIDE, T. A. 

Born in Yamhill County in 1847, the son of Dr. James McBride, 
a well known pioneer. He was educated at McMinnville, and was 
admitted to the bar in 1870, and has practiced law ever since. 
Was a member of the Legislature from Columbia County, and 
later, prosecuting attorney for the Fifth Judicial District. 



682 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

McCAIN, PARIS. 

Born in Butler County, Ohio, in 1824; came to Oregon in 1847, 
settling in Polk County, where he still resides. Mr. McCain is a 
farmer, and his address is Sheridan, Yamhill County. He married 
Miss Frances J. Story in 1857, and they have six children, whose 
names are as follows — Ollie, Flor, James L., Orville, Charles and 
Esther. 

Mccarty, e. w. 

Born in Jackson County, Missouri, in 1827; came to Oregon 
overland at the age of twenty, and settled in Polk County; still re- 
sides in that county, near Buena Vista, and is a farmer. He mar- 
ried Miss Amanda Bounds in Buena Yista in 1850, and they have 
— Mary, Alexander, Parmeas B., Josephine, Leroy, Charles, and 
Eddie. 

McKAY, JAMES. 

Born in Ireland in 1819, and came to America in 1842. Came 
to Oregon and settled at St. Paul, Marion County. Resides upon 
his farm three miles east of that place. Is proprietor of a mill, the 
successor of one which was constructed in 1844 by the St. Paul 
mission, and sold to Mr. McKay in 1850. The present structure 
was built by him in 1861. Mr. McKay married Cecelia Lawson in 
1840, who died June 13, 1871. Their children are — William, Kate 
(Mrs. Mc-Cormack), Cecelia (Mrs. Kirk), Mary, and John N. 

McKINNEY, WILLIAM, 

Is a farmer, merchant and miller, and lives at Turner, Marion 
County. Born in Missouri in 1820; married Matilda Darby, and 
their children are — Edwin E., Martha E., Anna E., Henri ette Y., 
John W., Mary E., Fanny O., Alice N., M., E., and Oneatia. Mr. 
McKinney built the first mill in Marion County north of Salem. 

MONTEITH, THOMAS. 

Born in New York in 1824; lived in Illinois for six years; 
came to Oregon in 1847 across the plains; located in Linn County, 
and with his brother Walter, laid out the town of Albany in 1848, 
upon their own claim of six hundred and forty acres. He paid a 
visit to California in 1848, but soon returned. Part of his time 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 683 

has been devoted to trade and the manufacture of flour. The 
Albany City Flouring Mills, owned by Monteith & Son, have a 
capacity of one hundred and sixty barrels daily. Mr. Montieth 
married Christine M. Dunbar, and their children are — Archibald, 
Lotta, Thomas, and Christine. Residence, Albany. 

MONTGOMERY, JOHN A., 

Is a farmer, residing at Scio, Linn County; was born in Hick- 
man County, Tennessee, January 8, 1826; came overland to 
Oregon, and in the same year participated in the Indian troubles. 
Married Eliza E. Hester, and their children's names are — George 
S., Thomas J., and William. 

MONTGOMERY, WILLIAM. 

Lives in Scio, Linn County, and is a farmer by occupation ; born 
in Kentucky; married Mary L. Cusick, and their children are — 
Amanda L, Anna M., Eliza J., Martha O., William O., Roger S., 
Howard, George S., Elva M., Lena J., Mary I., and Frank. 

MULKEY, MARION F. 

Born in Johnson County, Missouri, November 14, 1836. Came 
to Oregon with his father, Johnson Mulkey, in 1847, and settled in 
Benton County, on a donation claim. Was educated in Yale 
College, graduating in 1862. Bead law, and in 1864 was admitted 
to the bar. Became prosecuting attorney of the fourth judicial 
district in 1866, and next year a member of the city council of 
Portland, his place of residence. In 1872 and 1873 he was city 
attorney of that town. Married Miss Mary E. Porter in 1862. 

MYER, HENRY. 

Born in Hanover, Germany, November 30, 1818. Went to 
Illinois in 1833, moving thence overland to Oregon in 1847. 
Settled in Polk County, and now resides at Smithneld, in the 
same county. He is a farmer and stock -raiser. He married 
Elizabeth J. Shankline in Cass County, Illinois, October 26, 1842. 
Children— William H., William T., John H., George W., Sarah 
E., Amanda J., Mary A. H., James W., A. E., and Frank I. 

PENNINGTON, STEWART M. 

Born in Monroe County, Kentucky, in 1824; came overland to 
Oregon, part of the way with a train, partly on horseback and with 



684 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

but four companions. Reached Oregon City in September, and 
worked for a while in George Abernethy's sawmill. Farmed on the 
Tualatin Plains. Went to California in 1849 and mined for two 
years. Returning, he located in Linn County, and married Miss 
Abigail E. Cooper and took a donation claim of six hundred and 
forty acres. Removed to Umatilla County in 1871 and engaged in 
stock-raising. Resides at Pendleton. Was chosen State Senator 
in 1878 and 1880. Has seven children and several grandchildren. 

PIERCE, ASHLEY. 

Born in Harrison County, Indiana, June 30, 1821; came to 
Oregon and settled in Linn County, and was one of the active men 
who aided in forming that county; was the first delegate from that 
county to take fruit to the horticultural society. Is now a ferryman 
by occupation, and resides at Albany. Married, in 1860, Miss 
Susan Read. 

POUJADE, L. H. 

Born in Ohio in 1829, and moved thence to Louisiana. In 1847 
set out by ox-team for Oregon and located at Gervais, Marion 
County, and has remained there ever since. There were only three 
houses there on his arrival, and no English-speaking family for eight 
miles. His occupation was farming. In 1853 he married Catherine 
Simmons, who bore him, Henry B., Mary E., Anna, Louisa M., 
and Joseph, and died in 1867. Three years later he wedded Mary 
Ann Barnes, and has had — T. D., Agnes, Evelina, and Franklin, 
by her. Mr. Poujade was assessor in 1853, and since 1862 has been 
justice of the peace. 

POWELL, L. J., A. M. 

Born in Kentucky in May, 1834; the son of David and Almedia 
Powell, who emigrated first to Missouri (1837), and to Oregon 
(1847). They settled at a point seven miles east of Portland. The 
son went to California in 1849, and remained a year. Served in 
the Yakima war. Was educated in the Wesleyan University at 
Delaware, Ohio, class of 1861, and in the same year married Miss 
Martha Ransom, of Yamhill County. Held the chair of mathe- 
matics in the Willamette University for fourteen years (1862-1876). 
Was elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1878. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 685 

At the close of his term he became president of the University of 
Washington Territory, at Seattle, where he now resides. 

PRETTYMAN, DAVID D. 

Birthplace, Delaware; date, 183*2; moved to Missouri in 1839, 
and to Oregon in 1847. In 1849 went to farming, three miles from 
Portland, and remained there until 18G1 ; then went to Polk County 
and settled upon a farm of one hundred and fifty acres, near Salem. 
Mr. Prettvman was married in 1850, to Miss Sarah A. Riggs, and 
they have two children. He has distinguished himself in agricul- 
tural pursuits, and at the Centennial Exposition, in Philadelphia, 
took prizes for his tine wheat exhibits. His residence now is Salem. 
Dr. Prettvman, father of the gentleman spoken of, was a physician 
of eminence in Oregon, and did much to develop the State's resources. 

PUTNAM, D. B. 

Born in Kentucky, in 1810, and came to Oregon in 1847, settling, 
in the following year, in Linn County. In 185G he removed to 
Amity, Yamhill County, and has lived there ever since. He is propri- 
etor of a large farm, and property in the town mentioned. He 
married Isabella Finley in Illinois, in 1830. Children — Martha, 
Mahala, David H., John, James, and Mary. Mrs. Putnam dying, 
Mr. P. married, in 1851, Mrs. Rebecca Landingham, by whom he has 
had the following children — Sarah (Mrs. Levi Walker, of Forest 
Grove), Joseph J., Robert B., Daniel B., Nancy A. (Mrs. J. Durant, 
of Ainsworth, W. T.), Frances (Mrs. E. Conner), and Rebecca (Mrs. 
E. Henderson). 

RAMSEY, DAVID. 

Resides at Xewburg, Yamhill County, and is both -farmer and 
miller by occupation. He was born in Indiana in 1815; married 
Miss Susan Shuck in 1838, and by her had live sons and five 
daughters. 

RAMSEY, WILLIAM M. 

Born in Monroe County, Iowa, December 25, 1846; present 
residence, Salem. Occupation, attorney at law. Was county 
judge of Yamhill County from 1870 to 1874. Was married in 
1870 to Mahala A. Harris. They have children— Nellie, Fred A., 
Horace M.. and Mary E. 



686 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

RICHARDSON, NATHANIEL C, 

Is a farmer, and lives three miles south of Hillsboro, his home 
since 1852. His first place of residence in this State was near 
Oregon City, in Clackamas County. He was born in Madison 
County, Illinois, in 1808; married to Anna H. Bushnel in 1829, 
and their children's names are — John A., Elizabeth, George W., 
Frances M., Lois Ann, Cornelia, and Peter. Mr. Richardson 
married Mrs. C. L. Cox in 1873. 

ROTH, CHARLES. 

Born in Baden, Germany, in 1818; came to Oregon and settled 
near Harrisburg, in Linn County. He learned the trade of wood 
turner and chair maker, when young; is now a farmer by occupa- 
tion. Was married to Miss Martha Conovert in 1867. 

ROWELL, JAMES M. 

Lives in Eola, Polk County; was born in New Hampshire in 
1809; moved from there to Vermont and then to Illinois. Next 
came to Oregon and located in Washington County, but moved to 
Polk in 1857; his occupations have been farming, gardening, and 
teaching school. Was in the Cayuse war. 

SHELTON, HAMAN. 

Born in Andrew County, Missouri, November 1, 1843; is a 
farmer, and resides in Scio, Linn County; married Ollie Holman, 
and has one child — Vardemon E. Shelton. 

SHELTON, HARVEY. 

Born in Virginia in 1822; came overland to Oregon and took 
a donation claim in Linn County, near Scio, which is still his place 
of residence. He was elected a member of the State Legislature in 
1872, and re-elected in 1874, 1880, and 1884. Married Caroline 
Thomas, a native of Missouri, and who came to Oregon in 1852. 
Their children are — Riley, Mary C, Henry, George, Isabel, Melvin 
H., and Enoch. Mr. Shelton was a volunteer in the Cayuse war 
of 1847-48. 

SHUCK, ANDREW. 

Lives in McMinnville. Was born in Indiana in 1815; went to 
Iowa in 1835, and lived there until coming to Oregon; after Lis 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 687 

arrival in this State he settled in Yamhill County on a donation 
claim. Moved to McMinnville a few years since. He was ap- 
pointed sheriff by Governor Lane during the Territorial Govern- 
ment, and was elected for two terms afterwards, and has served six 
sessions in the Legislature. Married Miss Mary Conway in 1838, 
and lias seven children. 

STEWART, BENJAMIN E. 

Horn in Ohio in 1815; came to Oregon and settled at North 
Yamhill, Yamhill County, on a donation claim, where he resided 
until his death, which occurred in 1877. His occupation was that 
of a farmer and stock- raiser. He married .Vim Cruinbaker in 
1836, and their children's names are — Emeline, David C, Ermin- 
ger, James Y., Orville, Montgomery, Fanny A., and Emma. 

TAYLOR, CHRISTOPHER. 

Born in Germantown, Ohio, in 1822, and in 1847 crossed the 
plains with General Joel Palmer. In the Caynse war he was em- 
ployed in the commissary's department. Afterwards became a 
clerk for Petty grove, who owned the only store in Portland, at 
that time. Went to California during the gold excitement. Settled 
at Dayton, Yamhill County, in 1850, and began general merchan- 
dising. Married December 31, 1850, to Miss Sarah A. Williams. 
They have one child — Ella E. — now Mrs. G. E. Detmering. 
Colonel Taylor has borne an important part in the organization of 
the Oregon State Militia. On August 26, 1864, he was com- 
missioned Assistant Adjutant- General on the staff of Major-General 
Palmer, by Governor Gibbs; and on May 24, 1883, he received at 
the hands of Governor Moody, the commission of Major-General of 
the State Militia. 

TOWNSEND, J. M. 

Born in Fulton County, Illinois, in 1834; came to Oregon and 
settled at Dallas. Present residence, King's Valley, and occupation, 
farming. Me married Sophronia Price at Salt Creek, Polk County, 
in I860, and their children's names are — John M., and W. L. 

TOWNSEND, IRA S. 

Born in Jackson County, Missouri in 182 ( ,». and lived in that 
State and [llinois until 1847, in which year he crossed the plains to 



688 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Oregon. Took up a donation claim near Perrydale, in Polk County, 
where lie still resides. Visited the California mines in 1848. Was 
first lieutenant in Captain Hayden's company in the Yakima war. 
Has served two terms in the Legislature, in 1868 and 1878. Was 
married inl853 to Miss B. F. Smith, and has two sons — James H., 
an attorney at Dallas, and George N. 

WAIT, AARON. 

Born in Whately, Massachusetts, December 26, 1813. After two 
years passed in the study of law, he was admitted to the bar in 
Michigan in 1841. On his arrival in Oregon he settled at Oregon 
City and commenced practice. In the Cayuse war he acted as 
assistant commissary general, and at the same time edited the Oregon 
Spectator, newspaper. After the admission of Oregon as a State, 
he was elected one of the three judges of the supreme court, and acted 
as chief justice of the same for four years. In 1873 he moved with 
his family to Canby, Clackamas County; owns about six hundred 
acres of land near Canby, and over three thousand acres elsewhere 
in Oregon and Washington Territory. He was first married to 
Mary N. Springer, and next to Catharine Quivey; his children are 
— Columbia L. (deceased), Charles N., Mary C. (deceased), Annie 
E., Katie C. (deceased), and Mary L. (deceased). 

WALLER, G. T. 

Born in Morgan County, Illinois, September 24, 1830, and came 
across the plains in 1847 to Oregon and settled in Polk County, 
where he has since resided. For six years after his arrival he gave 
his attention to stock-raising, but in 1854 began the mercantile 
business in Eola. Went to Monmouth in 1876, and October 17, 
1882, the present mercantile association, of which he is a member, 
was formed. This gentleman was married to Mary J. Doty, June 
25, 1857, and their children are — Oliver F., Emma C, Larin W., 
Ada A., Minnie, Lula, Allan J., and Allie (deceased). 

WALLER, H. M. 

Lives in Monmouth, Polk County; was born in Indiana, 
September 9, 1817; entered the ministry while quite young and 
taught school at the same time; has been a resident of Polk 
County since his arrival in Oregon ; assisted to organize the first 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 689 

church of the Disciples of Christ on the Pacific Coast, and is still 
actively engaged in the ministry. Owns farm and city property. 
On August 18, 1850, he was married to Miss Mary E. Davidsou. 
Six children — Melissa J. (deceased), Mary J., Melissa Ann, Thomas 
C, Etta M., and Ida, 

WALLING, JESSE D. 

Born in Ohio in 1816; moved to Illinois and thence to Iowa, 
where he was residing in 1847. Came across the plains in that 
year in a large company led by Captain Davidson. On Christmas 
of the same year settled in Spring Valley, Polk County, taking a 
donation claim, which is still possessed by his family. In 1849 
Mr. Walling went to California and mined for a short time. Was 
married in Illinois in 1839, to Miss Eliza A. Wise, a native of New 
York. The children resulting from this union numbered fourteen, 
of whom thirteen survive. Mr. Walling; died in 1870. His widow 
resides on the donation claim in Spring Valley. 

WALLING, NELSON. 

Born in Fulton County, Illinois, February 13, 1832, and came 
with his father, Gabriel Walling, to Oregon in 1847, settling near 
Oswego, in Clackamas County. Nelson Walling died at his home, 
a mile east of Amity, December 3, 1884. 

WARREN, HENRY. 

Born in Nova Scotia in 1817, of English -Scotch parentage. Mr. 
Warren left home at a very early age, and thenceforward sustained 
himself by his unaided exertions. He found his way to Baffalo, 
and afterwards resided for a time in Illinois and Missouri. He left 
the latter State in 1847 bound for Oregon, and came by ox-team to 
this coast. In 1848 he settled in Yamhill County. Mr. Warren 
was married in Missouri to Miss Nancy Palmer, who died m 1859 
leaving five children. He pursued farming until 1857, when he 
was chosen sheriff of Yamhill, and held that office seven years. 
Since that time he has been successively a member of the Lower 
House of the State Legislature, receiver of the land office at Oregon 
City, in which he remained ten years, recorder and mayor of Mc- 
Minnville, and, finally, State Senator. Mr. Warren was married a 
second time, in IS65 to Mrs. Nellie Schrader. 



690 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

WATSON, JAMES M. 

Born in Illinois in 1839. On his arrival in Oregon, he settled, in 
King's Valley, where he still resides, engaged in farming. He mar- 
ried Mary M. Bryant in 1874, and their children's names are — 
James E., and Mary A. 

WATTS, FRANCIS AUSTIN. 

Born November 17, 1846, in Sangamon County, Illinois; was 
brought to Oregon by his parents the next year, who settled at 
Peoria, Linn County. Was married in June, 1872, to Emma Gil- 
bert. Children — Linnie M., and Lawrence R. Was a merchant 
in Shedd until late in 1884. 

WHEELER, JASON. 

Born in Ohio in 1823; resided for a time in New York, leaving 
that State in 1844, and living for the three subsequent years in 
Michigan. In 1847 came to Oregon across the plains. Served in the 
Cayuse war under General Gilliam, and took part in various conflicts 
with the Indians, especially at Wells 1 Springs, where he received a 
wound in the thigh. Settling in Linn County, Mr. Wheeler be- 
came sheriff in 1848. The next year he went to California and 
mined for a time, but returning to Oregon by sea, the vessel was 
wrecked at the mouth of Rogue River, and it was with difficulty 
that the survivors were enabled to find their way overland to a 
place of safety. In 1850 Mr. Wheeler married Eliza D. Claypoole. 
Their family contained five children — Melissa J., Ellen N., Delia 
A., Frank P., and Mary F. Mr. Wheeler was a member of the 
Legislature in 1878-79. His occupation is farming, and his 
residence is at Albany. 

WHEELER, LEONARD M. 

Born in Cayuga County, New York, February 7, 1826, and 
came across the plains to Oregon when twenty -one years of age. 
Resides at Lebanon, Linn County, and is a farmer. Married Isabel 
Miller, and their children are — George F., James M., Nettie, 
Douglas M.,- and A. C. 

WHITE, LUTHER, 

Is a farmer and stock-grower, residing at Brownsville, Linn 
County; was born in Ohio, January 20, 1815; settled near 



HISTOKY OF IMMIGRATION. 091 

Browiisville iinrnediately on his arrival in Oregon. In 1843 he 
was married to Miss Martha A. Mansfield, and their children are — 
Rosa B., Margaret, and Robert, and eight others deceased. Mr. 
White was a member of the Legislature in 1851-52. 

WHITNEY, WILLIAM. 

Born in England in 1808; came to America when twenty-two, 
and resided in turn in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Indiana, and 
crossed the plains to Oregon in 1847. Located at Butte ville and 
died there June 1, 1878. 

WILCOX, GEORGE WASHINGTON. 

Born in Putnam County, Ohio, and came to Oregon in 1847, 
settling at Salem. Lives now at Ballston, and is a farmer. He 
married Miss Mary E. Dixon in 1856. Children — Alice M., W. T., 
Sarah E., Jacob H., Hubert T., I. C, and Felix M. 

WILCOX, SANFORD E. 

Born in New York in 1827; came to Oregon and settled near 
Wapatoo Lake, Washington County, where he still has his resi- 
dence, on a donation claim; his occupation is farming. He mar- 
ried Mary A. Butts in 1852, and their children's names are — John, 
Louis, Dudley, Olive, Melva, and Mary. Mr. Wilcox is county 
commissioner of Washington County. 

WOODS, GEORGE L. 

Caleb Woods, the father of Governor Woods, is a native of 
Madison County, Kentucky, and was born in 1806. He came to 
Oregon in 1847, bringing his family. Resides mainly in Yamhill 
County. His wife was a Miss McBride, a native of Tennessee. 
Mrs. Woods died in 1871, and two of their four sons are also dead. 
Of the survivors, George L. Woods has attained distinction, becom- 
ing Governor of Oregon and earning celebrity in law and politics. 
He was born in Boone County, Missouri, in 1831 or 1832, and 
after accompanying his parents to this State lived on his father's 
donation claim at North Yamhill. He was educated in the schools 
of Doctor Hudson and L. L. Rowland, both excellent teachers, and 
studied law by himself. He was quickly admitted to the bar, and 
Bhowing great aptitude for his profession, he speedily attained a 



692 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

leading place among the professional men of the State. Being a 
ready and fluent talker and cogent debater, he was enabled to 
exert much influence upon political affairs, and took an important 
part in the discussion of public questions. For a time he practiced 
at Walla Walla and The Dalles, and was elected Governor of 
Oregon, and served four years. Upon the conclusion of his term 
of office he was appointed by President Grant Governor of Utah 
Territory, and held this position also for four years. He is now 
(1885) practicing law in San Francisco. Governor Woods is a 
forcible speaker, whose qualities as an ex tempore debater have been 
his principal distinction. 

YOCUM, THOMAS J. 

Born in Illinois, November 2, 1828 ; came to Oregon and settled 
at Deer Creek, Yamhill County. Resides now at Bellevue, in the 
same county. Married. Elizabeth Tharp, in Polk County, January 
16, 1851. Children — Sarah J., Mary Ann, Emily, Malvina, 
Samuel, Rebecca, and Albert J. 

1848. 

BALL, ISAAC. 

Born in Staffordshire, England, in 1812. Coming to Oregon, he 
settled in Polk County. His residence is at Ballston, a station of 
the Oregonian Railway, which received its name from him. Mr. 
Ball served two terms as county commissioner. He owns several 
hundred acres of the finest and best soil in the county. He married 
Miss A. Howland in January, 1838. Children — William H., Samuel 
H., Isaac J., Thomas M., Mary J., Lavinia, Margaret A., Anna P. 
M., and Lida. 

BAUER, ANDREW. 

Born in Germany in 1810; settled in Ohio in 1834, and in 
Marion County, Oregon, in 1848. Occupation, farming. Died 
January 24, 1884. Married Theresa Smeltzer in 1837. Children 
— John, Ferdinand, Eliza (Mrs. Busky), and Mrs. W. T. Chambers. 
Mrs. Bauer died in 1869. 

BENNETT, LEVI. 

Born in Carroll County, Illinois, March 19, 1834; came to Ore- 
gon and settled in Yamhill County, residing now at Amity. He is 



HTSTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 693 

a farmer. August 15, 1855, he married Mary M. Stephens, who 
was born in Indiana, October 12, 1840. Their children are — 
Cyrus ST., John H., Lillian R., R. J., and Marietta (deceased). 

BLAIN, L. E., 

A son of Wilson Blain, was born in Indiana in 1842. He re- 
ceived a common school education, and on coming of age engaged 
in merchandising at Albany, in partnership with S. E. Young. In 
1872 he went into business for himself in a clothing store, which 
he still carries on. Married, in 1865, Miss Mary Miller. 

BLAIN, WILSON. 

Born in Ohio in 1813; graduated from Missouri University, and 
afterwards studied theology, and was ordained as a Presbyterian 
minister in 1838. Came to Oregon as missionary. Became editor 
of the Spectator newspaper, and served, also, three years in the 
Legislative Council. Located at Union Point, Linn County, in 1850, 
and organized a church, of which he was pastor, and likewise taught 
the pupils of an Academy at the same place. Was married to 
Elizabeth Wilson, by whom he had six children — three sons and 
three daughters. The sons now live in Albany. Mr. Blain died 
February 22, 1861. 

BRANSON, BENJAMIN B. 

Born in De Witt County, Illinois, September 4, 1830. His first 
place of residence in Oregon was at Grande Ronde, Polk County; 
he now lives at Mill Creek, in the same county, and is a farmer and 
Btock-grower. He married Eliza E. Dickey, in Yamhill County, 
September 15, 1854, and their children's names are — Sarah A., Jo- 
sephine, Evanda, Eliza J., Ephraim N., Elnora S., Ida M., Benja- 
min B., ( >rby N., Susie G., Lena T., and Gertrude. 

BRISTOW, W. W. 

Born in Kentucky; came to Oregon in 1848 with his parents, 
brothers and sisters, and settled in Lane County. Was a member 
of the Constitutional Convention, and served the people in a 
variety of other positions. Was elected State Senator in 1872. 
Died, December 9, 1874. 



694 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

BURNS, DAVID N., 

Is part proprietor of a livery stable at Dallas, Polk County, 
where lie resides. He was born in Kendall County, Illinois, in 
1835, and came to Oregon at thirteen years of age, and settled in 
Yamhill County. He married Martha J. Tetherow in Polk County, 
January 1, 1865. 

BURNS, JOHN. 

Born in Tazewell County, Illinois, in 1833. Coming to Oregon, 
he settled in Polk County. Resides now in the Luckiamute 
Valley, and is a farmer and stock-raiser. He married Susan 
Hicklin in Washington County, Oregon, in 1853. She died 
January 15, 1875. Married Cornelia Crichton in Polk County, 
October 30, 1878. Children— Eliza E., Clarinda E., Emma F., 
Arthur L., John, Milton M., Columbus, Rachel, Alice, and Ruby M. 

BURNS, W. E. 

Born in Illinois in 1840; came to Oregon and settled in Yamhill 
County; present residence, Luckiamute Valley, and occupation, 
farming and stock-raising. He married Drusilla M. Johnson, in 
Oregon, in 1866, and their children's names are — William J., Myta 
J., and Ada F. 

CYRUS, HENRY. 

Born in Linn County, Oregon, August 22, 1848; the son of 
William Cyrus, of Scio. Resides on his farm twelve miles east of 
Albany. Is agent for the Jefferson warehouse company. Was 
elected a member of the House in 1882, and was returned in 1884. 
Married in 1872 to Miss Sarah J. Beard, who died in 1877, leaving 
one child — Minnie Florence. Married again in June, 1880, to Miss 
Mary C. Crabtree, by whom he has had three children — Chloe, Amy, 
and an infant. 

GRAHAM, GEORGE. 

Born in Ohio in 1822; is a farmer by occupation, and lives near 
Oregon City. Married Miss S. Larkins, and by her had one child 
— James K. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION*. 695 

GRAHAM, JAMES K. 

Born in Morgan County, Illinois in 1847; the son of George 
Graham ; is a farmer by occupation, and lives near Oregon City. 
Married Hannah M. Wingfield, and their children are — George K., 
Horton X., Clara A., and Hardin W. 

HAGEY, MATTHIAS. 

Born in North Carolina in 1822. Came to Oregon and settled 
at French Prairie, Marion County. Present residence, Suvers, 
Polk County, and occupation, farming. He married Sarah A. 
DeHaven in Iowa in 1845, and their children's names are — Eliza 
A., Andrew TV\, Sarah C, Peter H., Mary E., George D., Alice, 
and Joseph. 

HAGOOD, HENRY. 

Born in Virginia, May 15, 1815. Lived in Missouri prior to 
coming to Oregon, which he did in 1848. Lived in Washington 
County until 1853, then removed to Polk County, and has lived 
there since. His occupation has been principally farming, and 
now owns three hundred acres of land. Also owns a house known 
as the " Traveler's Best." Married in 1842 to Miss Mary Stone. 
Has now seven living children and one deceased. His residence 
and post-office address are Dallas. 

HENDRICKS, THOMAS G. 

Born in Henderson County, Illinois, in 1848, and was brought 
by his parents to Oregon in the same year. They settled in Lane 
County, and both survived until 1878. The son lived on the home 
farm until he was twenty-two years of age, when he removed to 
Eugene City, and was employed at first as clerk, but eventually 
succeeded his employers in their business, which he now carries on. 
Is a member of the board of regents of the State L T niversity. 
Served three years as county superintendent of schools. Was 
elected State Senator in 1880. 

HESS, DANIEL. 

Born in Kentucky in L829; came to the Pacific coast in 1845, 
and lived in California until coming to Oregon. He then settled 
at Ea>t Chebalem, Washington County, and was employed as a 



696 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

farmer and mechanic until his death, which occurred in 1878. He 
married Catherine Lee in 1853, and she now lives at Dundee, Yam- 
hill County. Their children's names are — Samuel, Mrs. L. Hess, 
Eugene L., John F., William F., Mrs. P. I. Martin, Alice and 
AdaF. 

HOOKER, D. D. 

Born in Illinois in 1826; came to Oregon and settled in Luckia- 
mute Valley, where he still resides. Occupation, farming and stock- 
raising. He married Annie N. Lewis, in Oregon in 1861, and their 
children's names are — Mary M., Olive O., Cyrus D., Annie A., 
Emily E., Darius D., Ira J., Jennie, and Myrtle I. 

JONES, SAMUEL T. 

Is a farmer and lives at Miller's, Linn County. Owns four hun- 
dred and eighty acres of land. Born in Kentucky, June 2, 1826. 
For his first wife he married Miss Nancy Miller ; his second wife was 
Sarah J. Holman. His children are — Mary B., and Joseph A. 

KELLY, PENUMBRA. 

Born in Kentucky in 1845, and when three years old was brought 
to Oregon by his parents, who located at East Portland the next 
year. He married Miss Mary E. Marquarn. Besides two miles 
from East Portland. Has been in politics, representing Multnomah 
County three or more times in the Legislature, and is now United 
States Marshal. 

LEE, JOSEPH D. 

Born in Polk County, Oregon, July 27, 1848. Was educated 
at the LaCreole Academy, but the greater part of his boyhood was 
spent on a farm, or as clerk in his father's store at Dallas. In 
1870, he was admitted as partner in the store, which partnership 
continued until 1876, when he purchased his father's interest and 
has since had entire control, and is now one of the leading mer- 
chants of Dallas. In 1878, he was elected a member of the lower 
house of the Legislature on the Bepublican ticket, the rest of the 
ticket being defeated. In 1880, he was elected State Senator from 
Polk County, and 1884, joint State Senator from Benton and Polk 
counties. Mr. Lee is a member of the Methodist Church, and of 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. ' 697 

the Masonic and Odd Fellows Lodges. He is also a member of 
the board of trustees of LaCreole Academy and the Willamette 
University. Was married May 19, 1872, to Miss Eliza A. Witter, 
and they have four children — Lyman H., Annie Lorene, Joseph 
K,., and Althea E. 

LEWIS, ISAAC. 

Lives in Dallas, Polk County, and is a farmer by occupation; 
he was born in Illinois in 1822; came across the plains to Oregon 
and settled in Polk County; went to California in 1849, but re- 
turned in 1850, and bought a place at Dallas, where he still lives. 
In 1850 he was married to Miss Eleanor S. Whiteaker. They 
have two children — Mary A. and Lucy E. 

McKINNEY, EDWARD E. 

Born in Marion County, Oregon, in 1848; occupation, merchant; 
place of residence, Turner. Wife's previous name, Virginia Condit. 

POMEROY, FRANK F., Jr. 

Born in Oregon in 1848; now resides at Cornelius, Washington 
County, and near the place of his birth. Owns a farm of 160 acres 
and tills it. He married Miss Rebecca Jake, in 1871, and has six 
children — Elmer, John, Ida, Lulu, Edgar, and an infant. 

PORTER, WILLIAM. 

Born in Lincoln County, Missouri, iu 1812; moved to Illinois in 
1836; thence to Oregon in 1848, with his wife, Sarah, daughter of 
K Coffey, and four children — W. G., Elizabeth N., John H.,and Syd- 
ney E. W. Gr. Porter was born in Pike County, Illinois, 1841 ; died 
in Marion County, Oregon, in 1880. The other children were also 
born in Pike County, and are married and live in Marion County, 
Oregon. Sarah, their mother, died soon after arriving in Oregon, 
in the fall of 1848. The father married her sister, Martha, in the 
fall of 1849, by whom he has three grown children — Henry C, 
Sarah L., and Mary Jane. All are now living in Marion County, 
Oregon. Henry C. is married, and has a five-year-old daughter. . 

purvine, A. j. 

Born in Illinois in 1833, and crossed the plains with his parents 
in 1848. They settled in Marion County. Mr. Purvine has been a 



698 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

resident of Polk County since 1862, and cultivates his farm near 
Zena. He married Miss Mary J. Dougherty in 1857, by whom he 
had three children — Jordan, Cyrus, and Charles. Mrs. Purvine 
died in 1864, and he married Miss Pauline Staiger, in 1873, by 
whom he has had — Ida, Albert, Emma, Gertie, Monroe, and Fred- 

PURVINE, j. L. 

Born in Illinois in 1842; the son of John Purvine. Crossed the 
plains in 1848, and settled in Marion County. Is a farmer, and 
resides at Zena, Polk County. Married in Polk County, November 
24, 1864, to Miss Mary V. Walker, who has borne him four chil- 
dren — Elma, Dudley, Frank, and Lynn. 

SHELLEY, ROSWELL. 

Mr. Shelley was born in Iowa in the year 1846, and came with 
his parents to Oregon in 1848. His first home in Oregon was in 
Lane County, where he lived until 1857 when he moved to Polk 
County, and that has continued to be his home with the exception 
of a few years spent in Wasco County. Dealt in merchandise for 
several years. In 1882 was elected county clerk, and was placed 
in nomination again in 1884 for the second term bat was defeated. 
Owns city property in Dallas. Married Miss Mary L. Tatom in 
1878, and has two children — Ealph D., and Hugh T. 

SWEGLE, CHARLES. 

Born in New Jersey in 1821; moved in 1828 to Illinois; came 
to Oregon twenty years after. Married in 1847 to Lucy D. Robin- 
son. Children — George, Nancy, Oliva, Marion, and Albert J. In 
1860 located in Marion County; occupation, farmer, owning several 
farms in that county. Lives at present at the Whitman mission at 
Waiilatpu, Washington Territory. Is one of the foremost wheat 
growers in the Territory. 

WALKER, W. W. 

Born in Virginia, July 23, 1814; removed with his parents to 
Missouri in 1829, and remained there until 1848, when he settled 
in Spring Valley, Polk County. This pleasant and fruitful locality 
was so named by Mr. Walker in 1852. The gentleman derives his 
title of Major from the circumstance of having held a commission 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 699 

in the Missouri state militia. In this country he held offices as fol- 
lows: Was commissioner of Polk County in 1849, and was a mem- 
ber of the Territorial Legislature in 1856. Was married in Mis- 
souri, in 1843, to Miss Jane Mackey. They have five children — 
Mary V. (wife of J. L. Purvine), Susan M. (wife of Dr. Jeffreys), 
Nancy (wife of H. G. Henry), L. (wife of J. K. Sears), and Dora. 
Major Walker's occupation is farming; his address is Zena, Polk 
County. 

WATT, JOHN. 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1792; served in the war of 1812; came 
to Oregon and settled at Amity, Yamhill County. He practiced 
the trade of carpenter to some extent, but gave his attention to 
farming. He died in 1854. Was married in 1816, to Mary Scott, 
by whom he had fourteen children, those now living being — J. V., 
A. S., Adeline (Mrs. Fullquartz), Elizabeth (Mrs. Wren), Isabelle 
(Mrs. Breyman, of Salem), iVurora (Mrs. Bowman, of Portland), 
and Clara (Mrs. Morton). 

WHITEAKER, BENJAMIN. 

Born in North Carolina in 1796, and removed to Virginia at an 
early age. Went to Illinois in 1836, and crossed the plains to 
Oregon in 1848; settled in Polk County. His occupation was 
farming. He married Miss Mary Hayter in 1823. Their children 
numbered eleven, of whom David J., Rachel, Ellen, Benjamin, 
Maria, and George survive. Mr. Whiteaker died . 

WHITEAKER, DAVID J. 

Born in West Virginia, October 29, 1824; removed with his 
parents to Illinois in 1836, and came with his father, Benjamin 
Whiteaker, to Oregon, twelve years after. Went to the California 
mines in 1*49, and returned in 1850. In 1851 and 1852 was in 
the Rogue River country. Served in the Yakima war. In 1859 
went to the Upper Columbia region, and lived many years, return- 
ing to the valley in 1878, and settling in Polk County. Resides 
now on a farm near Independence. Married Miss Lucy L. Titus 
in 1871. 



700 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

1849. 
BACKENSTOS, EDWIN D. 

Born in Springfield, Illinois, in 1844; the eldest son of Colonel 
J. B. Backenstos, U. S. A. Came with his parents to Oregon in 
1849. Resided subsequently in Portland, and held several public 
offices, especially that of city treasurer. Died April 23, 1876. 

BOOTHBY, R. R. 

Born in Brown County, Ohio, May 15, 1812. After reaching 
man's estate he traveled over a number of States before settling, 
and spent several years as engineer of steamboats on the Ohio and 
Illinois rivers. He then settled in Illinois and engaged in the mer- 
cantile and milling business until 1845, when he went to Texas 
and for a time continued in the latter occupation. Joined the 
Texas Rangers and fought the Indians. In 1848 he returned to 
Illinois and in the following year started for Oregon across the 
plains. Settled in Polk County, but several years later moved to 
Salem. Was married in 1835 to Miss Mary A. Waller, and has ten 
children, all of whom are alive — Jane C, Harrison B., Emily C, 
Mary E., Caroline C, Pamelia A., William W. and Maria (twins), 
George T., and Reason R. Mrs. Boothby died at Seattle, May 21, 
1863, and in 1877 he was married to Mrs. Margaret McFadden. 
Mr. Boothby is at present a resident of Monmouth. Has thirty- 
seven living grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. 

BUTLER, J. B. V. 

Born in New Hampshire in 1809, and after extensive traveling 
in various parts of the United States — his marriage to Miss Eliza- 
beth Engles taking place meanwhile — -he crossed the plains to Ore- 
gon in 1849. He lived for a short time in Oregon City; then went 
to Portland, where he was a merchant until 1855, and from there 
moved to Polk County, and opened a store at Eola, which he kept 
four years. In 1859, he went to Monmouth, and died in October, 
1879. 

BUTLER, N. L. 

Residence and address, Dallas; occupation, attorney. Born in 
Pike County, Missouri, August 27, 1844. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 701 

CAMPBELL, HECTOR. 

Born in Chester, Hampden County, Massachusetts, July 11, 
1793. Joined the Baptist denomination in 1831, together with his 
wife who was of the same age. They came to Oregon in 1849. 
Mr. Campbell had been twice a member of the Legislature of hie 
native State, and belonged to the Oregon Territorial Legislature 
in 1850. Was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 
Oregon. Died in Clackamas County, June 15, 1873. 

CAPLES, LAFAYETTE, 

Is a farmer, and lives two miles west of Forest Grove. He was 
born in Ohio in 1844; came to Oregon at an early age and lived 
near Portland. He married Charlotte Noland in 1864, and Lenora 
Baines in 1880. He has five children. 

CHENOWETH, F. A. 

Born in Ohio in 1819; moved to Grant County, Wisconsin, and 
was admitted to the bar in 1842. Came to Oregon and settled on 
the banks of the Columbia River. Was speaker of the House of 
Representatives in Washington Territory in 1854, and was ap- 
pointed Judge of the Supreme Court of the Territory in the same 
year by President Pierce, and held the office four years. Was a 
member of the Oregon Legislature in 1866, and speaker of the 
house. Was district attorney of Benton County. Present resi- 
dence, King's Valley, Benton County, and occupation, lawyer. 
Married Hannah Logan in 1842, and for his second wife, Elizabeth 
A. Finley, in Oregon City, in 1850. Children — Somerville, Heber 
L., Mary L., Ross, Lindus B., Ella, and Lloyd. 

CORNELIUS, OLIVER H. P. 

Born in Oregon in 1849; his parents came to the State in 1845. 
He is a druggist by occupation, and resides at Turner, Marion 
County. Wife's previous name was Viola Howe. Children — 
George L., and Arthur. 

DEADY, MATTHEW P. 

Born in Talbot County, Maryland, May 12, 1824. Removed to 
Ohio in L 837, and lived on a farm for several years, afterwards 
working as blacksmith and attending an academy at the same time. 



702 HISTOKY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Began the study of law in 1845, and in 1847 was admitted to the 
Ohio bar. Crossed the plains in 1849, located in Yamhill County, 
and began to practice law. In 1850 he was elected a member of 
the lower house of the Legislature. In 1851 he defeated David 
Logan in the election for the Territorial Council, of which he was 
the presiding officer for two sessions. He held the position of As- 
sociate Justice of the Supreme Court of Oregon from 1853 until 
1859. About 1854 he removed to Douglas County, and took up a 
donation claim near Winchester. Here he settled and occupied 
himself in agriculture as well as his legal pursuits. The people of 
that part of the country, his former neighbors, still have recollec- 
tions of his studiousness and his entire devotion to the higher prin- 
ciples of his profession. Judge Deady was chosen a delegate from 
Douglas County to the Constitutional Convention, of which he was 
elected president. Upon the organization of the State, he was 
elected, without opposition, one of the justices of the Supreme ' 
Court, but being at nearly the same time appointed Judge of the 
United States District Court, he chose the latter position, and im- 
mediately removing to Portland, he assumed its duties, which he 
has ever since discharged with great and increasing reputation. His 
services to this State have been great and arduous. In 1862 he 
prepared the present code of civil procedure, and later the code of 
criminal procedure, both of which are now in force. He has given 
much time to the organization and support of educational and other 
useful institutions. He is president of the Portland Library Asso- 
ciation, and president of the Board of Regents of the University 
of Oregon, at Eugene City. He has done much excellent and 
valuable literary work, outside of the preparation of his legal de- 
cisions, which are unsurpassed in clearness and value. Many his- 
torical subjects, principally relating to this State, have been adorned 
by his pen. All his acts have honored and benefited his adopted 
State, and he stands, to-day, Oregon's first citizen. 

DENNY, ROBERT. 

Born in Indiana in 1825; came to Oregon when twenty-four 
years of age and settled in Washington County. Later on he resided 
for a time in Yamhill County; then, in 1879, he removed to his 
residence in Polk County. Married Miss Eleanor, daughter of 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 703 

Amos Harvey, in 1856. They had five children, namely — Austin, 
Amos, Lucy, Robert (deceased), and Edith. Mr. Denny died in 
1884. 

FIELDS, AMBROSE. 

Born in Kentucky, February 2, 1792; was a farmer by occupa- 
tion, and died at Oregon City, March 17, 1872. His wife's previous 
name was Annie Nour. Children — Mary A. (deceased), Nelson 
(deceased), William S. (deceased), Mary J., Minerva L., Catherine 
E., Joseph A. (deceased), Sarah 1ST., and Thomas R. 

GIBSON, DAVIESS. 

Born in Missouri in 1812; the son of Samuel Gibson. The fath- 
er's birth took place in South Carolina about 1780, and he served 
in the war of 1812. The son left home when twenty-one, went to 
Illinois and lived there nineteen years. Crossed the plains to Ore- 
gon and then went to the California mines in 1849. Returned to 
the "States," via Panama, the next year, and in 1852 organized a 
company of emigrants, of whom his father was one, and set out for 
Oregon. The old gentleman died on the way, aged 72. Daviess 
Gibson settled in Polk County, and has remained on his original 
claim ever since. Has been assessor of his county (1860). Married 
Sophronia Ingalls in 1839. Children — George D. (three years a 
Union soldier), Albert B., Almira B., Cass, Mary D. (deceased), 
Lyman I)., and Sarah. The Gibson farm is in Polk County, five 
miles northwest of Salem. 

HARDING, BENJAMIN F. 

Born in Wyoming, Pennsylvania; came to Oregon about Christ- 
mas, 1849, having mined a little previously in California, which he 
left on account of sickness. In 1 850-51 he served in the Territorial 
Legislature at Oregon City, and subsequently became District Attor- 
ney, and Territorial Secretary until the State organization. Still 
later he became auditor of the claims growing out of the Cayuse 
war, and finally, in 1862, he was chosen United States Senator, and 
held that position three sessions. Soon after Mr. Harding abruptly 
quit politics and -ought retirement upon his farm. He now resides 
in the suburbs of Salem, and devotes his time mainly to tilling the 



704 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

soil and to reading. His services to the State have been very great, 
and hardly excelled by those of any living man. 

HAYDEN, BENJAMIN B. 

Born in Logan County, Kentucky, September 11, 1822; 
married to Hulda Gibson, who was born in Lincoln County, 
Missouri, in 1832. Their children are — Dora, Estella, William, 
Benjamin N., George B., and Samuel Lee. 

HEMBREE, J. J., 

Is now proprietor of the livery -stable at Lafayette. He was 
born in this State in 1849, and becoming a printer, worked fifteen 
years at the case. He served in the United States army from 1864 
to 1866. Was married in 1877 to Miss Emma Perkins, and they 
have one child — George A. Mr. Hembree edited and published 
the Lafayette Courier from 1873 until 1879. 

LANE, JOSEPH. 

Born in North Carolina, December 14, 1801. Lived in his 
earlier years in Kentucky. Married Polly Hart in 1821, and set- 
tled in Vanderburg County, Indiana, and for twenty- five years led 
the life of a farmer, representing his county in the Legislature for 
many sessions. When the Mexican war began, he was chosen 
colonel of the second regiment of Indiana Volunteers, and was com- 
missioned as brigadier -general. He took part in General Taylor's 
campaigns, and in the battle of Buena Vista achieved distinction, 
and received a severe wound. Subsequently, while commanding 
independently a corps of men destined to reinforce General Scott, 
he defeated the Mexicans in several engagements. Before the war 
closed he had become major-general of volunteers. He returned to 
Indiana, but receiving the appointment of governor of the new Ter- 
ritory of Oregon, he set out immediately for the Pacific shore. (See 
pages 327, 328.) He came to California by way of Santa Fe and 
the Colorado Kiver, accompanied by a military escort, and arriving 
in San Francisco in February, 1849, then taking passage to the 
Columbia on a sailing vessel, and arrived at Oregon City on the 
evening of the second of March, 1849. (See page 328.) The 
duties of his office were discharged with uncommon tact and justice 
until August of the same year when, a new administration having 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 705 

come into power, his successor, Governor Gaines, was appointed. 
General Lane now spent some time as a miner in Northern Califor- 
nia. In 1851 he was chosen Delegate to Congress. In 1853 he 
distinguished himself in the Rogue River war, and received a severe 
wound at the battle of Evans' Creek. (See pages 353-360.) The 
subsequent treaty with the Indians at Table Rock was brought about 
largely through his influence with the hqstiles. Until the admission 
of Oregon to the Union, General Lane served with fidelity as Dele- 
gate to Congress, and on the admission he was chosen United States 
Senator. In 1860 the Democratic National Committee at Balti- 
more, nominated him for the office of Vice-President, on the ticket 
with John C. Breckenridge. The details of the ensuing canvass 
are not yet forgotten, terminating, as they did, in the election of 
Lincoln, and the grand tragedy of the civil war. General Lane 
threw his influence at first in favor of the South, but refrained from 
taking an active part in the attempt to disrupt the Union. He re- 
tired to his home near Roseburg, in Southern Oregon, and never 
again entered political life. The remaining years of his existence 
were spent peacefully on his farm and in the bosom of his family. 
He died in April, 1881. 

LINVILLE, WILLARD S. 

Born in Polk County, Oregon, May 19, 1849, at Bloom - 
ington, now called Parker's Station, son of Harrison Linville. 
He was raised on a farm until he reached the age of fifteen, 
when he entered his father's store as clerk, and has con- 
tinued in the mercantile business ever since. He was Govern- 
ment clerk on the Malheur Reservation in 1873-74. In 1878 
he was Republican candidate for clerk, and in a Democratic 
county lacked only a few votes of election. Was a candidate again 
in 1880. Resides in Independence. Was married to Miss Hannah 
C. Nash, January 8, 1871, and they have had five children — Clara 
(deceased), Mildred, Albert B., Mabel C. (deceased), and Ethel E. 
Mrs. Linville died March 14, 1884, of intermittent fever. 

LYMAN, HORACE. 

Professor Lyman was born in Massachusetts in 1815, the 
descendant of a long line of Puritan ancestors, from whom have 



706 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

sprung many distinguished persons who have made themselves 
famous in various walks of life, and among whom a marked 
tendency to the ministerial profession is discoverable. Professor 
Lyman was educated at Williams College, class of 1842, and after- 
wards attended the theological school at Andover, Massachusetts. 
He came to Oregon in 1849, and located first at Portland, estab- 
lishing its first Congregational Church, on the site of the present 
church of that denomination. Concluding his work in Portland, 
he went to Dallas, in Polk County, and continued his ministration 
in connection with teaching. To him belongs the honor of having 
originated the since well-known La Creole Academy, which owes 
its establishment to the efforts of the Professor, assisted by certain 
citizens. Removing from Dallas, Professor Lyman located in 
Forest Grove, and became professor of mathematics in the Tualatin 
Academy, and continued in that chair for fifteen or sixteen years, 
at the expiration being appointed to that of history and rhetoric. 
This he resigned in 1879, and retiring permanently from the 
arduous occupation of teaching, he has since lived at his home in 
Forest Grove. Professor Lyman is a worthy representative of the 
class of educated, refined New Englanders, who, reared in comfort 
and amid peaceful surroundings, have, with a self-devotion rare as 
it is praiseworthy, devoted themselves to the arduous and well-nigh 
thankless task of instructing, Christianizing and refining the chil- 
dren of the border. Their influence cannot be over-rated. It ex- 
tends to all classes of society. They are foremost in every 
Christian and moral work. They teach the youth ; they throw the 
restraints of religion about the young and the old. As mission- 
aries they have penetrated to the noisome abodes of savages; as 
teachers they have chosen penury and a residence among the hard- 
ships and privations of pioneer life in preference to all the com- 
forts and amenities of civilization. Their rewards have been 
ill-proportioned to such sacrifices; but their own strong and en- 
during religious convictions point to a higher and better reward 
than any earthly lot, however bright and glorious. 

MENES, FRANCOIS. 

Captain Menes, commanding the French bark L Etoile du Matin 
(Morning Star), with a miscellaneous cargo, and ten priests, seven 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 70 7 

nuns and three lay brothers, consigned to Archbishop Blanchet, at 
Portland, left Havre in December, 1848, and arrived off the mouth 
of the Columbia about the middle of July, 1849. No pilot ap- 
peared and the Morning Star attempted to cross the bar without 
one. She caught on the sands and remained in the greatest danger 
for nine hours, but finally got off and ran into Baker's Bay, with 
the loss of one seaman. Captain Menes went to sea no more, but 
settling at Oregon City, and afterwards at French Prairie, he finally 
died, December 25, 1867. 

MORRIS, H. TAYLOR. 

Born in Oregon in 1849; in 1863 enlisted in the First Oregon 
Volunteers and served two years, being in several engagements with 
the Indians. Married, 1871, Miss Annie Wessinger. Children two — 
Daisy V., and Ivy L. Mr. Morris' occupation is farming; is posses- 
sor of a valuable farm, two miles east of Lafayette, Yamhill County, 
which is his postoffice address. 

REED, W. H. 

Born in Iowa in 1836, and came to Oregon when thirteen years 
of age. Participated in the Indian war of 1855-6. Married, in 
1859, Miss P. Parrish. They have two children — Gr. A., and Nellie 
F. Besides in Lebanon, and is engaged in merchandising. 

TETHEROW, G. A. 

Born in Ohio in 1828; moved to Illinois in 1839, and came to 
Oregon in 1849. He settled in the Luckiamute Valley, where he 
still resides, engaged in farming and stock-raising. He was married 
twice, his wives' previous names being L. Zumwalt, and Sarah 
Nichols. Their children's names are — Josephine, James M., Willard 
T., and Albert, 

THOMPSON, D. M. 

Born in Indiana in 1830; moved to Iowa and thence to Oregon, 
settling in Linn County. Married Miss Louisa Burkhart in 1855; 
they have two children — Hattie, the wife of C. B. Templeton, D.D.S., 
of Portland; and Edward G., lately in partnership with his father 
in harness-making and saddlery at Albany, but who now carries on 
the business alone, the father having died in 1879. Edward mar- 
ried, m 1884, Miss Amanda Irwin, of Albany. 



708 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

WALLER, T. O. * 

Born in Morgan County, Illinois, November 20, 1823; came to 
Oregon in 1 849 and settled in Polk County on a donation claim. 
The first store in Eola was built by him in 1856. From there he 
went to Dixie where he remained one year, and thence went to 
Eastern Oregon, in 1874, and lived there four years. He then 
moved to Amity, but left that town in 1880 for Monmouth, his 
present place of residence. His business at present is with the 
Farmers 7 Mercantile Association, which includes Messrs. Butler, 
Stump, Bidwell, and two Messrs. Waller. He was married to Miss 
Maria Livermore, March 9, 1847, and five children were born to 
them, two of whom are now living — Clarence, and Henry D. Mrs. 
Waller died March 2, 1862, and he married in July 5, 1879, Mrs. 
Rachel Atterbury, daughter of Luke Mulkey, of Monmouth. 

WHITLOCK, WILLIAM, Sr. 

Born in Kentish Town, England; occupation, merchant. Wife's 
previous name, Honor M. Smith. Children — William, and Edward 
H. Mr. Whitlock died in Oregon City, June 18, 1884. 

WHITLOCK, WILLIAM, Jr. 

Born in Victoria, July 21, 1849. He is now county clerk of 
Clackamas County, and resides at Oregon City. Wife's previous 
name was Anna H. Miller. Children — Edward B.., and Grace A. 

1850. 

ALFORD, ALBERT. 

Born in Chariton County, Missouri, in 1833; came to Oregon 
with his parents, who located in Linn County. He resided in that 
county until 1869, when he removed to Jackson County, and still 
remains there. Is commissioner of that county. Was married to 
Miss Catharine Brinker, by whom he has four children — Russell 
A., M. L., Alice, and Amanda. 

ALLEN, JOHN C. 

Born in Missouri in October, 1825; crossed the plains to Cali- 
fornia in 1846, having set out for Oregon, but coming to the forks 
of the trail the caravan changed their mind and went to California. 
Mr. Allen's father, Isaac Allen, died on the Humboldt, in Nevada. 



HISTOBT OF IMMKrHATIdX. 709 

He was a native of East Tennessee. His widow married Eli 
Brown, and died in January, 1884, aged 89 years. In 1846 J. C. 

Allen served in a military company acting as a home guard 
during the Mexican war. He mined for gold, and assisted in the 

organization of Contra Costa County. California. In 1S50 he came 
to ( >regon, and took a donation claim in Polk County, and lives 
now on an adjoining farm. His principal occupation in Oregon 
has been farming, but lie has traveled to Eastern Oregon and to 
the Salmon Kiver mine-. Married in 1851, Miss Catharine 
McNary, and by her had four children — William W. (deceased). 
Isaac A.. John W., and James D. Mrs. Allen died in 1861, and 
in 1864 he married Miss Miriam Harris. Children — Lena, Roy. 
Kate, El-ie. Charles, and Hugh. Mr. Allen is a Republican, and 
has held seats in both houses of the State Legislature. • 

BAUGHMAN, J. H. 

Born and reared in Illinois: settled in Marion County on coming 
to Oregon, and still resides there. Has been a member of the legis- 

lature. 

BELT, ALFRED M. 

Born in Flemingsl>urg. Kentucky. July. 1804. His father. 
Major Joseph Belt, was a native of Maryland, and a soldier of the 
war of 1^12. In 1 840, Alfred Belt moved to Platte County, Missouri. 
and ten years later crossed the plain- t<> < )regon. He settled in 
Salem, resided thereuntil Lsm>. then removed to Independence, and 
died there. August I s . L881. Was a physician by profession, edu- 
cated by a private tutor, and belonged to the State Medical Society 
of < Oregon. Held the office of Surgeon General during the Indian 
war of 1855-56, and for several year- was physician to the State 
Penitentiary. Was a prominent Mason, and the first Grand Master 
of the State. In 1835 he was married to Mi— Nancy Ward, daugh- 
ter of Genera] Thompson Ward, of Kentucky. Their children 
were ten in number. 

BRIEDWELL, J. W. 

Born in Ohio in 1829; crossed the plains to California, and 
spent Ho-hteen month- in the inine>. Took up a claim near King'- 
Valley, and engaged in the stock business. J< in the same occupa- 



710 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

tion now, but lives near Dallas, Polk County, which is his post- 
office. He owns one thousand one hundred and seventy-four acres 
of land, part of which he farms. Was married in 1857 to Miss Eliza 
M. Reynolds, and had five children. Mrs. Briedwell died in 1875, 
and he married Mrs. Mary H. Ball. By her he has one child 
living. The names of the six are — Milton J., Mary L., William 
E., Sarah A., James F., and Elizabeth. 

BROADWELL, JACOB C. 

Born near Springfield, Illinois, in March, 1827; went to Cali- 
fornia in 1850, and in the same year to Oregon. Settled in Oregon 
City. Removed to Linn County in 1883. Present address, Shedd. 
Married in 1865 to Miss Mary A. May. Their children are — 
Charles C«> Ida M., Silas W., Ivan J., Helen L., Mary, Edward, 
and an infant. 

BROWN, JAMES H. 

Born in Washington County, Virginia, in November, 1796. On 
his arrival in Oregon he settled in Yamhill County. Resided in 
Willamina, and was a farmer. In 1833 he was married to W. 
Husey, and their children's names are — Mary E., Sarah, Margaretta 
J., James H., Joseph E., Nathan A., and Nancy S. Mr. Brown 
died in Yamhill County, May 30, 1875. 

BROWN, SAMUEL. 

Born in York, Pennsylvania in 1821; when seventeen moved to 
Indiana; spent five years in that State and learned the carpenter 
trade. Lived a while in Missouri, and came to Oregon by way of Cali- 
fornia, first spending four years — from 1846 to 1850 — in the search 
for gold. Was State Senator from 1864 until 1872. Besides in 
Gervais, Marion County, and farms extensively, having about one 
thousand acres of land. Was married in 1844 to Elizabeth Allen; 
their children are — -Columbus, Carrie, G. A., Frank M., Sarah, 
Albert M., Nellie D., Ernest, Clyde A., Mabel C, Samuel, and 
Nettie. 

BUSH, ASAHEL. 

Born in Massachusetts in 1824; when sixteen years old, he 
went to Saratoga, New York, thence returning to Massachusetts, 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 711 

and finally coming to Oregon in 1850. Read law in Salem and 
was admitted to the bar, but never practiced. Was clerk of the 
lowet house of the Legislature in 1850-51. Became a newspaper 
editor and conducted the Statesman in the period of its greatest 
celebrity and influence. Was prominent in politics and controlled 
for a time the destinies of Oregon. Quitting public affairs at a 
later date he devoted himself to banking, and as a member of the 
firm of Ladd it Bush added largely to his already considerable 
wealth. Mr. Bush was the first State Printer of Oregon, and held 
that office for some twelve years in aU. Resides at Salem. 

BUTLER, I. M. 

Born in Illinois in 1831 and was reared there. Came across the 
plains to Oregon, and in the same year made a trip to California 
and returned to this State. Went to Illinois in 1851 via the 
Nicaragua route, and came again to Oregon in 1852. Bought a claim 
in Polk County, which he still owns. Has resided in Independence 
since 1868. Was in the grain business there for ten years, retiring 
in 1881 and investing in an opera house. Mr. Butler served in 
Captain Haydems company in the Yakima war. Was sheriff of 
Polk County from 1860 until 1864. Married Miss Sarah A. Webb 
in 1857, and has two children — Ella (Mrs. E. W. Cooper, of In- 
dependence), and Bessie May. 

BUTLER, JUNIUS J. 

Bom in Iredell County, North Carolina, in October, 1815. In 

; moved to Missouri. In 1850 came to Oregon and settled in 

Yamhill County, and now lives -in Bellevue, same county, engaged 

rpenter and farmer. He married Melinda Toney, in Yamhill 

County, in 1873, and their children's names are — Amanda J., Mary 

1... and Philip J. 

CAPLES, J. W. 

Residence and address. Forest Grove. Born in Ohio, January 18, 
L840; came to Oregon in 1 850. Was in Washington Territory twelve 
years jed in general merchandising; went to Forest Grove in 

the spring of 1883, and formed a partnership with J. C. Woods in 
the mercantile business. Owns city property in that town. Mar- 



712 HISTOKY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

ried Miss Harriet L. Gilson in 1866, and they now have five chil- 
dren — Conrad, Jesse, John, Arthur and Ora Dell. 

CARMON, WATERS. 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1811; removed to Illinois in 1822, and 
remained there until 1849. Served in the Black Hawk war. In 
1835 was married to Lavina Buckman, by whom he had four chil- 
dren. She died in 1846, and three years later Mr. Carmon went to 
California, and the next year came to Oregon. In 1852 he married 
Mrs. Lucretia Gurney, by whom he had four children. Settled on a 
farm near Oswego, in 1853, and resided there until his death, Sep- 
tember 29, 1878. 

CARPENTER, WILLIAM R. 

Born in Delaware County, Ohio, in 1822; lives near Gaston, and 
is a farmer. He married Vashti Parsons, in 1851, who died in 
1863. 

CARTER, WILLIAM D. 

Born in South Barre, Vermont, in 1828. Learned the printer's 
trade in Montpelier, and came to Oregon in 1850. Was employed 
on the first number of the Western Star, which was issued at Mil- 
waukee on November thirteenth of that year, and removed to Port- 
land in the June following, and called the Oregon Weekly Times, 
of which he was one of the publishers up to 1857. In 1858, in 
connection with A. Gr. Walling, he began the publication of the 
Oregon Farmer, and continued it for about live years. Mr. Carter 
conducted a job printing office from 1864 to 1869, and has con- 
tinued to work at his trade ever since. In 1857 he married Miss 
Louisa A. Uzafovage, and by her has had eleven children, nine of 
whom are living. 

CHISHAM, J. M. 

Lives in Independence, Polk County, and is a wagon -maker by 
occupation. He was born in Scott County, Kentucky, in 1820. 
After extensive traveling through various States he finally arrived 
in Oregon. In 1855-56 was in the Indian war as First Sergeant in 
Company A, of Benton County. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 713 

CLARKE, S. A. 

Born on the Island of Cuba in 1827; arrived in Oregon in 
September, 1850, and settled at Portland, and remained there two 
years; then removed to Salem, where he still resides; he is a 
journalist by occupation, and gives some attention to fruit -culture. 
He married Harriet T. Buckingham in 1852, in Portland, and their 
children's names are — Harriet, Minnie (deceased), Sarah, and Wil- 
liam J. Mr. Clarke is now editor and proprietor of the Willamette 
Farmer, the principal agricultural journal of the Northwest. In its 
conduct he is assisted by his son, William J. Clarke. The publica- 
tion office is in Salem. Mr. Clarke's journalistic experience has 
been varied and considerable. He had charge of the Statesman for 
several years. Mrs. Clarke came to the State in 1851. She is a 
native of Norwalk, Ohio, and was born in 1832. She crossed the 
plains with her relative Hiram Smith, a man of much note in early 
times, and whose life was spent in actively developing and making 
known the resources of this country. His widow resides in Portland, 
Oregon, and performs literary work for publication in the Wil- 
lamette Farmer. 

COOLEY, B. F. 

Born in Woodburn, Marion County, in 1850. Became a teacher 
and followed that vocation for over twelve years. In 1881 opened 
a store of general merchandise in Woodburn. Is justice of the 
peace and notary public. Married Priscilla Devoren, in 1873. They 
have two children — Dora Ann, and Clarence F. 

DAVIDSON, ELIJAH. 

Was 1 >orn in North Carolina in 1783. Removed to Kentucky 
about 1818, and from there to Warren County, Illinois, in 1831, 
and crossed the plains to Oregon in 1850, and died at Monmouth, 
Polk County, in 1870, aged eighty-seven years. His first wife was 

Miss Murphy, by whom he had twelve children. She died 

in 1864. Second wife the relict of Dr. James McBride. Mr. 
Davidson was a soldier of the war of 1812. 

DAVIDSON, ELIJAH B., 

Son of Elijah Davidson, born in Kentucky in 1819. Removed 
with parents to Warren County, Illinois, when twelve years of age. 



714 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Came to Oregon in 1850, and spent winter near Milwaukie. In 
1851 took donation land claim, which is now just outside the East 
Portland city limits, where he lived until 1855, then removing to 
Monmouth, Polk County. In 1866 he went to Josephine County, 
where he now lives. His occupation has always been that of 
farming. In 1841 he married Miss Saloma Jones, by whom he has 
had thirteen children as follows — William (deceased), Mary 
(deceased), Isaac G., John 8., Elijah J., M. Lizzie (deceased), 
Sarah J., Moses M., Margaret M. (deceased), Carter S., Saloma B., 
Olivia W., and Jay Ellsworth. 

DAVIDSON, ISAAC G. 

Son of Elijah B. Davidson, was born in Warren County, Illinois, 
in 1845, and came with his parents to Oregon in 1850. Has fol- 
lowed the occupations of farming, teaching, book-keeping, and for 
the last five years has been engaged in photographing. In the line 
of scenic photography he takes the first rank in the State. In 1869 
he was married to Miss Sarah O. Biggs, daughter of D. L. Riggs, 
of Salem, a pioneer of 1853. By her he had six children, five of 
whom are living. Mrs. Davidson died in 1883. 

DAVIS, JAMES WARREN. 

Born at Fort Wayne, Indiana, January 15, 1829; removed to 
Kansas in 1835, and to Missouri a few years after. In 1855 was 
appointed clerk of the U. S. District Court at Portland, and so con- 
tinued until 1859. For a time subsequently he was deputy county 
clerk of Multnomah County. Died in Portland, January 8, 1873. 

DEARDORFF, CHRISTIAN. 

Born in Virginia in 1805; removed in early life to Ohio, and 
thence to Indiana. Married Miss Matilda Landes. Moved twice 
toward the west, staying near Burlington, Iowa, from 1838 to 1850. 
Again removed, this time to Oregon, crossing the plains. Located 
with his children near Milwaukie, in Clackamas County, and re- 
mained there until his death, December 16, 1884. 

DOUGLAS, LEVI. 

Born in Clinton County, Ohio, July 28, 1832. Came to Oregon 
in 1850. In 1858 settled near Harrisburg, Linn County, and is 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 715 

now proprietor of a planing and feed mill in that town. Was 
county commissioner in 1880-82. Married Miss Mary A. Curtis, 
and their children's names are — James T., William S., Etta, and 
Leonard. 

DRYER, THOMAS J. 

Born in New York, January 10, 1808; acquired experience in 
newspaper work, went to California in 1849, and was employed for 
a short time upon a San Francisco paper. Came to Oregon, bring- 
ing printing material, and on the fourth of December, 1850, brought 
out the first number of the Oregonian, as a weekly newspaper. 
This paper he conducted until 1860, with success and celebrity. 
Mr. Dryer was a member of the Territorial Legislature, and also of 
the Constitutional Convention. On Lincoln's inauguration he be- 
came minister to the Sandwich Islands. Returning to Portland 
several years later, he filled the office of justice of the peace for 
many years. Died, March 30, 1879. 

FOUTS, WILLIAM. 

Born in Brook County, Virginia, in 1793; was a carpenter by 
occupation. Married Lydia Ellis. Their children were — Solomon 
H., Matilda (deceased), Seneca (deceased), William H. H., Charles 
and Theodore W. Mr. Fouts died at Canemah in 1877. 

GAINES, ABNER P. 

Born in Kentucky in March, 1835; is a farmer by occupation, 
residing at Scio, Linn County. Married Mary E. Looney and their 
children are — Archie A., Ida E., John P., Richard L., C. B., Ha/ttie 
B., and Wilbur W. Mr. Gaines was United States Assessor in 
1861-62. 

GIBBS, ADDISON C. 

Born in Cattaraugus County, New York, July 9, 1825, and was 
educated at Griffith Institute, and at the New York State Normal 
School. He spent several years as a teacher, studied law and was 
admitted to the bar in 1849. Came to Oregon and located on the 
Umpqua River, a donation claim, where stands the present town of 
Gardiner. Participated in the Indian disturbances in the Rogue 
River in 1851. Was a member of the Legislature in 1851-52. 



716 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Was code commissioner in 1853, and collector of customs for South- 
ern Oregon. In 1858 he moved to Portland and opened an office 
in partnership with George H. Williams. Was nominated as gov- 
ernor in 1862, and was elected by a very large majority. At the 
close of his term he was nominated for U. S. Senator by the Re- 
publicans, but, although coming within one vote of an election, he 
thought it prudent to withdraw, giving the seat to H. W. Corbett. 
Governor Gibbs is now engaged in the practice of law in Portland. 
He married in New York, Miss Margaret M. Watkins, and has 
six children, one of whom, William W., is his partner in the law. 

GRIGGS, A. B., 

Whose residence is Monmouth, and occupation that of butcher, 
was born in Adams County, Illinois, in the year 1827, and worked 
at the blacksmithing trade in that State. He came to Oregon in 
1850, and settled in Linn County; is owner of a farm six miles from 
Lebanon in that county. In 1852 mined in Jackson County. Mr. 
Griggs was married to Miss Sarah J. Morris in 1849, and had by 
her six children, viz. — Amanda M., Sarah C, Fannie, Mary P., 
Addie, and John. He was married a second time, to Mrs. R. G. 
Gard in 1881, and by her has two children — Clara and Lucy. 

GWIN, JAMES L. 

Born in Carter County, Tennessee, in 1829; was taken to 
Indiana in 1835; moved to Illinois in 1840, and to Oregon in 1850, 
and settled in Yamhill County. His present residence is Monmouth, 
and occupation, farming and stock-raising. He married Mary 
Boothby in 1858, and their children's names are — Mary A., Reason 
L. (deceased), Ulysses S., George L., Albert, Herman, and Frank. 

HALL, WILLIAM. 

Born in Ohio in 1822; came to the Pacific coast in 1850; lived 
in California hrst, but came to Oregon the same year. Married in, 
1853 to Mrs. Christian Darrall, by whom he had seven children, 
six of whom are now living. His place of residence is Beaverton. 

HOLMES, WILLIAM H. 

Born in Polk County, in May, 1850, and educated at LaCreole 
Academy. Bead law and was admitted to practice in 1874. 



HISTOET OF IMMIGRATION. 717 

Located at Salem. Was nominated as representative to the State 
Legislature in 1880, but was defeated. Was elected prosecuting 
attorney for the third judicial district in 1882. Married Miss 
Josephine Lewis, of Polk County, and has two children — Jessie 
and Clare. 

JOHNSTON, JOHN. 

Born in Ireland in 1828; came to America in 1840, settling 
first in Illinois; came to Oregon in 1850, and located on the 
French Prairie, in Marion County. Originally, he was a miller by 
trade, and after his coming, conducted the old Catholic mission 
mill, called now McKay's mill. His present residence is four 
and a half miles south of Champoeg. Occupation, farming. 
Married Mary Kennedy in 1859, and they have six sons and five 
daughters — Ellen, Mrs. Mary A. Hinkle, Thomas, Eobert E., John, 
Agnes, William, Eliza, Joseph, Charles, and Cecilia. 

KEYT, E. C. 

Born in New York in 1828; his parents removed the same year 
to Ohio, where the son was raised. Coming to Oregon he settled 
in Polk County, and has since resided there. Participated in the 
Yakima war of 1855-6, serving under Captain Hayden. Resides 
in Perrydale, Polk County. Married Mrs. Amanda Daly, in 1863, 
by whom he has had eight children — Elizabeth F., David L., Nellie, 
Hattie, Henry, Edward, Lena, and William. 

LAFOLLETT, D. H. 

Born in Kentucky in 1824; lived in the Western States until 
1850, when he started for Oregon overland. Two years later he 
went to South America, but returned the same year. His subse- 
quent travels have been extensive. Mr. Lafollett resides now at 
Salem, where he is Master of \he Grange. His occupation is farm- 
ing. His family consists of his wife (formerly Miss Cynthiana 
Railsback, to whom he was married in 1843), and five children — 
Alexander M., Iranda G., Susan, Olive, and Emma. 

LARGE, FRANCIS. 

Residence, Forest (hove; was horn in Pennsylvania, on the fifth 
day of August, 1818; eame from Ohio to the Pacific coast in 1850; 



718 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

came from California to Oregon. In 1852 settled in Yamhill County 
and took a donation claim; moved to Forest Grove in 1883. In 
July, 1853, married Miss Z. Baily. Children — Elizabeth D., and 
Charles L. 

LEISY, ISAAC. 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1822; lived in Ohio for some years; set 
out for Oregon in 1850, arriving in the fall. Occupation, farmer, 
owning a place two miles from Hillsboro, Washington County. 
Married, in 1854, Esther Marsh. Children — Rosella, Henry W., 
Netta, Daniel D., Flora, Wealthy, Isaac, Perry, and Douglas. 

LOGAN, DAVID. 

Born near Springfield, Illinois; was the son of Judge Stephen 
T. Logan, once a law partner of Abraham Lincoln; came to Oregon 
in 1850, and began law practice at Lafayette; achieved great dis- 
tinction as a criminal lawyer; retired from practice in 1871. Kan 
for Congress three times as Republican nominee, but was defeated 
each time. Died near McMinnville, March 27, 1874. 

MANSFIELD, DOMINIC. 

Born in Tennessee in 1818; started from Missouri for Oregon 
with his parents; his father and mother died on the route within 
ten days of each other. He arrived in Oregon and settled in Linn 
County; taught school until 1853, then went to farming near 
Harrisburg. In 1857 was elected assessor of Linn County, and 
served three years. Moved to Albany in 1860; was elected county 
clerk in the same year. After the term expired, was in mercantile 
business, and in 1873, became secretary and manager of the 
Farmer's Warehouse Company. Married Miss Celia E. Pollard in 
1853; has four children — William, Mvra, Anna, and Gertie. 

MARTIN, J. L., M. D., 

Is an old resident of Scio, Linn County, having practiced medi- 
cine there for twenty-five years; was born in Davidson County, 
Tennessee, July 14, 1822; is a graduate of the Willamette Medical 
college. Served as assistant surgeon in the Indian war of 1855-56 
in Eastern Oregon and Washington Territory, in the command 
under Colonel Thomas R. Cornelius. Was examining physician for 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 719 

pension applicants, and for insurance companies a number of years. 
Married Fanny Cusick in 1864; her death occurring in 1868, he 
was married a second time, to Catherine Criggin, nee Brenner. 

McCORD, JAMES S., 

Is a resident of Oregon City, and a farmer by occupation ; was 
born in Orange County, New York, July 15, 1829. Married Olive 
E. Brown, and their children are — William, J. W., Benjamin C, 
George S., Catharine (deceased), James B. (deceased), Blanche B., 
Archibald H., Stella A., and Melvin C. 

Mccormick, matthew. 

Born in Ireland in 1825, and came to America when seven 
years old, settling in Rochester, New York; coming to Oregon he 
located at Milwaukie, but now resides on his donation claim three 
miles south of Woodburn, Marion County, and is a farmer. He 
served in the Fourth Infantry under General Taylor in the Mexican 
war, but was wounded at Monterey and received his discharge. 
Married Joanna Clancy, at St. Louis, in 1847. Children — John 
and Charles. 

Mcdonald, h. 

Birthplace, Rhode Island; date of birth, 1825; went to Cali- 
fornia in 1849. Found employment at first as contractor and 
builder, and in such capacity built a theatre, and the first Baptist 
church in San Francisco. In 1850 he came to Oregon and settled 
in Portland. He was and is a useful citizen. His industry erected 
many buildings and works, the pioneers of their kinds. The first 
school-house in Portland was constructed by him; the Willamette 
was first navigated by a steamboat built by him; and several 
public buildings and the first water works were created by his 
ingenuity. Mr. McDonald was married in 1847, in Providence, to 
Elizabeth M. Sampson. These are the names of their children — 
William H., Charles H., Ella Frances, Lulu Annette, E. S., John 
C, and Lily Anna Resides at Forest Grove. 

McLENCH, B. F. 

Born in Maine in March, 1 825 ; came to the Pacific coast in 1850. 
Coming from San Francisco to Oregon he brought up a printing 



720 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

press to his brother-in-law, Samuel E. Thurston, upon which the 
Oregon Statesman was afterward printed. Was made lieutenant- 
colonel of the Oregon State Militia by the Governor, and attached 
to the fifth regiment. Resided a year or more in Oregon City, but 
has spent the greater part of his life in Polk County. Present res- 
idence, Spring Valley; postoffice, Lincoln; occupation, farmer. 
Was married in August, 1852, to Miss Mary A. Gray, a native of 
Vermont, who arrived in Oregon the year preceding. Their family 
included four children — Frank G., Mary E. (wife of A. E. Watson, 
of Polk), Alice, and Sarah M. The latter is deceased. 

MILLER, GEORGE A„ 

Is a farmer residing at Scio, Linn County. Born in Glasgow, 
Scotland, April 24, 1831. After reaching America he proceeded 
overland to Oregon. Married Elizabeth Harris, and their children 
are- — Malcolm, Martha B., Susanna A., and John M. 

MILLER, HENRY B., 

Lives at Miller's, Linn County, and is a trader and general busi- 
ness man. His place of birth was Mercer County, Illinois; born 
October 7, 1848, one of a family of twenty-four children. Married 
Frances Summerville, and their children are — Myrtle, Edna, and 
Ola. 

MILLER, ISAAC D. 

Born in Montgomery County, Indiana, August 26, 1828; was 
one of a family of twenty-four children. Came overland to Ore- 
gon and now lives at Miller's, Linn County, engaged in farming and 
stock -growing. Has held public positions; served as sergeant in 
the Indian wars of 1855-56. Married Ellen E. Johnson, and their 
children are — Ida B., K. E., Ned, Eli M., and Isaac D. 

MILLER, JAMES W. 

Is a resident of Scio, Linn County, and a farmer by occupation. 
He was born in Nova Scotia, August 17, 1833. Married Rosa A. 
Baker, and their children are — Mary J., Lee, Henrietta, Malcolm 
B., James W,, Katy B., and Rose L. 

MILLER, JOHN F. 

Born in Maryland, July 25, 1835; occupation, merchant; place 
of residence, Oregon City. Wife's previous name, Mary J. Shat- 
tuck. Children — Albert L., Hattie N., and John E. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 721 

MILLER, MALCOLM, 

Is a farmer residing at Scio, Linn County ; was born in Nova 
Scotia, September 12, 1835; married Margaret E. Redman, and 
their children are — James N., Benjamin W., Amanda N., and 
Nettie E. 

MILLER, ROBERT B., 

Is a resident of Scio, Linn County; occupation, farmer. Born 
in Nova Scotia, July 29, 1843; settled in Linn County immediately 
on his arrival in Oregon. Married Martha F. Terry. Children — 
William C, Jeannette F., Sarah A., and Maggie A. 

MILLER, SAMUEL. 

Born in Salem County, New Jersey, in September, 1806. Was 
a millwright by occupation, and died at Oregon City, July 4, 
1884. Wife's previous name was Rachel Hart. Children— Mary 
E., John F., Margaret S., Thomas M., and Henrietta. 

MUDGE, NATHAN F, 

Born in Pennsylvania m 1827; came to Oregon and lived in Or- 
egon City until 1859; then went to Washington Territory, and east 
of the Cascades, where he was employed on the railroad. Returned 
to Oregon in 1864. Now owns a farm near Hillsboro. Married 
in 1853, Miss Elizabeth Whealdon, who came to Oregon in 1847. 
They have three children — Mary, Sidney W., and Estella. 

NEALY, NELSON. 

Born in New York in 1814; came to Oregon and settled at In- 
dependence, Polk County. Present residence, Luckiamute, and oc- 
pation, farming. 

O'DONALD, JONATHAN. 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1826; came to Oregon when twenty- 
four years of age; lived mainly in Portland and Salem, and worked 
at his trade of carpenter and stair-builder. Is a member of the firm 
of O'Donald <fc Jackson, carpenters and builders, in Salem. Mar- 
ried in 1865, and had four children by his first wife — William H., 
Emma. Ella, and Elmer E. By a second marriage he has had — 
Anna and Frank. Residence, Salem. 



722 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

PAUL, WILLIAM A. 

Born in Washington County, Missouri, November 10, 1824, of 
Scotch and English parents. His ancestors came to America before 
the Revolutionary war. He came to Oregon and has since resided 
on his farm at Lebanon. Married Hannah J. Elliott, and their 
children are— George M., Samuel J., Mahala, Mattie, Hugh G., 
Celia, and William S. Mr. Paul is proprietor of fifteen hundred 
acres of land. 

PEEBLES, JOHN C. 

Born January 23, 1826, in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. 
In 1838 he moved to Indiana, and in 1850 came to Oregon. On 
October seventh of that year he arrived at Oregon City, and lived 
there until the following March, when he removed to Marion 
County and settled at Fairfield, his donation claim embracing the 
present town site. In 1852 he became assistant clerk in the House 
of Representatives; in 1853 he was elected a member of the Legis- 
lature; in 1854 he was elected to the Council, where he served 
three years and was afterwards elected a member of the Constitu- 
tional Convention, serving as chairman of the committee on educa- 
tion. In 1860 he was elected State Librarian; in 1862 was elected 
county judge of Marion County, and re-elected in 1866 and again in 
1874; in 1880 served as chief clerk of the Senate. Mr. Peebles 
now resides near Salem on a farm on the line of the O. & C. R. R. 
He Was married in 1851 to Miss E. J. Mark, of Clackamas County, 
and they have iiYe children now living — two sons and three 
daughters. 

PORTER, R. M. 

Born in Park County, Ohio, August 7, 1826; came to Oregon 
and settled in Washington County, that being his home since. He 
owns a farm near Forest Grove, and a residence and other property 
in the town. Married Miss Caroline Brown in 1852; she died in 
1859, and in 1860, he married Mrs. Laura A. Stokes. He has four 
children, namely— Ebenezer M., Mary, Tabitha, and Stella. Mr. 
Porter was assessor of internal revenue for Yamhill and Washing- 
ton counties for eight years, and Deputy U. S. Marshal for several 
years. 



HISTOKY OF IMMIGRATION. 723 

PORTERFIELD, JAMES E. 

Mr. Porterfield is a native of Tennessee; his first place of resi- 
dence in Oregon was at Luckiamute, Polk County; his present res- 
idence is at Buena Vista, and occupation, farming. He married 
Ruth AVatson in Missouri, and they have one child, named Miles 
M. Porterfield. . 

PRICE, W. L. 

Mr. Price is a native Oregonian, having been born in Clackamas 
County, in 1850. His present residence is King's Valley, and 
his occupation is farming and merchandising. He married Sarepta 
Norton, in Benton County, in 1870. Their children are — Emma 
L., John, Dora, Edna, Willard, and Cleveland. 

RAMSBY, R. C. 

Mr. Ramsby, a native of Ohio, came to Oregon in 1850, being 
then of the age of twenty -seven. A few months later the gold fever 
took him to California. After a year and a half he set out for New 
York, by a sailing ship, on which he had the misfortune to be 
wrecked on the coast of Central America. From there he made his 
way to New Orleans by way of the City of Mexico, and subsequently 
got safely to Indiana. He was married to Miss Mary Reynolds, by 
whom he has had seven children — E. B., M. D., S. M., Athaliah, 
Jennie, Clara, and C. E. In 1868 he came again to Oregon, bringing 
his wife and children. Since his coming he has followed farming 
mostly, with several spells of various civil offices, notably the sheriff- 
ship of Marion County, which he held in 1880-82. 

RAY, C. F. 

Born in Saratoga County, New York, in 1819; came to Oregon, 
locating first at Salem; resides now at Ray's Ferry, near St. Paul, 
Marion County. This ferry, the first upon the Willamette, was 
instituted, according to Mr. R.'s belief, in 1826, by the Hudson's 
Bay Company. Mr. Ray purchased from James Force, in 1850, 
the first and only mail route in Oregon Territory which run upon 
wheels, viz., the route from Oregon City to Salem. He afterwards 
extended it to Corvallis. introducing the first Concord coaches in 
the Northwest. He also built and operated the first livery stable 
in Salem. He married Amelia Eyre, who was born in England in 



724 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

1834, and whose parents came to Oregon in 1843. Children — Mrs. 
Mary F. Apperson, Mrs. Eliza Coyle, Amelia, Alice, Ida, William 
M., Walter W., Inez, John T., Charles D., Maud L., and Guy. 

REED, CYRUS A. 

Born in New Hampshire in 1825; emigrated to California in 
1849, and the next year came to Oregon, settling at Portland and 
engaged in whatever his hands could find to do. He taught school 
and helped put up the first steam sawmill built in Oregon. Moved 
to Salem in 1852. His mercantile operations in both cities have 
extended over a period of sixteen years. Resides now in Salem. 
Married Lucinda Coffin, by whom he had six children. Married 
again, in 1875, to Jennie Clive, by whom he has had two children. 
Colonel Reed was a representative to the legislature in 1862, and 
in the same year was appointed Adjutant General of the State. 
Was again a member of the legislature in 1874 and in 1878. Built 
the hotel known as the "Reed House," in 1869-70,.and has carried 
out very many public and semi-public works. 

RICE, JAMES N. 

Born in Campbell County, Tennessee, March 17, 1832. Moved 
to Missouri at an early age. Coming to Oregon he settled in Linn 
County, and is a farmer. Has represented Linn County in the 
legislature. Participated in the Rogue River war, and was 
wounded at the Meadows fight. Married Miss Nancy Robinett in 
1857. 

RICKEY, JAMES. 

Born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1802; removed successively 
to Ohio, Iowa, and Oregon, arriving in the latter State in 1850. 
Settled in Marion County. Died January 24, 1875. 

rigdon, w. T. 

Born in Powesheik County, Iowa, in 1849, and was brought by 
his parents to Oregon the next year. Settled in Marion County, 
where he has since lived. Has taught school; was a member of 
the Legislature in 1882; and is an enthusiastic temperance advo- 
cate. Married Miss Mattie J. Smith in 1878. Resides in Jefferson. 



HISTOBY OF IMMIGRATION. 725 

RILEY, J. B. 

Born in Vermont in 18*27. Went to Massachusetts in 1846 and 
became apprentice to a cabinet-maker near Boston. In May, 1849, 
he took passage on the third vessel that left- Boston for California, 
sailing by way of Cape Horn. He came to Oregon in 1850, and 
lived ten years in Oregon City; then moved to The Dalles, where he 
lived three years, and after a short residence in Portland, purchased 
a hotel in Dayton, a business he is engaged in at present. He was 
married in 1862 to Miss S. Jacobs, and two children were born to 
them— Ella M., and William. 

SIMMS, HENRY H. 

Born in Illinois in 1828; came to Oregon and settled at Willa- 
mina Creek, Yamhill County, where he still resides, engaged in 
farming. He married Elizabeth Springer in Polk County in 1852, 
and their children's names are — Sylvander, Susan, and Henry. 

SPRINGER, B. H. 

Born in Steuben County, New York, September 26, 1829, and 
lived successively in Illinois and Iowa. Came from the latter 
State to Oregon in 1850, and settled in the Grande Ronde, Polk 
County, in 1851, remaining there until 1856, when he removed to 
Amity, Yamhill County. His principal occupation has been farm- 
ing; but at present he has chosen the less fatiguing duties of 
notary public and conveyancer. He has three children — Barney 
D., Olive (Mrs. W. R. Smith), and George. Their mother was 
Miss Eliza Warren, whom Mr. Springer married on May 17, 1855. 

STARKWEATHER, W. A. 

Born in Preston, Connecticut, in 1822; taught school there and 
in Ohio: went to California in 1850, and in the same year came to 
Oregon. Took a donation claim near Scio in 1852 and remained 
two years, when he removed to Clackamas County, and resides 
there still. Elected to the House of Representatives in 1854 and 
many times since. State Senator in 1878. Married Miss Eliza 
Gordon in 185a. 

WARREN, A. J., 

Lives three miles east of Brownsville, Linn County, engaged in 
farming and stock-raising. He was born in Lexington, Missouri, 



726 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY.. 

August 10, 1832, and married in 1855 to Miss Eliza Spalding, a 
daughter of the missionary Spalding. Their children are — 
America, Lizzie (deceased), Minnie, and James H. 

WATERS, ABNER W. 

Born in Ashtabula County, Ohio, in 1833; resided subsequently 
in Indiana and Iowa. Coming to Oregon, he settled at Harrisburg, 
Linn County, took a donation claim and also dealt in merchandise. 
He recruited Company F of the First Oregon Volunteers, and served 
three years as its captain during the civil war, commanding at 
various times, Forts Hoskins, Vancouver, Lapwai, and Walla 
"Walla. Raised stock in Union County for several years; managed 
the Statesman, newspaper of Salem, for two years — 1874-76 — then 
held for four years the office of U. S. Marshal. Married first Miss 
M. A. McCully, and second Miss Sarah McCartney, both of whom 
are deceased. He was elected to the State Senate from Multnomah 
County in 1880. 

WATTS, M. M. 

Resides two and a half miles west of Forest Grove, and is a 
farmer. He has made his home there since his arrival in 1850. He 
married Nancy A. Knighten in 1846. 

WHITE, WILLIAM L. 

Born in New Kent County, Virginia, in 1819. Came to Oregon, 
October 29, 1850. Occupation, county judge of Clackamas County. 
Wife's previous name, Mary E. Partlow. Children — William J., 
Anna E., Rebecca T., Allen GL, and William B. The first and last 
named are now dead. 

WHITLOCK, EDWARD H. 

Born in Oregon City, December 3, 1850. Occupation, mer- 
chant. Wife's previous name, Myra B. Hand. Residence and 
post-office address, Oregon City. 

WILMOT, R. P. 

Born in Kentucky in 1814; moved to Missouri in 1836, and 
lived there until coming to Oregon in 1850. Settled first in Port- 
land; then moved to Washington County in 1869, and has lived 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. J2i 

there since; owns a farm near Beaverton, on which he lives. 
Married Miss Nancy Stone in 1836, who died of cholera while 
crossing the plains in 1850. Was married again in 1851, to Mrs. 
Nancy McKay. Had seven children by his first wife, five of whom 
are now living, and three daughters by the second wife, all deceased. 

WILSON, ALFRED. 

Born in East Tennessee in 1826; came to Oregon in 1850, and 
settled in Yamhill County. Present residence, Ballston, Polk 
County. Occupation, farming. Married Miss Elizabeth Johnson 
in 1856. Children — Melissa, Vina, Minnie, Lillie, Mary, Lucinda, 
Alfred, and H. G. 

WILSON, BUSHROD W. 

Born in Columbia, Maine, July 18, 1824. Learned the printer's 
trade in New York. Followed the sea for several years. Came 
to Oregon via Cape Horn and California, landed at the mouth of 
the Cmpqua River, and walked thence to Oorvallis. Was county 
clerk of Benton County from 1864 until the present time. Was 
the first president of the Willamette Valley and Coast Railway 
Company, which proposed to join Corvallis and Yaquina Bay by a 
railway — a project just on the eve of completion (1885) by the 
( )regon Pacific Railroad Company. 

1851. 

BELL, G. G. 

Born in Ohio in 1825, and educated in Dennison College. Taught 
school in that State until 1851, when he came to Oregon. Served 
in the Mexican war. Has taught in the academy at Bethel, Polk 
County. Resides near Bethel and is a farmer. His postoffice is 
McCoy. Married in Ohio to Mary A. DeLong. Their children 
were— Julia, Agnes, Calista (deceased), Edward, Lucy, and Olive. 

BINGMAN, JAMES K. 

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 28, 1829, and came 
to Oregon in September, 1851. Resides now at Oregon City, and 
is a carpenter by trade. Mr. Bingman has been married twice, 
first to Mary Paquet, and last to Jennie Stevens. His children 
are two — Mary A., and Ella C. 



728 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

BLANCHARD, JOSHUA P. 

Born in Montpelier, Vermont, April 28, 1820; was a carpenter 
by occupation; married Rebecca Race; children — William A. (de- 
ceased), Evangeline (deceased), Lydia A. (deceased), Mary E., May, 
Emma J. (deceased), Abraham L., Nora (deceased), Joshua P., and 
Sarah E. Mr. Blanchard died at Canemah, Clackamas County, 
May 16, 1884. 

BOISE, REUBEN P. 

Born in Blanford, Massachusetts, in 1819. Graduated from 
Williams College, class of 1843. Was admitted to the bar in 1848 
and practiced two years, coming then to Oregon and settling at 
Portland. Was chosen prosecuting attorney of the first and second 
districts in 1852. Was one of the commissioners who prepared the 
Oregon code in 1854. In 1854 was re-elected prosecuting attorney, 
and also elected to the Territorial Legislature. Was a member of 
the Constitutional Convention in 1857, and in the same year was ap- 
pointed Supreme Judge of the Territory. When Oregon was ad- 
mitted he was elected Chief Justice of the new State, and when his 
term expired in 1864, he was chosen to the supreme bench. Re- 
turned to the practice of the law in 1870 until 1876, when he was 
again elected to the supreme bench. In 1880 became judge of the 
third judicial district. The judge owns an immense farm in Polk 
County, and has held the position of Master of the State Grange of 
Oregon as well as being a member of the board of trustees of the 
Pacific University at Forest Grove, the LaCreole Academy at 
Dallas, and the Willamette University at Salem. 

BRANSON, ELY T. 

Born in Illinois in 1829; came to Oregon and settled in Polk 
County. His present residence is Sheridan, Yamhill County, and 
occupation, farming. He married Sarah C. Branson, in Polk 
County, in 1864, and their children's names are — William A., 
Edward B., Calvin E., Maud, and Lela. 

BURKHART, C. P. 

Born in Hawkins County, Tennessee, February 24, 1819; in 
1828 went to Kentucky; from thence to Illinois in 1830, and six 
years later moved to Iowa. Was married in 1844 to Elizabeth 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 729 

Jane Doughty; by her has had six children — John H., Mary 
Elizabeth, C. C, Emily L., and Frank A. He came overland to 
Oregon with his family, and settled in Linn County, near Albany, 
where he yet lives, and became a farmer; was elected county com- 
missioner in 1874, and served one term; in 1876 was appointed 
commissioner to the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia, but 
failed to attend; his wife and himself were awarded medals and 
diplomas for the best exhibition there of wheat, rye, and oats. 
Mr. Burkhart is a life member of .the State Agricultural Society 
and also a member of the Grange; was a leading spirit in the con- 
struction of the Santiam ditch which provides Albany with water, 
and has erected a warehouse and other works for the benefit of the 
community. 

BURKHART, J. H. 

Born in Iowa in 1849. In 1876, entered the real estate busi- 
ness and still conducts it in partnership with his brother, C. Burk- 
hart, at Albany, and now has twenty -five thousand acres of land, 
three saw mills and some other .property. Married Miss Ella R. 
Miller in 1876. 

CANON, W. R. 

Born in Pickaway County, Ohio, July 31, 1821; was raised 
upon a farm; went to Illinois in 1845, and came from that state to 
Oregon and settled in Linn County. Was cattle -drover and farmer 
at first, but now keeps a livery-stable in Albany. Participated in 
the Yakima Indian war. Married in 1864 Miss Ann Cary, and 
they have two children — Laura Belle, and Ida Estelle. 

CARSON, JOHN C. 

Born in Center County, Pennsylvania, in 1825, and removed to 
Ohio in 1832. Was educated in Ashland Academy, Ohio. Stud- 
ied medicine, and in 1850 went to California. Ill health took him 
to Oregon, and he lived in Portland, following the business of con- 
tractor and builder. In 1857 he erected a sash and door factory 
in Portland. Has been a councilman of the city for many terms. 
Represented Multnomah County twice in the legislature. In 1854 
he married Miss Elizabeth Talbot, who died in 1859; and in 1860 
he married Mrs. Eliza Northrop, of Portland. Has five children. 



730 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

CHADWICK, STEPHEN FOWLER. 

Born in Connecticut; studied law and was admitted to the New 
York bar. Coming to Oregon lie settled first in Douglas County, 
and practiced his profession among lawyers, a singularly large pro- 
portion of whom were, or have since become, celebrated. He was 
a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1857; and in 1864, 
and 1868, a Presidential Elector. In 1870 he was elected Secretary 
of State, and served eight years, the last two of which he performed 
also the duties of Governor of Oregon, because of the retirement 
of Governor Grover, who was elected U. S. Senator. He held, back 
in the fifties, many judicial ofiices, which need not here be enumer- 
ated. At present he is located in Salem, engaged in the practice 
of his profession. Married, in 1856, Miss Jane Smith, a native of 
Virginia. Governor Chad wick is a notable Mason, having filled, 
with distinction, many ofiices in that society, including that of Grand 
Master, and has taken the thirty -third degree. 

CHAMBERS, W. N. 

Born in Polk County, Oregon, in 1851; settled at Salem in 1868; 
engaged at first in a livery and sale stable, but is now in the hack 
business. Married, in 1876, to Katie C. Bauer. 

CHANDLER, MRS. NANCY. 

Born in Ohio in 1827; came to Oregon in 1851, and settled in 
Polk County. Resides near Ballston. She married P. Sargent in 
1844. Mr. Sargent dying, she married, in 1863, J. M. Chandler, 
who is also deceased. Her children are — W. J., William, Mary, 
C, Martha, J. M., Joel, C. T., George, Charles, Henry, Albert, and 
Emma. 

COLEMAN, D. C. 

Born in Kentucky in 1828; came to the Pacific Coast in 1849. 
and entered the mercantile business in California with his brother, 
W. T. Coleman. Came to Portland in 1851, and remained there 
until 1858. He mined considerably in different places; in 1869 
went to Yamhill County, and to Sheridan in 1876, and still resides 
there. Married Miss Mary Warren in 1853, by whom he had three 
children; she died in 1868. In 1875 he married Martha Sargent, 
by whom he had one child, named Pearl. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 731 

CONDIT, SYLVANUS, 

Son of Philip Condit; came to Oregon in 1851, and in 1854 
married Sarah A. Brown. Their children are — Alice Ann, Samuel, 
Mary C, and Lawrence. Mr. Condit was county commissioner 
from 1878 to 1884. Postoffice address, Turner, Marion County. 

CONE, G. A. 

Born in Vermont, and subsequently settled in Iowa, from which 
State he moved to Oregon. Settled at Butteville, Marion County, 
and resided there until his death, April 7, 1881. His occupation 
was merchandising. Five sons survived him. 

COSHOW, O. P. 

Lives in Brownsville, Linn County, and is a merchant and farmer. 
Was born in Indiana, July 4, 1831, and married, in 1853, to Miss 
Sarah E. Cochran. Their children are — William L., Sophronia A., 
Robert H., James M., Mary E., Oliver P., Sarah E., Ida A., George 
H., and Kate E. 

CRANSTON, SAMUEL B. 

Born in Champaign County, Ohio, October 19, 1828; came over- 
land to Oregon and now lives at Linkville, Klamath County, where 
he is attorney -at-law. Lived for some years in Lane County, where 
he held several public offices; was justice of the peace, and then 
became United States assistant assessor, under the administration of 
Abraham Lincoln; resigned in 1864, having been elected 
member of the State Senate from Lane County. Removed to 
Linkville in 1874, and was appointed register of the United States 
land office in 1875, which position he held until 1877. His wife's 
previous name was Octavia O. Irwin, and their children are — Jose- 
phine R., John F., Elizabeth M., and Henrietta F. 

DAVIS, GEORGE. 

Born in Montgomery County, Kentucky, April 30, 1831; in 
1843 he moved to Illinois; in 1850 came to the Pacific coast and 
after living a short time in California, came to Oregon and settled 
in Washington County. His present residence is in Yamhill County, 
and occupations, farming and blacksmithing. In 1857 he married 
Caroline Yocum, and their children's names are — Olive, Jefferson, 
Lucy, Henry W., Horace L., John H., Orlando G., and Walter L. 



732 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

DAVIS, JEFFERSON. 

Born in Montgomery County, Kentucky, November 23, 1826; 
in 1845, moved to Illinois; in 1850, emigrated to California and 
one year later came to Oregon. He settled at Deer Creek, in Yam- 
hill County; now reside at Bellevue, engaged as a carpenter and 
farmer. In 1853 he married Miss Kittie Robinson, and their chil- 
dren's names are — Mittie M., Eugene I., and Orlando. 

DAVENPORT, T. W. 

Born in Columbia County, New York, in 1826; removed to this 
State with his parents and became a farmer. Located in Marion 
County. Was elected county surveyor in 1864 and 1866, and a 
member of the House of Representatives in 1868 and 1870. Was 
nominated for Congress by the Independents in 1874, but was 
beaten. Was elected State Senator in 1882. Married in 1852 to 
Miss Flora, daughter of R. C. Geer, of Marion County. She died 
in 1870. Married, in 1872, Mrs. N. E. Wisner, of Linn County. 

DENNY, A. H. 

Born in Indiana, February, 1823; resided there until 1851, then 
coming to Oregon. First settled near Portland, but removed in 
1855 to the farm at McCoy, Polk, County, on which he now resides. 
Married in Indiana in 1851 to Almira King, by whom he had seven 
children, of whom the following survive — Lucius, Cephas, Samuel 
C, Julius G.. Thomas, and Ziba. 

DIXON, JESSE. 

Born in Kentucky in 1831; was taken to Illinois in 1835; re- 
mained there until 1851. Came to Oregon in company with George 
Churchill, P. Hampton, and others, and walked all the way across 
the plains. Established himself first in Yamhill County, but went 
to Southern Oregon and mined near Jacksonville for a time. Has 
been engaged in business affairs during the subsequent years. Re- 
sides now in Lafayette and carries on a mercantile business. Was 
married in 1854 to Louisa A. Milliken. They have had three chil- 
dren, two now dead. 

DOWELL, BENJAMIN F. 

Born in Albemarle County, Virginia, in October, 1826; studied 
law at the University of Virginia; went to California in 1850; 



HISTOET OF IMMIGRATION. • 733 

came by sea to Oregon the next year, Resides in Jacksonville. 
Occupation, lawyer. Married Miss Anna Campbell in 1861, and 
they have three children — Fannie, Anna, and B. F. 

DRAKE, B. F. 

Born in Massachusetts in 1825; came to Oregon by way of 
Panama ; settled first in Oregon City, and entered into partnership 
with Mr. Smith, in a foundry. In 1855 he volunteered in Com- 
pany C, under J. K. Kelly, and served in the Yakima war, after 
which he returned to Oregon City, but moved from there to Salem 
in 1 860, and entered into a partnership with John Nation, which 
lasted two years; then became full proprietor of their iron works, 
and in 1864 took J. H. Moores into partnership, which lasted four 
years. Mr. Drake does a large business in the iron trade, and has 
sixteen men constantly employed. 

EDWARDS, JOSEPH. 

Mr. Edwards is a native of the State of Michigan, which, unfor- 
tunately for Oregon, has sent but a small proportion of the west- 
ward emigration. Mr. E. was born in 1827, and came across the 
continent in 1851, being then a single man. He settled in the 
pleasant vale of the Luckiamute and engaged in farming, which he 
still pursues with success. His somewhat large family are the re- 
sults of his union with Missouri Eitner, the marriage taking place 
in Polk County in 1855. Their children's names are — Charles L., 
William H., Mary, Martha, Esther, Richard, John, Sarah, Joseph, 
Lewis, Henry, and Alvin. 

ENNIS, ALLEN. 

Born in Virginia in 1830; on his arrival in Oregon he settled in 
Washington County; his present residence is Buena Vista, and oc- 
cupation, merchant. He married Margarette Smith, in this State in 

3, and their children's names are — B. P., Ennis, Mary, 
William A.. John L., Charles A.. Sydney B., and James H. 

FAILING, JOSIAH. 

Born in 1806 on his father's farm in Canajoharie, Montgomery 
County, X. ^ . His ancestors were of German descent, his great 
grandfather having come from the Bavarian Palatinate and settled 



734 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

in the Mohawk Valley in 1703. Josiah Failing removed to New 
York City when a yonng man and there married Miss Henrietta 
Ellison, who survived him. In 1851 they removed to Portland, 
and Mr. Failing engaged successfully in mercantile affairs, retiring 
therefrom in 1864 and was succeeded by his son and partner, Henry 
Failing. In 1853 Josiah Failing was mayor of Portland, and in 
1864 and 1868 was a delegate to the National Republican Con- 
ventions. He distiuguished himself greatly in his advocacy of com- 
mon schools, and has been styled " The Father of the Schools of 
Portland." In his honor the Failing School has been named. He 
died at his residence in Portland on the fourteenth of August, 1877. 

FAWK, JAMES. 

Born in England in 1816; came to America in 1842, and lived 
in Louisiana, Illinois, and Missouri prior to coming to Oregon. 
On his arrival in this State he took a donation claim on Salt 
Creek; now lives on a farm near Eola, in Polk County. Married 
Miss Elizabeth Robinson in 1839, and has four children — Mary, 
John, Henry, and Wallace. 

FLICKINGER, HENRY. 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1830; came to Oregon and settled in 
Luckiamute Valley, and still resides there. Occupation, farming. 
He married Martha M. Pyburn in Oregon in 1851, and their 
children's names are — Alfred, Caroline, Lillie, Annie, and Martha. 

FRAZAR, THOMAS. 

Born in Massachusetts in 1813; married in 1839 to Frances A. 
Bradford, who died in 1884; present residence, Portland. Was 
Assessor of Internal Revenue during Lincoln's administration. 

GEARIN, JOHN M. 

Born in Umatilla County, Oregon, August 15, 1851; was edu- 
cated at the Catholic college at Santa Clara, California. Studied 
law, was admitted, and in 1875 and 1876 was elected city attorney 
for Portland. Served in the legislature of 1874, and in 1884 was 
elected district attorney of the Fourth Judicial District. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 735 

GEARY, EDWARD R M D.D. 

Born in Boonsboro, Maryland, April 30, 1811, and graduated 
from Jefferson College, Pennsylvania, in 1834. Studied theology, 
and about 1840, entered the ministry, becoming pastor of a church 
at Fredericksburg, Ohio, in which he officiated for thirteen 
years. Settled in Yamhill County, Oregon, in 1851, and was ap- 
pointed clerk of the U. S. Circuit Court; afterwards became county 
clerk and superintendent of schools for Yamhill County, and after- 
wards clerk to General Palmer, Superintendent of Indian Affairs. 
In 1857 he succeeded el. AY. Nesmith as Superintendent of Indian 
Affairs for Oregon. He preached in Linn County for a time, but 
moved to Eugene City in 1876, and became pastor of the Presbyte- 
rian church. Has taken thirty-two degrees in Masonry. Is a re- 
gent of the State University. Married twice, first to Miss Harriet 
Reed, and after her decease, to Miss N. M. Woodbridge. Has 
seven children. 

GEORGE, M. C. 

Born in Noble County, Ohio, in 1849. His parents brought him 
across the plains in 1851, and settled on a farm near Lebanon, Linn 
County. He was educated at the Santiam Academy, the Willam- 
ette University, and the Portland Business College. Was nomi- 
nated by the Republicans of Linn Count}' for Representative to the 
Legislature in 1870, but was defeated. Taught at the Jefferson Acad- 
emy and was principal of the Albany public schools for a year or two. 
Was again defeated as a candidate for the Legislature in 1872. 
Married Miss Mary Eckler in 1872. Read law, and in 1875 was 
admitted to practice. Became State Senator for Multnomah County 
in 1876. In 1880 received the nomination for Congressman by the 
Republicans, and was elected by fourteen hundred majority. 

HALL, B. F. 

Born in Indiana; came to Oregon and settled in Multnomah 
County. Married Emily Hickland, and had by her two children. 
Mr. Hall died in 1860. 

HARGER, LINUS W. 

Was born in Massachusett> in 1833; on his arrival in Oregon 
he -ettled near Forest Grove, Washington County. His present 



736 HISTOKY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

residence is West Chehalein, and occupation, farming. He married 
in 1871, Miss Pambrun who is a daughter of P. C. Pambrun, who 
was sent by the Hudson's Bay Company to locate Vancouver as a 
trading post, in 1825. Mr. Pambrun also had charge of Fort 
Walla Walla at the time Whitman and the missionaries came there, 
and Mrs. Harger was born at the latter place in 1837. 

HICKS, TELITHA (SIMPSON). 

Mrs. E. P. Hicks nee Miss Telitha Simpson, died at Abiqua, 
November 1, 1884. She was born on the plains July 3, 1851, 
reaching Oregon in the latter part of the same year, settling in 
Marion County, and was subsequently married to E. P. Hicks. 
Her husband and two children survive her. 

HICKS, URBAN E. 

Born in Boone County, Missouri, May 14, 1828 ; served five years' 
apprenticeship at the printers' trade in Paris, Monroe County, and 
Hannibal, on the Mississippi river. Married Miss Eliza Jane Lee- 
dom, in 1850, in Schuyler County; went to St. Louis, and in the 
spring of 1851 set out for Oregon, overland. Settled at the mouth 
of the Cowlitz river, taught school, and in 1852, came to Portland; 
worked a short time at his trade ; located on a claim three miles east 
of East Portland; moved to Salt Creek, Polk County, and from 
there to Puget Sound, in 1853, where his wife died, leaving one son, 
Dr. Frank P., of Astoria. Married Miss India Ann Hartsock in 
1855, by whom he has one son living — G. Gwin. Took part in the 
Indian war of 1855-6, going out as first lieutenant and afterwards 
promoted to captain; was assessor and county clerk of Thurston 
County, and assistant clerk of the first Territorial Council of Wash- 
ington Territory; was at different times elected by the legislature, 
Territorial Librarian, Territorial Auditor, and Quartermaster Gen- 
eral; was also deputy U. S. Marshal. Mr. Hicks has had a varied 
experience in the newspaper business, having, in 1861-62, published 
the Vancouver Telegraph; in 1864-65, published the Washington 
Democrat, at Olympia; moved his plant to Salem, Oregon, and in 
connection with A. Noltner and C. B. Bellinger, in 1865-66, pub- 
lished the Democratic Review; went to Portland and was city editor 
of the Daily Oregon Herald; started the East Portland Era in 
1871, and in 1874, was engaged as editor of the Vancouver Register. 
He now resides in Portland. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 737 

HIGGINS, S. 

Born in Connecticut in 1806; was raised in that State and Massa- 
chusetts, and came to Oregon at the mature age of forty-five. Took 
up a donation claim in Polk County and still resides thereon. Oc- 
cupation, farming. Married in Maine in 1849, Miss Susan Mc- 
Clench. Thev have six children — Sarah L., Susan A., John S., 
Ephraim C, Ellen A., and Mary Ida. 

HUMASON, ORLANDO. 

Born in Trumbull County, Ohio, in 1827, removed to Texas 
in 1849, and proceeded to California, by way of Mazatlan, in the 
next year. The following year he came to Oregon and was em- 
ployed by Asahel Bush, as printer. Settled soon after in Yamhill 
County and cultivated a farm. Was elected to the Territorial Leg- 
islature in 1852, and a year later removed to Eastern Oregon where 
he resided until his death on September 8, 1875. His principal 
occupation was the practice of the law. 

HYDE, PERRY. 

Born in Laurel County, Kentucky, in 1825; came to Oregon and 
settled in Harrisburg, Linn County; has been in the stock and mer- 
cantile business most of the time, but has recently retired. Was 
married to Miss Eliza Tyler, by whom he has six children, namely 
— Marion, Mary, John, America, Oliver and Caroline. 

JOHNSON, LEWIS. 

Born in Ohio in 1815; when nine years old removed to Illinois; 
lived in succession in that State, Indiana, and Missouri until 1851. 
Arrived at Portland, Oregon, in that year and remained a twelve- 
month; pursued merchandising in Washington Territory for the 
live years following; was in Yamhill County for the ensuing three 
years, and in 1861 removed to Salem. Married Eachel Youst in 
183^. Their children comprised — Jane M. (deceased), C. A. 
(deceased), Mary E., Henry C, Maria E. (deceased), Angie, A. 
B. (deceased), Reuben, and Rachel. Mr. Johnson has been a 
Member of the State Legislature (in 1857), and was justice of the 
peace while in Washington Territory. He now resides in Salem. 

KELLY, JAMES K. 

Born in Center County, Pennsylvania, in 1819, and was reared 
upon a farm. Was educated in Princeton College, and afterwards 



738 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

studied law and was admitted to the bar. Practiced several years, 
and went to California in 1$49, mined for a time, but came to 
Oregon soon after, and settled in Oregon City. Was chosen Code 
Commissioner in 1853, and also belonged to the Territorial Council, 
being for two sessions president of that body. In the Yakima war 
he took an active part, and was appointed lieutenant-colonel of 
the Oregon Volunteers. In 1857 he was a member of the Consti- 
tutional Convention, and in 1860 was State Senator. In 1864 he 
suffered defeat as nominee for Congress, and two years later was 
beaten by Geo. L. Woods in the contest for the Governorship. 
Was elected United States Senator in 1870, and in 1878 became 
Chief Justice of Oregon. 

LADD, WILLIAM S. 

Born in Vermont in 1827. Was a teacher in his youth, and 
afterwards freight and passenger agent on a railway. Came to 
Portland in 1851, and soon after obtained a clerkship with a mer- 
cantile house, rising to the ownership thereof very quickly. In 1859, 
in partnership with C. E. Tilton, he established the first banking 
house in Oregon, and has retained control of it ever since, besides 
entering into many other enterprises, through which he has amassed, 
perhaps, the greatest fortune in the State. Is, or has been, a mem- 
ber of the banking firm of Ladd & Bush, of Salem, as well as a 
director in very many enterprises of importance — such as the Salem 
Flouring Mills, the Oregon City Woolen Mills, . the Oswego Iron 
Works, various local railroad companies, wagon road companies, 
and other concerns. Has been mayor of Portland. Married Miss 
Caroline A. Elliott in 1854. 

LAME, JOSEPH H. 

Born in Jefferson County, Indiana, in 1824; came to Oregon 
and lived in the neighborhood of Portland for two years. Moved 
to Linn County in 1853, and has since resided there. His occupa- 
tion is merchandising and dealing in wheat. Is of the firm of 
Koontz & Lame. They have a large warehouse and handle from 
sixty to seventy-five thousand bushels of wheat per year. Mr. 
Lame married in 1848, Mary Brown. Children — Oryntha, Maria, 
Viola, Frederick, and Ethel — all living. Mr. L.'s mother, now 
eighty-four years old, resides with him. 



HI8T0EY OF IMMIGRATION. 739 

MARVIN, ALBERT M. 

Born in Ohio in 1840; came to Oregon when eleven years of 
age; lived first in Portland, removing to Salem in 1853, and has 
lived there ever since. Is at present steward in the Ghemeketa 
Hotel, Salem. Married in 1873 to Lucinda Coffin. 

MATTOON, CHARLES H. 

Born in Madison County, New York, in 1826; in 1851 he came 
to Oregon and settled on the Tualatin Plains, near Forest Grove. 
Until about 1870 he followed school teaching and book canvassing. 
In 1870 was ordained a clergyman of the Baptist Church, and for 
twenty years served as clerk of the Central Baptist Association — 
the largest Baptist association north of California — and for two 
years was statistical secretary of the Baptist Convention of the 
North Pacific Coast, comprising Oregon, Washington and Idaho. 
For two years was a professor at McMinnville college. Now re- 
sides in Corvallis, where he is proprietor of a notion and variety 
store. In 1860 he married Miss Mary N. Smith, who died in 
January, 1878. In 1884 he married Miss Ellen E. Folsom. He 
has three children — Leslie M., Frank S., and Laura E. 

McCAIN, JAMES. 

Born in Carroll County, Indiana, March 30, 1842. Lived on his 
parents' farm in Polk County until 1867, when he studied law, 
and in 1868 was admitted to practice. Practiced in Dallas, Polk 
County, removing to Lafayette in 1871. Married Miss E, C. Sulli- 
van in 1868. 

MEAD, M. M. 

Born in West Virginia in 1822; moved to Ohio and afterwards 
to Missouri; participated in the Mexican war; was married in 1849 
to Minerva Greenstreet. Their children are — Ellen, James E., Ol- 
iver C, and A. W. Residence, Salem. 

MEAD, JAMES E. 

Born in Missouri in 1851, and at the age of six months was 
brought across the plains to this State. Is now a police officer of 
the city of Salem. 



740 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

MILLER, C. M. 

Born in Lancaster District, South Carolina, February 11, 1818; 
came to Oregon and lived at various times in Clackamas, Marion, 
and Lane counties, prior to settling in Harrisburg, where he is now 
engaged in the hardware business. Was married in 1834, and his 
wife died in 1874, leaving him one child, named James F. 'He 
married again, in 1875, to Almira Cummens. 

MILLER, JOHN F. 

Born in Harrison County, Kentucky, and reared there. Removed 
to Missouri in 1841, and on the breaking out of the Mexican war, 
enlisted in the Chihuahua Bangers, a portion of Doniphan's com- 
mand. Participated in various tights, and on the conclusion of hos- 
tilities, returned to Missouri and was married, March 25, 1849, to 
Miss Zerelda Jackson. Came to Oregon and settled on a donation 
claim in Jackson County. Commanded a company of volunteers 
and fought the Indians with vigor in the Indiar war of 18 53, par- 
ticipating in the battle of Evans 1 Creek, when General Lane was 
wounded. Did escort duty on the plains later in the year, protect- 
ing incoming immigrant trains. Captain Miller represented Jack- 
son County in the legislature in 1853-54, and afterwards became 
Indian Agent at Grand Bonde Beservation. Moved to Salem in 
1862, and was instrumental in building the Willamette Woolen 
Mills. Was nominated for Governor in that year, against A. C. 
Gibbs, but was defeated; in 1866 he was beaten by G. H. Williams 
in the race for U. S. Senator. His family residence is at Salem, but 
he has stock interests in Klamath County which requires his pres- 
ence there the most of the time. General Miller commanded the 
Oregon militia in the Modoc war, being then General -in -chief of the 
State militia. 

MOODY, Z. F. 

Born on May 27, 1832, in Granby, Massachusetts; in 1848 he 
removed to Chicopee, in the same State, where he remained the en- 
suing three years. In March, 1851, he started for Oregon via the 
Isthmus, with a company, among whom was Hon. Samuel B. 
Thurston, the first Delegate to Congress from Oregon Territory. 
He came direct to Oregon City, arriving on the twenty-first of 
April, 1851. From this time until 1853 he was engaged on the 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 741 

United States Surveys as one of the tw Freeman Party" — so-called 
after James E. Freeman, who stuck the first pin in the United States 
Surveys in Oregon, established the central point of the Willamette 
Meridian, and extended this meridian to the Canyon Mountains. 
In 1853 Mr. Moody removed to Brovvnsville, Oregon, where he 
engaged in the mercantile business. In 1856 he was appointed In- 
spector of the United States Surveys in California. After com- 
pleting his duties as such he went to Illinois where he remained 
four years, during a portion of which time he was the surveyor of 
Morgan County. He was in Washington, D. C, when Fort Sumter 
was fired upon in 1861, and enrolled as one of a company formed 
to protect the city until the arrival of the regular troops. In 1862 
lie returned to Oregon and settled at The Dalles where he entered 
the mercantile business. In 1863 he removed his business to Uma- 
tilla, continuing there until the fall of 1865. In 1866 he built the 
steamer Mary Moody, on Pend d'Oreille Lake, and organized the 
" Oregon and Montana Transportation Company." From 1867 to 
18tf ( .> lie was trading at Boise. In the latter year he removed to 
The Dalles and became agent for Wells, Fargo & Co.'s Express. 
Resigned in 1878 and secured a contract for carrying the mail be- 
tween Portland and The Dalles, running a steamboat line between 
those places. Withdrew therefrom in 1875 and resumed business 
at The Dalles. Was elected State Senator from Wasco County 
in 1*7:2 but did not take his seat. In 1880, was elected repre- 
sentative, and was chosen Speaker of the House. Was nominated 
for Governor in April, 1882, and elected over his Democratic com- 
petitor, Joseph S. Smith, by fourteen hundred majority. 

MULLIGAN, ROBERT. 

Born in Ireland in 1830; came to America; was in Missouri in 
184."); came t<> Oregon and settled in Portland. Lives now in the 
Grand Ronde, Polk Count}", and is a farmer. Married Mary J. 
Ward in Idaho. Children — John, Robert, Eddie, Ruth, Carrie. 
Joseph, Ollie, Grace and Eve. 

MURPHY, JOHN MILLER. 

Born in Indiana in L839; came to Portland, Oregon, in 1851, 
aero— the plains, with Barnes' company of immigrants. Camped 
three werks in a tent on the Portland levee about where the 



742 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Oregonian office stands, awaiting a shipment of " California houses, 11 
to obtain a permanent domicile. Succeeding year moved to 
Olympia, Puget Sound; returned jto Oregon in 1856, and served 
apprenticeship at printing in the Times and the Standard offices. 
In June, 1861, started the Vancouver Chronicle, at Vancouver, W. 
T. In November same year established the Washington Standard, 
Olympia; in 1862 married to Eliza J. McGuire, in Portland. Still 
publishes the Standard. Has held office of Territorial Auditor 
three terms. 

NICHOLS, MATTHEW. 

Born in Caroline County, Maryland, in 1821 ; went to Illinois in 
1845, and came from there to Oregon. He settled in the Luckia- 
mute Valley, still resides there, and his occupation is farming and 
stock-raising. He married Leah Tregoe, and their children's names 
are — Isaac, Margarette, Leah, George, John, Sarah, Winta, and 
Lucinda. 

ODELL, W. H. 

Bern in Carroll County, Indiana, in 1830, and was raised on a 
farm. His parents came to Oregon and located in Yamhill County; 
the son was educated at the Oregon Institute, Salem. Married Mrs. 
E. F. Thurston. The couple conducted the Santiam Academy for 
three years (1860-63). From 1864 to 1871 he was deputy U. S. 
Surveyor, and in the latter year became U. S. Surveyor- General for 
Oregon, holding that office until 1874; in 1876 was an elector on 
the Hayes' presidential ticket. Became editor of the Statesman 
newspaper in 1877, and retained it until 1884; is now (1885) post- 
master at Salem. 

OLDS, GEORGE W. 

Born in Branch County, Michigan, July 16, 1830. Came to 
Oregon twenty- one years later, and settled in Yamhill County, 
and now resides at Lafayette, in the same county. Mr. Olds' 
occupation is that of farmer. Ha married Nancy E. Shuck in 
Lafayette, on November 10, 1859. Her native State was Iowa, 
and her birthday Jane 27, 1840. 

OLDS, JAMES H. 

Born in Ohio, May 29, 1830; came to Oregon in 1851, but re- 
turned and came out again next year. First settled in Washington 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 74o 

County, but after four years, removed to Lafayette, Yamhill Coun- 
ty. Occupation, farmer and hotel keeper. Married Nancy A. Par- 
ker, of Ohio. Sept. 13, 1852. Children— E. M., Kate G., D. V., 
Mis. Delia Klosterman, and Peter P. 

OLNEY, CYRUS. 

Horn in Ohio; grew to manhood there and studied law in Cin- 
cinnati and was admitted to the bar; removed to Iowa and for four 
year- was circuit judge. Came to Oregon, stopped first at Salem, 
and then in Portland, where he acquired property. In 1853, was 
appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of Oregon, his colleagues 
being Judges Deady and Williams. Resigned in 1857 and removed 
to Clatsop County. Was a member of the Constitutional Conven- 
tion. Went to the Sandwich Islands, expecting to remain, but 
returned and took up his residence at Astoria. Was a member of 
the legislature in 1866 and in 1870. Was twice married and had 
seven children, but survived them all. Judge Olney died at Astoria 
December 21, 1870. 

PATTON, THOMAS McF. 

Born in Carrolton, Ohio, March 19, 1829. Was admitted to the 
bar in 1850, the year before his arrival in Oregon. Settled in Sa- 
lem in 1851, but lived a year or so in Jacksonville, Oregon, where 
he held the office of county judge. In 1860 and 1866 he was chief 
clerk of the house of representatives at Salem, and in 1861 was 
clerk to the Superintendent of Indian Affairs. In lb72, he repre- 
sented Marion County in the legislature. In 187B he was appointed 
appraiser of merchandise for the Willamette District, holding that 
position until ls>>4. when he was appointed United States Consul 
to Japan, and proceeded to that country. His wife was formerly 
Mis> Fannie Cooke, daughter of E. X. Cooke. They have three 
children. 

PEARCE, THOMAS. 

Born in England in 1826; came to America in 1845; lived first 
in Ma<saehu>^tt>, then moved to Illinois; came to the Pacific coast 
in 1850 and lived in California until coming to Oregon in the year 
following. Mas lived in Polk County since, engaged in farming 
and mechanical work, and for many years has been notary public 



744 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

and justice of the peace. Since 1881 has been manager of the 
Storage and Shipping Company's Warehouse at Eola. Married 
Miss Naomi Liver more in 1852, and has nine children living — 
George J., William T., Charles L., Vine W., Lot L., Kichard E., 
Orville G., Martha N., and Clara E., and one — Sarah E. — deceased. 

POPE, THOMAS A. 

Lives in Oregon City and is a merchant by occupation ; he was 
born in New York City in 1842; married Laura E. Warner, and 
their children are — George A. (deceased), Etta, and Laura. 

POWELL, FRANKLIN S. 

Born in Sangamon County, Illinois, in 1830; crossed the plains 
with his father, J. A. Powell, in 1851. Settled in Linn County; 
in 1871 removed to Polk County where he has since resided at his 
farm, two miles northwest of Monmouth; served as justice of the 
peace four years; is now a member of the board of trustees of the 
Normal school and also of the Christian Church. He w T as married 
in Illinois to Miss Louisa Peeler in 1851, and they have six children 
— James, a physician of Lebanon, Linn County, John H., a farmer, 
Marintha, Perry O., Ira C, Jay, and two deceased. 

POWELL, J. A. 

Born in Ohio in 1807; removed to Illinois when eighteen years 
of age. Studied for the ministry, and coming to Oregon, became 
a pioneer preacher for the Christian Church. Traveled extensively 
in Western Oregon and Washington Territory. Owned a farm on 
the Santiam, Linn County. Married in Illinois in 1828 to Miss 
Savilla Smith, by whom he had ten children, nine now living — 
Theresa S. (died on the plains), Franklin S., Augustus S., Stephen 
D., Jemima, Lorena, Mary, Henry Clay, Josephine B., and Sarah 
A. Mr. Powell died in 1880. 

RICE, SAMUEL. 

Born in Connecticut in 1828; removed to Oregon and settled 'in 
King's Valley, Benton County, where he still resides; occupation, 
farming and stock-raising. Married Martha J. Miller, in Illinois, 
in 1849. Children— Sarah A., Albert N., Mary L., Charles E., 
John E. (deceased), Malinda E., Francis, and a deceased daughter. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 745 

RICHARDSON, ENOCH. 

Born in Illinois in 1816; came to Oregon in 1851. Resides 
now at Perrydale, Polk County. Is a farmer. Married Miss Jane 
Mackey in 1838. Children — J., James "VV., Sarah E., Isaac, and 
Alexander. 

RICHARDSON, JOHN. 

Born in Monroe County, Illinois, January 28, 1797. During the 
war with Great Britain, in 1812, he enlisted, at the age of fourteen 
years, to return his father from service; for his services he drew a 
land warrant and received a pension from the government. He 
also served one year on his own account, during which time he went 
\vith an expedition to relieve Fort Edwards, in Illinois, which was 
besieged by the British and Indians. He was married to Orpha 
Thompson, who was born in 1802; by her his children are — Milton, 
Thomas J., William W., George W., Louis C, Eliza T., Obadiah 
W., John W., Andrew J., Enoch N., James W., and Rebecca G. 
His second wife was Plua Bonney, who is yet living. Mr. Rich- 
ardson died in Linn County, April 16, 1873; his children, eight of 
whom are still living, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, num- 
ber eighty. 

RICHARDSON, JOHN W. 

Born in Adams County, Illinois, January 1, 1833; came over- 
land to Oregon and settled in Scio, Linn County, his present 
residence, and now owns a farm of three hundred acres. His 
wife's previous name was Mary A. Conkrite. Their children are 
— Melvina, Almira, Milessa, Wallace, Wilson, and Truman B. 

RIGGS, SILAS T. 

Born in Scott County, Illinois, in 1841. Settled on Salt Creek, 
Polk County. Is a farmer. Married Miss Sarah J. Bones in 1804, 
and had Etta. Married again in 1875 Miss Sarah My re, by whom 
he had Clara May. 

SMITH, BENJAMIN F. 

Born in Massachusetts in 1805; adopted a seafaring life, and in 
1851 came around the Horn to Portland, in the brig Francisco. 
Until 1860 he made frequent trips in that vessel along the coast, 



746 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

but in that year retired from the sea and settled in Portland. His 
occupation subsequently was dealing in lime. Died of paralysis at 
his home on Taylor street, Portland , April 5, 1879. 

SMITH, DAVID. 

Born in Ohio. Came to Oregon in 1851, by mule team; went 
to California in the same year, but soon returned to Oregon, and 
bought a saw mill in Marion County, where Aurora now stands. 
In 1853, built a grist mill which was destroyed by lire; built another 
the same year, but sold it in 1856, and moved to Yamhill County 
and lived there twenty years. Moved to Forest Grove in 1876. 
Mr. Smith owns a farm in Yamhill County, and a farm and city 
property in Washington County. Married Miss Ann M. White, in 

1852, and has two children — Milton W., a lawyer at Portland, and 
Henry Clay, a doctor in that city. The former graduated at the 
Pacific University, and the latter at New York. Mr. Smith lives 
at Forest Grove, and has been a member of the city council; was 
president of it four years. The city was incorporated in 1872, and 
liquor is prohibited from being sold inside of the city limits. 

SMITH, WILLIAM P. 

Born in Kentucky in 1818; in 1841 went to Springfield, Illi- 
nois, and remained until 1849, when he went to California and 
worked in the northern mines for two or three years. In the spring 
of 1851 went into Oregon and mined on Josephine and Canyon 
creeks in the Illinois Valley. Settled in the Willamette Valley in 

1853, remaining at Corvallis for ^ve years. Located at Halsey in 
1872 and is residing there still; occupation, druggist. 

SPERRY, JAMES B. 

Born in Ohio in 1835, but removed to Iowa in 1840, remaining 
there until 1851, when he crossed the plains to this valley. Located 
in Linn County and remained there until 1877 when he removed 
to Umatilla .County. He took part in the Indian war of 1855-56 on 
the Kogue Kiver. Was assessor of Linn County from 1870 until 
1872, and has been a member of the Legislature. Married Miss Re- 
becca Rice in 1856, who died in 1875. In 1877 he wedded Miss S. 
V. Spencer. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 747 

STOTT, J. M., Sr. 

Born in Kentucky in 1812; came to Oregon and settled in 
Multnomah County. Lives now fourteen miles east of Portland, in 
the same county. Is a farmer. Married Elizabeth Denny in 1839, 
and they have had three sons and two daughters. 

STOTT, RALEIGH. 

Born in Indiana in 1845 and was brought by his parents to 
Oregon when six years old. They settled in Washington County, 
where the father died in 1880. Judge Stott graduated from the 
Pacific University, class of 1869, and studying law, was admit- 
ted to the bar in 1870. Practiced in Yamhill County until 1873 
when he removed to Portland, his present residence. Was elected 
to the Legislature in 1874, and two years later became prosecuting 
attorney for the Fourth Judicial District. In 1880 became Circuit 
Judge for the same district. Married in 1876, Mrs. Susan C. Stout, 
widow of Lansing Stout. 

SUMMERVILLE, HENRY B. 

Born in Harrison County, Virginia; came to the Pacific Coast 
in 1849, and lived in California until coming to Oregon in 1851. 
Assisted in bringing the first boat up the Yamhill River to Dayton. 
During the Indian war he was in Captain Goif 's company, and 
Was with I. I. Stevens in his council of 1856. Now has a com- 
mission store in Sheridan where he resides. 

VANDUYN, I. 

Born March 6, 1837, in Adams County, Illinois, and taken, 
when a child, to Missouri; with his parents came to Oregon in 
1851, and his father, Isaac Yanduyn, is now a resident of Lane 
County. Mr. Yanduyn occupied himself at first with dealing in 
stock, but in 1866 entered into business with W. H. McCully and 
John Somerville, in merchandising. The firm dissolved two years 
later, and Mr. Yanduyn went to Eastern Oregon to spend two 
years in the cattle trade. Later he returned to Independence and 
traded for three years, then forming a partnership with S. W. 
Smith, under the firm name of Vanduyn & Smith, which still 
exists. 



748 HISTOKY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

WAITE, EDWARD M. 

Born in Springfield, Massachusetts; learned the printers' trade; 
came to Oregon and procured a "sit" upon the Oregon Statesman, 
published at Oregon City by Asahel Bush. In 1869 entered upon 
job printing in Salem. 

WALTER, RALPH. 

Born in Connecticut in 1817; parents took him when young to 
New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. After five years' residence in 
the later State, he came to Oregon, crossing the plains, and settled 
in Marion County and has resided there since. Located in Jeffer- 
son in 1871, and conducts the only hotel at that place. Married in 
Ohio in 1840 to Miss Catharine Wales. They have nine living 
children — Eliza Amanda, Mabel J., Alpheus A., Mary B., Rudama, 
Frances M., Sarah, Estella, and Fred D. 

WEHRUNG, HENRY. 

Born in France in 1828; came to America in 1848 in conse- 
quence of the political troubles of that date. Emigrated to Cali- 
fornia in 1850 and in 1851 arrived in Oregon and opened the first 
furniture store in Washington County and is still engaged in that 
business. Built the Tualatin Hotel at Hillsboro in 1854. Was 
married in 1856 to Mary C. Emeriek, by whom he has had — Char- 
lotte E., Mary C, William H., and George A. Mr. Wehrung pos- 
sesses two stores in Hillsboro and a farm near town. 

WHITE, EUGENE D. 

Born in Oregon City in 18.51 and was educated at the Pacific 
University, Forest Grove, and at a business college in Portland. 
Was in mercantile affairs for a time, afterwards establishing him- 
self as agent for various insurance companies. Married Miss Emma 
Giltner in 1876. Residence, Portland. 

WHITE, HENRY B. 

Mr. White, now a prosperous farmer of Yamhill County, was 
born in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, April 28, 1811. He removed 
to Ohio in 1817, to Indiana, in 1835, to Missouri in 1840, and to 
Oregon in 1851. He settled first in the Waldo Hills, Marion County, 
but removed since to his present location at White's Station, Yam- 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 749 

hill County, the point of junction of the broad and narrow gauge 
railroads of the West side. Here he farms and conducts a ware- 
house. He married Miss Charlotte S. Pierson in La Grange, Indi- 
ana, March 24, 1836. Children — Emily, Anise, John, Margaret 
and Eliza (twins), Andrew J., Robert, William, Mary W., and 
Sarah F. 

WILLIAMS, GEORGE. 

Major Williams served in the United States army during the 
civil war and subsequently, and held a variety of military offices. 
Hi^ military career was highly successful. Since severing his con- 
nection with the regular army he has occupied himself and his for- 
tune in financial undertakings of importance. He is at present the 
senior partner of the well-known firm of Williams <k England, 
bankers of Salem. Major Williams acts as treasurer of the State 
Insurance Company, whose stock is held entirely in Oregon and 
Washington Territory, and whose officers are citizens of those two 
sections. They are — President, L. L. Rowland, M. D.; Vice-Presi- 
dent, E. B. MeElroy, Ph. D.; Treasurer, Major Geo. Williams; 
Secretary, H. W. Cottle; Assistant Secretary, F. S. Cottle. 
The company, it is well known, is entirely an Oregonian organiza- 
tion — a home production, so to speak. Its business is confined to 
assuming risks on farm buildings and crops, and the largest of these 
risks does not exceed $2,500. The capital stock is $100,000, and 
now, after less than a year's business, the immense amount of $80,- 
000 has been received as premiums, etc. Such a result indicates 
the esteem in which this new and substantial company is held by 
the public. 

WOODWORTH, C. S. 

Born in Windsor County, Vermont, in 1819; resided in that 
State and New York and' Illinois until 1849; then crossed the 
plains to California and spent two years in mining. Settled at 
Oregon City in 1851, and was clerk of the first steamer ever 
launched in the State. Settled next in Salem and went to mer- 
chandising. Married Miss Sarah Buckingham in 1858, and had 
W. G., C. B.. and Mary. Is now agent for the O. R. <fc N. Co., 
in Salem. 



750 ? HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

YOCUM, FRANKLIN. 

Born in Kentucky, July 30, 1820; came from Illinois to 
Oregon, and settled at Mill Creek, Polk County, where he still 
resides; occupation, farming and stock-raising. Married Nancy J. 
Darnall in Illinois. Children — Allyn, E valine, Murilla J., Eliza, 
Rebecca H., Matilda D., Lora (deceased), Olive L., and Harvey 
(deceased). 

YOCUM, HATHAWAY. 

Born in Sangamon County, Illinois, in 1831. Came to Oregon 
and settled at Bellevue, Yamhill County, but now lives in Polk 
County. Occupation, farming. Married Miss Mary T. March in 
1852. Children— Elizabeth F., C. C, Lavinia C, Joseph M., 
William A., and Eddie T. 

ZIEBER, A. 

Born in Maryland in 1830; was a member of the last Territorial, 
and of the first State Legislature of Oregon. Moved from Yamhill 
County to Portland in 1862; was IT. S. Marshal under President 
Johnson; was elected sheriff of Multnomah County in 1866. He 
was for a time in the dray and hack business, but after his term of 
office expired, he sold out and went to hotel keeping, and has re- 
mained in it since. Is now a resident of Forest Grove. Married 
Miss Charlotte Manor in 1858, and has five children — Lydia, Fred, 
Eugenia, Albert S., and Thomas E. Mr. Zieber was the first man to 
join the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Oregon. 

1852. 

AGEE. BENJAMIN C. 

Born in Osage County, Missouri, in September, 1837; left that 
State for Oregon April 6, 1852, coming in an ox -train in company 
with his parents, ten brothers, and four sisters. The family settled 
in Yamhill County. Benjamin Agee removed to Douglas County 
in 1869, and still resides on a farm near Roseburg. Has a wife 
and ten children. 

ALBRIGHT, CHARLES. 

Born in Germany October 10, 1811; occupation, butcher; place 
of residence, Port Townsend. Wife's previous name, Mrs. Cynthia 
Mann. Children — Frank M., Edward F. (deceased), Laura V., 
Charles A., and Clara. 



HISTOET OF IMMIGRATION. 751 

ALLINGHAM, DAVID W. 

Born in Kentucky in 1826, and came to Oregon twenty-six 
years later. Settled on Muddy Creek in Linn County, but now 
resides at Suver's, Polk Count}'. Occupation, farming. Married 
Margaret Davidson in 1853. Children — William M., Carter T., 
Ora F., Arabella Lee, Loren E., Otha D., Arthur Guy, Dollie V., 
and Li via. 

AVERILL, H. J. C, 

Is a surveyor and farmer, and lives in Brownsville, Linn 
County; has served fourteen years as county surveyor, and for 
eight years has been justice of the peace, still continuing to hold 
that office. He was born in 1809; married his first wife, Miss 
Hulda Warren, in 1840; she died in 1859. His second wife's 
previous name was Mrs. Sarah Jack. His children are— William 
H., Alfred A., Joseph P., Henrietta W., and Ollie. 

BALLARD, DAVID W., M.D. 

Born in Bridgeport, Indiana, February 2, 1824; in 1852 arrived 
in Oregon and settled at Lebanon, and engaged in the practice of 
medicine. He married Jane E. Booker, in June, 1849, and their 
children's names are- — Lonnor, Oscar, Florence, Carrie, Frank, 
Maud, and Ora. 

BELT, B. F. 

Druggist by profession, and was born in Marion County, 
Oregon, in 1852, and was reared in Salem. In 1870 went into the 
drag business in partnership with D. W. Cox, in Salem, and when 
that partnership was dissolved, formed another with his father, Dr. 
A. M. Belt. In 1872 he was married to Miss Mary Payton, by 
whom he has five children — Lizzie, Maud, Bessie, Frank, and 
Daniel. 

berry, s. j. 

Born in Central Point, Iowa, in 1850; the son of J. F. Berry. 
Came to Oregon when three years of age, was reared on a farm and 
educated at Monmouth and Salem. Taught school in the West 
side counties for seven years. Married Sarah Moms in 1875, and 
has two children— Lela and Linn. Resides now in Sheridan. 



752 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

BESSER, LUZERNE. 

Born in Buffalo. New York, in October, 1833, but was "raised" 
in Illinois. Married Miss Sarah Lake in 1852, and came to Oregon 
the same year, locating in Portland. Owned and conducted various 
saw mills in the early years, with various degrees of success. Held 
a municipal office in 1868; became chief of the police of Portland 
in 1879, 

BILYEU, ANDREW J. 

Born in Sangamon County, Illinois, February 7, 1830. Present 
residence, Scio, Linn County; occupation, farming. Married Sarah 
A. Terry and their children are — Martecia, William, E. A., Au- 
rena, Joseph L., Lucetta, Hugh, Frederick, and Flo, now living. 

BILYEU, J. A. 

Born in Missouri in 1851 and was brought to Oregon the next 
year. Settled in Linn County, and was a farmer for some time, 
then a stock raiser in Washington Territory. In 1884 he purchased 
the Scio hotel and livery stable and now conducts both. Married 
Miss A. J. Terry on December 31, 1875. Their children are — C. C, 
Ivy Maud, Annie Pearl, and Nellie E. 

BILYEU, PETER. 

Is a farmer, and lives in Scio, Linn County ; was born in Miller 
County, Missouri, August 5, 1837; came overland to Oregon. Mar- 
ried Elizabeth Brennan in 1859, and their children are — Nancy C, 
James M., Evert, Laura, and Brennan. 

BILYEU, WILLIAM, 

Is a farmer by occupation, and resides at Scio, Linn County. 
Born in Tennessee, January 15, 1832; came overland to Oregon. 
Married Sarah C. Turner, and their children are — John R., Sarah 
D., William Mack, Jacob T., Rose J., Elizabeth H., Matilda A., 
Charles N., and Otto. Mr. Bilyeu was in the Indian war in 1856 
in Eastern Oregon and Washington Territory. 

BOOTH, ROBERT. 

The Reverend Robert Booth, a well-known minister of the Meth- 
odist persuasion, removed from Lee County, Iowa, to Oregon, in 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. J 53 

1852, coming across the plains. He, with his wife and family, 
located near the Grande Ronde Reservation, in Yamhill County; 
there remained until 1864, when they removed to Sheridan, and in 
1867, to Douglas County. Mr. Booth's present residence is Wilbur. 

BOWLBY, WILSON, M.D. 

Doctor Bowlby settled in Washington County, Oregon, in 1852, 
and has continued his medical practice ever since. At the time of 
his arrival there were but two physicians in the vicinity, those be- 
ing Drs. Belknap and H. V. V. Johnson, whereof the former occu- 
pied a farm below Hillsboro, and the latter was located at Spring- 
town (Middleton). These came a short time preceding Doctor 
Bowlby's arrival. Doctor Bowlby was born in Fairfield, New Jer- 
sey, in 1818; acquired his medical education in New York City; 
practiced in Indiana, and finally left for Oregon, crossing the plains 
in the usual way. The Doctor was married previously to Miss 
Lvdia Jones, who accompanied him to this State, bringing their 
three children. The lady died in 1883. Doctor Bowlby still prac- 
tices medicine at Forest Grove. He represented Washington County 
in the State Legislature in 1868, and was elected president of the 
Senate. 

BRIEDWELL, JOHN W. 

Born in Lawrence County, Indiana, in 1831. In 1844 moved 
to Davis County, Iowa. In 1852 came to Oregon and settled in 
Yamhill County, and now lives at Amity. He is proprietor of a 
warehouse and a farmer by occupation. He married Nancy Ed- 
monson in Missouri in 1851, and their children's names are — 
Sarah M., Mary A., George W., John W., Edward M., Ellis E., 
and Minnie V. 

BROUGHTON, WILLIAM. 

Born in England, January 4, 1827; was a carpenter by occupa- 
tion; married Sarah N. Willis, and their children were — Emma J., 
Mary, George, Walter (deceased), Clara S., Annie E., Hattie, 
Nellie F., Elmer (deceased), and Fred (deceased). Mr. Broughton 
died at Oregon City, January 7, 1876. 



754 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

BROWN, G. M. 

•Lives in Brownsville, Linn County, and is a butcher by trade. 
Was born in Knox County, Illinois, May 4, 1849; married Nancy 
C. Weger, in 1876, and their children are — Erne, Bessie, Laura, and 
Clara. 

BUCHTEL, JOSEPH. 

Born in Stark County, Ohio, November 22, 1830; moved to Il- 
linois in 1839. Arrived in Portland in 1852. Engaged in steam - 
boating on the Willamette. Opened a photograph gallery in Port- 
land. Was elected sheriff of Multnomah County in 1880. Married 
Josephine Latourette in Oregon City in 1853. 

CALDWELL, WILLIAM. 

Born in Virginia in 1824; his first residence in Oregon was in 
Yamhill County. His present residence is four miles north of 
McMinnville, and occupation, farmer. He married Mary E. Hath- 
away in 1866, and their children's names are — Melissa, Malinda, 
and M. Floyd. Mr. Caldwell served with Captain Fowler's com- 
pany under Colonel Ross in the Indian war of 1853. 

CAMPBELL, GEORGE S. 

Was born in Illinois in 1840; at twelve years of age came to 
Oregon; settled six miles south of Hillsboro on a farm, and still 
resides there; is a farmer and blacksmith by occupation. He 
married Amelia Jack in 1880, and they have one child named 
Mintie. 

CAMPBELL, W. C. 

Born in Illinois in 1842; on his arrival in Oregon he settled six 
miles south of Hillsboro ; now resides at Gaston, a blacksmith and 
wagon-maker by occupation. He married Margaret W. Hill in 
1869, and they have one child named George O. 

CATRON, JONATHAN. 

Born in- Missouri in 1825; settled in Yamhill County immedi- 
ately after his arrival in Oregon; moved to Polk County in 1860; 
owned a farm near Monmouth. In 1853 he married Miss Alvira 
Shelton and they had seven children — Laura, Walter, Alice, Edgar, 
Eugene, Lulu (deceased), and Lora. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 755 

CLARK, JAMES T., 

Is a resident of Lebanon, Linn County, and a farmer. Born in 
Louisville, Kentucky, in 1829; married Mary E. Young, and their 
children are — Sciotha E., Ollie C, James T., Mary A., Viola L., 
and William E. 

COLE, CHAUNCEY, 

Is a joiner and farmer and resides at Scio, Linn County. He 
was born in Erie County, Pennsylvania, June 19, 1813; came from 
Iowa overland to Oregon; now owns half a section of land, a dona- 
tion claim. Married Elizabeth Kean, a native of Virginia. Their 
children are — Alonzo, Margaret J'ane, James W., and Charles W. 

CONNETT, ISAAC. 

Isaac, William L., and Jasper Connett, brothers, came to Oregon 
across the plains in 1852. The first named was born in 1840; the 
second in 1849, and the third in 1852. They are farmers and reside 
at Buena Vista, Polk County. Isaac Connett married May E. Cook 
in 1870, and has Eva A., Irena M., Elsie A., Rosetta E., and Bessie 
M. William married Harriet L. Cook in 1874, and has Laura B., 
Viola M., Ira W., Nettie L., Erne L., and Delina L. 

COOK, JAMES W. 

Born in Syracuse, New York, in 1827; in 1832 was taken to 
Branch County, Michigan; in 1852 he came to Oregon and settled 
at Lafayette, Yamhill County. His present place of residence is at 
McMhmville, and his occupation farming and stock-raising. He 
married Sarah M. Olds, in Lafayette, November 1, 1854, and 
their children's names are — Meldora R., Wilbur M., A. D., Lyman, 
and Bessie R. 

COOK, S. M. 

Born in New York in 1812. Came to Oregon and settled in 
Notie Valley, Lane County, but resides now at Jefferson, Marion 
County. His occupations are farming and preaching the Gospel. 
He married Nancy Rice in Portage County, Ohio, and they had 
Chloe A., Martha A., Osmore A., Mary E., Horace H., Edward 
A., Ida, and Harriet L. 



756 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

COOPER, JOHN R. 

Born in Sangamon County, Illinois, in 1837; left that State in 
1840, and resided the next twelve years in Missouri; came to 
Oregon by ox -train; settled in Marion County. Served in the 
Rogue River Indian war for six months. Married in 1864 Miss 
Williams, and has four children — John, Pearl C, Rosella, and 
Lillian. Postoffice address, Independence. 

COREY, G. R. 

Born in New York in 1835; came to Oregon when about twenty 
years of age. In 1856 he served in the Yakima war in Cap- 
tain Wilbur's company and remained in service until the company 
disbanded. He then settled in Washington County, and his present 
residence is one mile south of Grlencoe, in that county, and he is a 
farmer by occupation. He married Mrs. Cooper, nee Dobbins, in 
1857, and their children's names are — James, Drusilla, and John W. 

COSPER, DAVID. 

Born in Ohio, October 29, 1828; came to Oregon and lived a 
short time in Yamhill County, but in 1853 went to Polk County 
and has resided there since. Has been engaged in various occupa- 
tions, namely — farmer, druggist, grocer, and hardware dealer. Was 
a volunteer in the Yakima war and rose to the position of second 
lieutenant. Was elected sheriff in 1857 and served one term. 
Married Miss Martha J. Frederick in 1858, and seven children 
were born to them, four of whom are now living — Harry B., Union 
Meade, Otis John, and Emmett D. Deceased — Milton, Frank, and 
Amos B. Mr. Cosper's residence and postoffice address are Dallas. 

COWLS, J. W. 

Born in Onondaga County, New York, in 1823. Came to Ore- 
gon in the winter of 1852-53; taught school in Lafayette and near 
McMinnville from 1852 to 1854; his wages were usually $60 per 
month and board. INTo female teachers were employed here at that 
time, and .when he began teaching there were only two schools in 
the county, and those were supported mostly by subscriptions paid 
at the rate of $8 per quarter for each pupil. This veteran teacher 
taught the first school established at Monmouth, Polk County. 
Judge Cowls became county auditor in 1855, at Lafayette, but con- 



FTTSTOKY OF IMMIGRATION. 757 

tinned to teach school, as the office did not pay much. He was 
married in 1861; to the widow of F. B. Martin, a member of the 
Territorial Legislature of 1852 and 1853. She came from Platte 
County, Missouri, in 1845. The Judge was first auditor, then 
county clerk on the State organization, and was next elected county 
judge, an office which he held for eight years. In 1871 he became 
state senator, but resigned after one session. He has also held the 
office of justice of the peace at sundry times, and has enjoyed pop- 
ular confidence and esteem to an unusual degree. 

COX, ARTHUR M. 

Born in Salem, Oregon, in 1852 ; moved to Linn County in 1875; 
is a blacksmith by trade, and is located at Harrisburg. Married 
Miss Annie Paine in 1876. Their children are — Howard, Addie, 
Fred, and Xellie. 

COX, ETHAN. 

Born in Chatauqua County, New York, May 11, 1819. From 
New York he went to Ohio, and from there to Missouri. In 1852 
he came to Oregon and worked for some time as painter in Portland, 
and in 1858 moved to Polk County, where he has since resided. Now 
owns property in old Independence, and is eugaged in manufactur- 
ing tlie Champion Fruit Dryer, which was invented by W. C. 
Dougherty in Albany in 1881, and for which Mr. Cox has the sole 
agency for Benton and Polk counties. He was married to Miss 
Emeline Ryner. September 8, 1844, by whom one child was born, 
which died in infancy. Residence, Independence. 

CRAWFORD, GEORGE F. 

Born in Grayson County. Yirginia, in 1818; removed to War- 
ren County, Illinois in ]s44: studied medicine and became a 
physician, and practiced for some time. Coming to Oregon he 
located in Albany, where he has remained ever since. Was chosen 
President of the Farmers" Warehouse Company. Has twice repre- 
sented Linn County in the Legislature. Was married in 1845, his 
wife's former name having been Miss Mary Ellen Grilniour. Their 
children's names are — (jeorgiana, James G., William W., Orville, 
and Helen. Mr. Crawford has extensive property interests in Linn 
County. 



758 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

CRAWFORD, R. H., M.D. 

Lives in Brownsville, Linn County, and has long been a 
resident of that town, having the honor of being the first medical 
man in it. Graduated at the Medical College at Cincinnati in 1837. 
Served eight years in the Oregon State Senate, taking his seat in 
1866. Married Miss Elizabeth Henry, and their children are — 
Thomas H. (city superintendent of the Portland public schools), 
Andrew B. deceased), Robert E., Elizabeth R., and Rovia. 

CRAWFORD, THOMAS H. 

Born in Clarksburg, Indiana, June 24, 1840; son of the preced- 
ing; crossed the plains with his parents and settled near Browns- 
ville, Linn County. Was educated at the Santiam Academy and 
the Willamette University; graduated from the latter in 1863. Pro- 
fession, teaching. Married Miss Emily B. Crandall in 1864, who 
died in 1882. Residence, Portland. 

CROSS, L. D. 

Born in Ohio in 1822; was a minister of the Gospel. Died in 
Oregon City in 1872. Wife's previous name Dorcas Fairman. 
Children— Caleb E., Jasper M., Harvey E., Thomas M., Martha J., 
Elinor E., William A., Truman, Charles W., and Frank A., of 
whom two are deceased — Jasper M. and Martha J. 

CROWLEY, SOLOMON K. 

Born in Missouri in 1833, the son of John Crowley, one of the 
first white settlers of Northwestern Missouri. S. K. Crowley 
crossed the plains in 1852, and traveled considerably on the Pacific 
Coast. Was in the California mines, and bore a part in the Indian 
troubles. Settled in Polk County in 1855, and stiU lives there, 
farming at Oak Grove. Married in 1855 Miss Hannah R. Fulker- 
son, by whom he has nine children — Mary V. (Mrs. W. Fawk), 
James M., John F., Nancy J., Solomon H., Manson, Ada B., Efiie, 
and Ora P. 

CURTIS, JOHN. 

Born in Kentucky January 7, 1813. Settled in Linn County, 
Oregon, in 1852. Was married August 6, 1835, to Miss Annie 
Moore, aud by her his children are — William, Robert, Elizabeth, 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 759 

Ellen, Mary A., Almira, James, Eliza, Laura and Katie. Mr. 

Curtis died April 2, 1877. 

DAVIDSON, C. F. 

Born in Kentucky in 1802 and moved to Illinois in 1830. Set- 
tled on the Luckiamute, Polk County, Oregon. Occupation, farm- 
ing. Married Elizabeth Shirley. Children — Amanda F. (Mrs. 
Linnville), Benjamin F., Mary M., Margaret (Mrs. Allingham), M. 
A., Arabella, William M., Martha (Mrs. Stump), Isaac N., and 
Emma (Mrs. Washburn). Mr. Davidson died in 1881. His widow 
still survives. 

DAVIDSON, HENRY. 

Born, May 28, 1818, in Wayne County, Ohio; moved to Michi- 
gan, and in 1840 to Indiana; coming to Oregon he settled at Hal- 
sey, Linn County, and has since remained there. Is a farmer and 
stock-grower. Married, in 1841, to Sarah Montgomery, while in 
Fulton County, Indiana. Their children are — Lucretia (now Mrs. 
Murphy), William M., Theodore B., Francis M. (deceased^), Thurs- 
ton, and Mary E. (now Mrs. Nelson). 

DAVIDSON, ISAAC N. 

Born in Illinois in 1842, and came with his father, C. F. David- 
son, to Oregon, and has since lived in Polk County. Occupation, 
farming; residence, near Buena Vista. Married Miss C. E. Demp- 
sey. in L865. Children — Dell, Nellie, and Chester. 

DAVIDSON, WILLIAM M. 

Born in Illinois in 1840; came to Oregon with his father, C. F. 
Davidson, and settled in the Luckiamute Valley. Present resi- 
dence, Buena Vista, and occupation, farmer. He married Martha 
V. Modie in Oregon in 1873, and their only child's name is Inez C. 

DAVIS, EDWARD E. 

The son of Dr. II. A. Davis: was horn in Louisa County, Iowa, 
in 1851; came with his parents to Oregon. Since 1865 has lived 
at Harrisl »urg, Linn Count)-. Married Miss Henrietta Kline in 1878, 
and by her has two children — Wade H., and Lee V. 



760 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

DAVIS, H. A., M.D. 

Born in Genessee County, New York, in 1822; came to Oregon 
and in 1838 settled in Linn County; now resides at Harrisburg. 
Was married in 1850 to Hester Hook, who died July 3, 1863. By 
her his children were — Edward E., Arvilla, Zophar, Virgil, and 
Homer. He was married again in 1864, to Grace Jones. The 
doctor was educated at Bock Island medical school, now known as 
the Iowa State Medical University. 

DeLASHMUTT, J. K. 

Born in Virginia in 1814; removed to Iowa in 1836, and 
coming to Oregon in 1852, settled in Polk County. He was elected 
county commissioner. Had held several civil and military offices 
in Iowa. Lives now at Amity, and is recorder of that town. Has 
now retired from his former occupation of farming. While in 
Iowa in 1837 he married Amanda Harger, who died in 1854; by 
her he had seven children. Married in 1855, in Salem, Phoebe 
Bennett, by whom he had five children. She died in 1862, and he 
took for his third wife Mary Pettijohn, by whom he had two chil- 
dren. His fourth was Emeline Billings. 

DENNY, O. N. 

Born in Ohio in 1838. Crossed the plains in 1852 and settled 
with his parents near Lebanon, Linn County. Was educated at 
the Willamette University, studied law and was admitted to 
practice in 1862. Located in Portland about 1870 and began 
practice. Was elected police judge in 1871 and 1873. In 1875 
was appointed collector of internal revenue. Was appointed 
Consul at Tientsin, China, in 1877, and in 1879 was promoted to 
Consul -General to China. 

DORSEY, GEORGE. 

Born in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, in 1830; came to Or- 
egon and settled in Yamhill County, where he still lives. Is a 
farmer. Married Miss Ad aline Vaughn in 1 8 56. Children — David 
M., Joel P., Fannie A., Austin B., and Hattie. 

DRAIN, CHARLES. 

Born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in 1816; went to Cal- 
ifornia in 1850, but returned to the East the next year. Coming 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 761 

overland to this State he settecl in Marion County and tilled a farm 
for eight years. In 1854 he became a member of the Territorial 
Council and again in 1857. On the admission of the State he be- 
came state senator and was chosen president of the senate. Re- 
moved to Douglas County in 1860. Residence, Drain. Occupa- 
tion, farming. Married in 1839 to Miss Nancy G. Ensley, by whom 
he has had eight children, of whom three live — John C, Catharine 
A. (Mrs. Simon Lane), and Charles D. 

DURHAM, D. O. 

Born in Ashtabula County, Ohio, December 26, 1829; moved 
to Illinois in 1836; came to Oregon in 1852 and settled in Wash- 
ington County. His present residence is McMinnville, Yamhill 
County, and occupation, farming. He married Sylvia D. Clark 
July 29, 1843, and their children's names are — Ezra J., Walter H., 
Jessie E., and James E. Mr. Durham was a member of the lower 
house of the Oregon Legislature in 1878-80, from Yamhill County. 

EARNEST, WILLIAM B. 

Born in Kentucky in 1813; was married in 1840 while still a 
resident of that State to Miss Mary Morris, who was also a native 
of that State, and was seven years his junior. The couple moved 
to Missouri two years later, and after ten years' residence in that 
State, crossed the plains to Oregon. They settled in Spring Valley, 
Polk County, upon a donation claim, where Mrs. Earnest still lives. 
Mr. Earnest died in 1876. Their children were — Jennie (deceased), 
William D. (deceased), Jasper N. (deceased), Mary E. (Mrs. Thomas 
Jennings), and two others who died in infancy. 

ECCLESTON, EZRA, 

Is a son of Dr. H. Eccleston, and was born in Indiana in 1833; 
came to Oregon with his parents and for some time was a farmer. 
Has been a shoemaker in McMinnville for twenty-one years. 
Married Miss Sarah J. Southard in 1853, and lias six children. 

ECCLESTON, H., M.D. 

Born in New York in 1811; on his arrival in Oregon he settled 
in Lane County, and practiced medicine there until his death, 
which occurred in 1875. Married Miss Melinda Richardson in 



762 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Indiana, who is also deceased; They had nine children. Dr. 
Eccleston was a volunteer in the Rogue River war in 1855-56. 

EILERS, GEORGE H. 

Born in Germany in 1824; came to America in 1846, direct to 
Texas, and joined the American army; served in the quartermas- 
ter's department during the Mexican war; was in St. Louis subse- 
quently, from whence he started to cross the plains to California, in 
1852, with a band of cattle, but coming to the Soda Springs, where 
the Oregon and California trails separate, he chose the former. 
Took a donation claim in Polk County, where his home has been 
ever since, excepting three years following 1869, when he was in 
Montana. Resides near McCoy, and is a farmer. Was county com- 
missioner. Married, in 1854, Miss Sarah McReynolds. 

ELKINS, W. S. 

Born in Ohio, May 1, 1837, and came with his parents to Ore- 
gon in 1852; settled with them in Linn County, being among the 
first settlers there. He and his brother built the Lebanon flouring 
mills in 1872, and were in that business until 1878, when they 
moved to Polk County, where Mr. Elkins followed merchandising 
for seven years. Was elected a member of the legislature in 1870; 
was instrumental in building the Cumberland Presbyterian church 
in Lebanon, and is an elder of the church ; also a member of the 
Masonic fraternity. Married Miss Addie Burkhart, in 1866, who 
died in 1867, after one child had been born to them, which died 
in infancy. Mr. Elkins married again, in 1868, to Miss Maggie 
Grant, and they have now four children — Nettie, Eva, Arthur G., 
and Attie. Resides at Dallas. 

ENGLAND, WILLIAM. 

Born in 1839; came to Oregon and worked in the mines of 
Jackson County in the hard winter of 1852-53, when starvation 
was imminent, and venison was the miners 7 only article of food. 
In the following years was in the carriage business. As a mer- 
chant his career was successful, and turning his attention to bank- 
ing, he became a member of the firm of Williams <fc England, able 
and successful financiers, of Salem. Mr. England is a director of 
the State Insurance Company, of Salem. Married, June 14, 1869, 
Olive Stanton. They have one child, E. A. England. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 763 

ENNIS, JAMES E., 

Is a farmer and stock -grower, residing in Scio, Linn County, 
and was born in Warren County, Kentucky, April 9, 1829; came 
overland to Oregon. His first wife, Mary Condit, died in 1862, 
and the second wife, Rebecca J. Rickardson, died in 1884. 

FERGUSON, J. L. 

Born in Kentucky in 1830; remained there until 185^ and 
started for Oregon and settled at Lafayette, Yamhill County. His 
occupation is farming; he has been a member of the State Legislature 
(1876-77); was married in 1854 to Miss Permania Bird, daughter 
of John Bird, of Lafayette, by whom he had — Ella, Claude C, R. 
B., J. L., Maggie J., and Lyman V. Mr. Ferguson resides near 
Lafayette, and carries on quite extensive farming operations. 

FIELDS, THOMAS R. 

Born in Mason County, Kentucky, March 22, 1837; arrived in 
Oregon September 11, 1852. Occupation, merchant; residence, 
Oregon City. Wife's previous name, Clara Stickler. Children — 
Thomas E., and George C. 

FINLAYSON, J. J. 

Born in Scotland in 1820; came to America in 1841. On ar- 
riving in Oregon he settled in Clackamas County ; removed to Linn 
County and became a farmer. His present residence is Forest 
Grove, where he has recently settled, and his occupation that of a 
blacksmith. He married Ann Taylor in 1838 and Elizabeth Speedy 
in 1884, and his family consists of two children — Catherine, wife 
of Judge Powell of Albany, and Christopher, now in Colorado, and 
two deceased, all of whom are by the first wife. 

FITZGERALD, J. J. 

Born in Jefferson County, Iowa; came to Oregon at an early day 
and settled at Portland. His present residence is at Buena Vista, 
and occupation, carpenter. He married Alice Thorp in Oregon in 

1882. 

FRIZZELL, JASON P. 

Born in Missouri in 1848, the sou of Porter Frizzell, a native of 
Virginia, who had settled in Missouri at an early day. The family 



764 



HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 



set out to cross the plains, but the father died of cholera on the 
way, and four other members of the family perished also. The 
mother, Mrs. Lillie Frizzell, with six children, made her way to 
Oregon, and settled in Polk County. The children's names were— 
Catharine, William, Joseph, Almira, Jason P., and Lafayette. 
Jason P. Frizzell is now a farmer near Perry dale. He was married 
in 1872 to Louisa Baskett. They have two children — Edith and 
Ethel. 

GALLOWAY, CHARLES. 

Born in Hampstead County, Virginia, August 20, 1798. Lived 
subsequently in Missouri and Illinois, and while at Galena married 
Miss Mary Heeney. They afterwards removed to Wisconsin, and 
Mr. G. served in the Black Hawk war. Came to Oregon in 1852 
and settled in Yamhill County. Mr. Galloway died September 30, 
1884, surviving his wife but two weeks. They were both buried 
in the cemetery of St. Paul's Catholic Church, Marion County. 
Their family, at one time, numbered six daughters and five sons, 
of whom three of the former and all of the latter still live. Father 
Galloway, as he was called, was a man of the deepest piety, and 
possessed the respect of his fellow-men in an extraordinary degree. 

GALLOWAY, WILLIAM. 

Mr. Galloway is the youngest son of Charles and Mary Gallo- 
way. He was born in Iowa County, Wisconsin, June 10, 1845, and 
was brought by his parents to Oregon. Was educated at the com- 
mon schools and at the Willamette University, graduating in 1868, 
with honors. Taught for a time in the North Yamhill Academy, 
and then studied law with Judge Curl in Salem. On October 13, 
1875, he married Emma, daughter of V. Baker. Mrs. Galloway 
was born in Dodge County, Wisconsin, December 28, 1851. Their 
children are — Zilpha Virginia, and Charles Varranus. Mr. Gallo- 
way was elected to the assembly in 1874, and again in 1878 and 
1880; held the chairmanship of several important committees, etc. 
Besides at present in Bellevue Precinct. 

GIBSON, SAMUEL D. 

Born in Pike County, Illinois, in 1836; came to Oregon and set- 
tled in Polk County; still resides there; is a farmer by occupation. 
Married, March, 1867, to Mrs. Mary Foreman. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. ?65 

GOOD, GEORGE E. 

Born in Oregon City in 1852. In 1809 went to work in a print- 
ing office, and was employed by the Statesman newspaper for a 
while. From 1878 to 1883 he conducted the Polk County Itemi- 
zer; then sold out and came to Salem where lie bought out the 
drug store of E. S. Hubbell; was in partnership with J. M. Smith, 
but has since conducted it alone. Married Miss Wilcox in 1876 
and has three children — all girls. 

GOODMAN, A. J. 

Born in Missouri in 1847; the son of J. H. Goodman, who 
brought his family across the plains in 1852. The father now re- 
sides in Eugene City. He was born in Kentucky in 1823. A. J. 
Goodman went to California in 1869 and remained three years. 
Farmed near Eugene City for a time, then sold his place and went 
east of the Cascades. Bought a drug store in Independence in 1882 
which he sold and purchased a livery stable, which he now conducts. 

GOWDY, J. T. 

Born in Illinois in 1835; on his arrival in Oregon settled in 
Marion County; now lives three miles southwest of Dayton, in the 
occupation of farming. Married Annie E. Kemp in 1860, and 
their children's names are — Arthur C, Hattie G., Lillian E., and 
Martha E. 

GRANT, RICHARD J. 

Born in Missouri in 1825; came to Oregon and settled in the 
beautiful valley of the Luckiamute, and still resides there, engaged 
in farming. He married Sarah J. Williams, in Davis County, Mis- 
souri, in 1846, and they have — Mary E., Nancy M., David A., and 
James M. Mr. Grant represented Polk County in the Oregon Leg- 
islature in 1868, 1870, and 1878. 

GRAVES, WESLEY. 

Born in Ohio in 1817; moved to Illinois in 1840, and carried on 
for several years a cabinet manufactory; crossed the plains in 1852, 
and locating at Corvallis, carried on the furniture business, and 
kept a hotel for a time. Mined for two years at Boise City; went 
to Salem in 18o4, and kept the Union Hotel for live years; lias been 



766 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

lessee of the Reed (Commercial), and Chenieketa Hotels, and keeps 
the latter at present. Is the oldest hotel -keeper in Oregon, proba- 
bly. Was married in Ohio in 1840, to Rebecca Shoemaker. They 
have had a large family, of whom but two survive — Joanna, and 
F. A. The names of the deceased were — William, Mary, Martha 
J., George R., and Emma. 

GRAY, G. W., M.D. 

Born in Rush County, Indiana, May 22, 1837. Came to Oregon 
with his father, who settled in Linn County. Commenced the 
study of dentistry in 1861, and attended the Dental College in 
Cincinnati, graduating in 1865. Returned to Oregon the same 
year and located in Albany, where he has since practiced and has 
been president of the Oregon State Dental Association. Owns a 
city residence and two farms of four hundred and seventy-six 
acres. The doctor has been a member of the city council. Married 
Miss Harriet E. Bonner in 1865, and they have three children — 
Arthur D., Londa B., and Mary Lena. 

HACKLEMAN, T. P. 

Born in Linn County, Oregon, in 1852; received his education 
at the schools in Albany and the Christian College in Monmouth. 
Studied law at Ann Arbor law school, in Michigan, and graduated 
in 1878. Located in Albany subsequently, and has practiced there 
since. Married Miss Edith Lyon in 1877, and by her has had 
three children — Jessie, Rollin, and Thurston. 

HADAWAY, EDWARD C. 

Born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, April 11, 1819; in 1835 moved 
to Baltimore, Maryland; in 1852 came to Oregon and settled at 
Dayton, Yamhill County, where he still lives, engaged in farming. 
He married Elizabeth J. Roswell, and their children's names are — 
George A., Mary E., Edward, William, Lewis, Charles, and Abra- 
ham L. Mr. Hadaway was sergeant- at- arms in the Oregon House of 
Representatives in 1872, 1874, and 1880. 

HANNUM, LEWIS L. 

Born in Hampton County, Massachusetts, in 1827; moved to 
Ohio in 1839, to Michigan in 1844, and came to Oregon in 1852, 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 7(>7 

and settled in Polk County. Present residence, Luckiamute Val- 
ley, and occupation, carpenter and farmer. He married Mary Ritner 
in Oregon in 1856, and tlieir children's names are — Julius, Sarah 
H., Andrew, Ann, Lewis L., Eva, and Una. 

HARRIS, WILLIAM H. 

Born in Adams County, Illinois, in 1832; on coming to Oregon 
located at Portland. Has been a member of the Legislature of 
Washington Territory, and was clerk of Multnomah County in 
1872. Represented Multnomah County in the Legislature of Ore- 
gon in 1882. Is a dealer in ice, belonging to the firm of Harris & 
Salmon. 

HARREL, DODDRIDGE. 

Lives at Scio, Linn County, and is a farmer. Was born in 
Fayette County, Indiana, December 18, 1818; came overland to 
Oregon ; still owns the farm on which he settled on his arrival ; has 
served in public offices. Married Miriam Taylor, who was born 
in Knox County, Tennessee, in 1820. 

HASTINGS, A. L. 

Born in Henry County, Tennessee, in 1829; came to Oregon and 
settled in the Luckiamute Valley, where he still resides ; occupation, 
farming. 

HASTINGS, J. C. 

Born in Henry County, Tennessee, in 1833; came from 
Arkansas to Oregon, and settled in Luckiamute Valley, where he 
still lives; he is a farmer by occupation. He married Merica M. 
Woods in 1857, and their children's names are — Martha J., Henry 
GL, Burris S., Joseph L., Mary A., John F., and Clara O. 

HAWKINS, J. S. 

Born in New Hampshire; came to Oregon in 1852. Residence, 
Salem, Marion County. 

HAYES, R. B. 

Born in Warren County, Tennessee, in 1831, and removed with 
his parents to Missouri in 1839; crossed the plains to California in 
1850, and removed to Oregon two years after. Is a farmer, and 



768 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

has resided on his land in Lane County for many years. Has been 
elected to the House of Representatives four times. Married Miss 
Lucy Brown in 1858. 

HAYES, SETH W. 

Born in Ohio in 1825; came from Iowa to Oregon in 1852, and 
settled near the present site of Halsey, Linn County, two years later. 
The town of Halsey was laid out in 1871, by the railroad company, 
partly upon Mr. Hayes' land, and that gentleman owned property in 
it. He was murdered, on November 1, 1876, by Kay Neal. The 
circumstances of the killing were as follows: Mr. Hayes' ardent 
temperance principles and prominence made him obnoxious to cer- 
tain ill-disposed liquor dealers and their supporters. The town was 
incorporated in the centennial year, through the joint efforts of Mr. 
Hayes, Jacob Thompson, and others, who sought to extirpate the 
whiskey traffic. JSTeal sought a quarrel with Hayes, and taking 
him at a disadvantage, stabbed him, there being no eye-witness. 
The unfortunate victim lived but a few hours. The assassin at- 
tempted to escape, but was taken and imprisoned. When he was 
brought to trial his lawyers set up a plea of self-defense, but a ver- 
dict was rendered, convicting Neal of murder in the first degree. 
Sentence being pronounced, the murderer was executed at Albany, 
on the twenty -eighth of January, 1877. This homicide constitutes, 
probably, the most striking event in the history of the county of 
Linn. Mr. Hayes Was twice married, and his children numbered six, 
of whom live are living, viz. — Daniel, S. S., Frank R., Gertrude, and 
Irving. The second Mrs. Hayes (formerly Miss Finlay) is now 
residing on a portion of the Hayes' ranch near Halsey. 

HEDGES, JOSEPH. 

Resides in Canemah, Clackamas County, and is a carpenter by 
occupation; he was born in Morgan County, Ohio, in 1827. 
Married Miss Ellen J. Allen, and his children are — Mary J., John 
B., William A., Elizabeth A., Arthur E. (deceased), Joseph E., 
Francis R., Gilbert L., and Frederick R. 

HENDERSON, THOMAS B. 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1828; in 1832 was taken to Knox 
County, Ohio; in 1851 went to Missouri; came from that State to 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 769 

Oregon the following year, and settled at Amity, Yamhill County, 
where he still resides. His occupation is that of a blacksmith and 
farmer. He married Elizabeth Van Buskirk in Knox County, 
Ohio, in 1848, and their children's names are — Urbanus (deceased), 
Sylvia A. (deceased), Elmus U., Sarah E., Miles T., and Mar- 
garet V. 

HENRY, ANSON B. 

Born in Cattaraugus County, New York, in 1836. Settled 
near Lafayette, in Yamhill County, and tilled the soil. Was 
superintendent of public schools for a time. Married Eliza Easta- 
brooks in 1857, and their children's names are — Lavinia E., 
Phoebe C, Mary E., Milton A., Franklin B., Robinson, Alfred F., 
Anson B., Nellie I., and Charles C. Mr. Henry died in 1882, and 
his widow, May 30, 1884. Mrs. Henry was born in Bradford 
County, Pennsylvania, near Towanda, March 19, 1836. With her 
parents, three sisters and five brothers, she came to Illinois in 1844; 
thence to Oregon in 1853, overland. 

HIRSCH, LEOPOLD. 

Born in Wurtemburg, Germany, in 1824; came to America in 
1845, and to California in 1851. Resides now in Salem. Retired 
from mercantile business in 1881. Married Lizzie Voltmann in 
1858. They have three children — Rosa, Laura, and Sarah. 

HOLLAND, HOMER B. 

Born in Augusta, Iowa, May 31, 1827; came to Oregon in Au- 
gust, 1852; residence, Oregon City, Clackamas County; occupation, 
book-keeper for the Oregon City Flouring Mill Company. Mr. Hol- 
land married Viola Phillips, and their family included — James L., 
Howard W. (deceased), Louisa, and R. V. 

IRVINE, j. D. 

Born in Jackson County, Missouri, January 10, 1843, and came 
with his parents to Marion County, Oregon, in 1852. He was a 
farmer in the earlier years of his residence in Oregon, but in 1877, 
he commenced draying in Independence, and continued in that busi- 
ness seven years. In 1872 he was married to Miss Sarah Fisher, 
and four children have been born to them, namely — Clara W., 



770 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Charlie Gr., Clyde J., and Claude. The two last mentioned died in 
1883, of scarlet fever. In 1884, Mr. Irvine bought a grocery store 
in Independence, in which he is now engaged. He was a member 
of the city council from 1880 to 1884. 

JAMES, W. H. 

Born in Missouri in 1846; came to Oregon and settled in Polk 
County, where he still resides. Occupation, farming. He married 
Sarah Hiashaw in Polk County in 1869, and their children's names 
are — Adelia J., David W., Isabel, and Minnie E. 

JEFFRIES, F. S. 

Born in Virginia in 1818; came to Oregon and settled in 
Marion County. Lives now at Amity. Served in the Mexican 
war, attaining the rank of orderly sergeant. His occupation is 
agent for manufacturers of machinery. He married Susan R. 
Nichols in 1849, and they have one child, Theodore by name. 

JETTE, A. 

Born in Canada in 1825; came to Oregon and located in the 
mines of the Rogue River region. At present is a merchant of 
Champoeg, Marion County. He married Margaret Leard in 1871' 
and they have six children. 

JOHNSON, H. V. V., M.D. 

Born in New York in 1823, and reared and educated in Ohio; 
received his medical education in Ohio and New York, after which 
he practiced in Indianapolis for seven years. Came to Oregon and 
settled on a farm in Washington County. Was a member of the 
Territorial Legislature for that county, serving from 1855 to 1858. 
Moved to McMinnville in 1863, being the only doctor there for 
several years; now owns a house in town and has a good practice. 
Married Miss Mary Bushnell in 1850, and has two children — Julia, 
and Frances Isabella. His wife died in 1867, and in 1868 he mar- 
ried Mrs. Julia B. Herrick, a sister to his first wife. 

JOHNSON, Mrs. P. O. 

Born in Erie County, New York, in 1829; came to Oregon and 
settled in the Luckiamute Valley, where she still resides. She was 



HISTOTTF OF IMMIGRATION. 771 

married to John Johnson, in Polk County, in 1854, and their chil- 
dren are named respectively — Alcida, Esther, and Fred. J. Mrs. 
Johnson is now a widow. 

JONES, D. M., M.D. 

Born in Missouri in 1839; came to Oregon with his father, and 
settled in Marrion County. He was educated at the Willamette 
University, after which he became a teacher in the public schools; 
then took the medical course at the Willamette University, graduat- 
ing in 1868. In 1875, he took the chair of Materia Medica in the 
Willamette University and held it five years. Moved to Albany in 
1870, where he has practiced since, during which time he has been 
in the lecture field, and also served on the editorial staff of the 
Albany Herald, in which he was part owner. 

JONES, JOHN. 

Born in Kentucky in 1835, and came across the plains to Oregon 
in 1852, and settled in Oregon City, where he lived for two years; 
then went to Polk County, working there in a sawmill ten years, 
and after that period was for a while in Eastern Oregon engaged 
in the same occupation. He next went into the stock business. In 
1880 he drove cattle to Omaha over the same route by which he 
came to this coast. During his residence in Polk County, and at the 
time of high water in that county, his property was all destroyed 
and his stock drowned. Mr. Jones relates that his house floated 
three miles with himself and family in it. He was married in 1854 
to Miss Lydia Retherford, and five children have been born to them, 
but only one is now alive — William. Resides at Dayton. 

KELLY, ANDREW. 

Born in Ireland in 1833; when nineteen years of age came to 
Oregon, but left in 1854 and went to California, Peru, and Chili, 
returning to this State in 1861. He is now mayor of the city of 
Salem, elected in 1882. Is a skilled mechanic in wagon and car- 
riage making and blacksmithing. Has been a prominent member 
of the fire department, having filled every office in connection 
therewith. Married Miss Lydia Hawley, and their children are — 
George (deceased), Edward (deceased), Olive, and George E. 



772 HISTOKY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

KOONTZ, MARTIN V. 

Born in 1837, in Ohio, of German extraction; lived successively 
in Illinois and Iowa, and came across the plains to Oregon in 185*2, 
by the familiar ox -train method, but chiefly on foot, because the 
Indians stole the horses belonging to the train on arrival at the 
Platte River. The Koontz family took up a donation claim in Linn 
County soon after their arrival, but in 1868 the son went to Eastern 
Oregon and occupied himself in various ways until 1869, when he 
returned to the Willamette Valley, and went into the employ of 
Jacob Thompson, in Halsey, as clerk. In 1876 he went into busi- 
ness on his own account, and three years later organized the firm of 
Koontz & Lame, dealers in general merchandise and grain, at Hal- 
sey. Mr. Koontz married Miss Conkwright, and they have two 
living children — Clyde and Edith. 

LEE, A. 

Born in Missouri in 1843, and nine years later crossed the plains 
to Oregon. He settled at Forest Grove, Washington County, in 
1860, and still resides there. Is a machinist of great skill and ex- 
perience, and finds occupation for those qualities in the service of 
the firm of Lee <fc Stewart, foundrymen and manufacturers of im- 
plements. Mr. Lee married, when twenty -two years of age, Nancy 
J. Laughlin, and their children's names are — Nellie, John A., Cora, 
and Pearl. 

LESLEY, GEORGE. 

Born in Ohio in 1836; when sixteen went to Indiana; in 1852 
came to Oregon and settled in Salem; married in 1868 Miss Eliza 
M. Graves, and they have five children — Frank, Fannie, Mary, 
Charles, and Minnie. Mr. Lesley is a carpenter and carriage builder 
by trade, but has entered upon agriculture to a considerable extent, 
owning a three hundred and fifty acre ranch near Salem. He has 
moreover distinguished himself and added to the resources of the 
valley by his operations in carp breeding, and has many thousands 
of these fine- and valuable fish in his ponds. 

LEWIS, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

Born in Kentucky in 1832; came to Oregon in 1852, settling 
in Yamhill County, where he still resides. Is a farmer. Married 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 773 

Miss Elizabeth Johnson in 1859. Children — John and Leroy. 
Mr. Lewis was chosen county commissioner in 1878. 

LEWIS, JAMES W. 

Born in Missouri in 1843; settled in Polk County, Oregon, and 
lias resided there since his arrival Resides in Oak Grove settle- 
ment, and is a farmer. Went to the Idaho mines in 1862, and 
remained there three years. Married in Polk County in 1866, 
Miss Sarah A. Riggs. Children— Glenn H., Webb C, and A. R. 

LEWIS, W. P. 

Born in 1812 in East Tennessee and reared there. Settled in 
Polk Count v on his arrival in Oregon, and remained there until 
his death. His occupation was conducting grist and saw mills. 
Served a term as treasurer of Polk County. Married in Tennessee 
to Miss Elizabeth Saddler, by whom he had four children — Nancy 
F. (Mrs. M. Thompson), Sarah (deceased), Elizabeth (Mrs. S. T. 
Gilliam, of California), and William. Mrs. Lewis died in Tennes- 
see, and he married the second time. 

LONG, GABRIEL. 

Born in Virginia in 1825; came to Oregon and settled at King's 
Valley, where he still lives, engaged in farming. He married Ellen 
J. Fuller in 1867, and they have two children — Arnold D., and 
Sarah A. 

MACK, WILLIAM O. 

Lives at Canby, Clackamas County, and is a farmer by occupa- 
tion: lie was born in Harpersfield, New York, December 7, 1820: 
married Louisa Graham, and their children are — Estella R., Oscar 
E., Victor L., Arthur L., Ramon W., Byron L., Lawrence V., 
Cecil C, Ola L., Morley T., and C. R. 

MAGERS, J. E. 

Born in Morgan County, Ohio, September 25, 1847; came to 
( )regon with his father, W. B. Magers. He was educated at the 
Willamette University, after which he taught school eight years; 
was professor of mathematics in McMinnville College tlnvv years. 
Studied law in the East, and was admitted to t)\c bar in L87G; 



774 history of Willamette valley. 

returned to Oregon and practiced law in Salem the following year; 
then moved to McMinnville, where he now resides, in the practice 
of his profession, and in partnership with Henry AVarren in the 
insurance and real estate business. Was a candidate for rep- 
resentative in 1882, which resulted in a tie vote. Married Miss D. 
E. Shrader in 1879, who has one child — Fleta Leone. 

MAGERS, WILLIAM B., M.D. 

Born in Brook County, West Virginia, May 2, 1819; moved to 
Jefferson County, Ohio, in 1836, and to Morgan County in 1839. 
On coming to Oregon he settled at Oregon City ; his present resi- 
dence is on Salt Creek, Polk County; his occupation is physician 
and surgeon. He married Mary J. Barkhurst in Morgan County, 
Ohio, November 17, 1846, and their children's names are — John E., 
Sarah E., William I. (deceased), Charles E., James P., Francis M., 
Mary V., George W., lone J., Albert G., Wesley B., Minetta M., 
and Lemuel E. (deceased). 

MANIS, WILLIAM R. 

Born in McMinn County, Tennessee, November 30, 1830. His 
present residence is Scio, Linn County, where he is engaged in farm- 
ing. Married Ann Terry, by whom he has four children — Mary 
F., William M., James M., and Denver E. Mr. Manis enlisted as 
a volunteer during the Indian war in 1855, and served six months 
in Eastern Oregon and Washington Territory. 

mayfield, w. i. 

Born in Illinois in 1830, and came to Oregon twenty-two years 
later. Lives in Portland and is a printer by occupation. Married 
Elizabeth Engle in 1863, and Mrs. Nettie Gooch in 1874. Had 
two children by the former. Was a soldier in the Rogue River 
war, and was wounded at the battle of Hungry Hill. 

McCOWN, FERDINAND O. 

Born in Kanawha County, Virginia, in January, 1839; accom- 
panied his father to Oregon when thirteen years of age. Partici- 
pated in the Yakima war. Studied at the Willamette University 
and Portland Academy, and taught school. Clerked in a store and 
read law, at first with W. C. Johnson, subsequently with O. C. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 77.') 

Pratt, in San Francisco. Lived in Nevada and was there admitted 
to the bar in 1802. Returned to Oregon the same year and opened 
an office at Waconda. Enlisted in the First Oregon Infantry and 
was commissioned second lieutenant. In 1865 rose to the rank of 
captain, and commanded Fort Colville. AVas mustered out of serv- 
ice in December, 1865. In the same year he married Miss Sarah 
Meldruni, of Oregon City. Has practiced law in Oregon City ever 
since. Has been mayor of that town for three terms. His chil- 
are — Helena B., Jessie S. (deceased), Meldrnm F., Cornelia L, Mal- 
colm, Mabrey, and an infant girl. 

McCOWN, WILLIAM. 

Born in Kanawha County, Virginia, in 1812; came to Oregon 
in 1852. Occupation, blacksmith and farmer; present residence, 
Waitsburg, Washington Territory. Wife's previous name, Mrs. 
Sarah Jane McCown. Children — Ferdinand O., James L., Belle, 
William, Alvin (deceased), and Frank. 

McCULLY, ASA A. 

Born in New Brunswick in 1818; moved to Ohio at an early 
age; lived in Iowa many years. Crossed the plains to California 
in 1848, with an ox-train. Stayed two years, returning then to 
Iowa, and in 1852 set out for Oregon, bringing his family and 
locating in Linn County, where he founded the town of Harris - 
burg. In the same year he returned to Iowa and brought out 
one hundred and fifty head of cattle. In 1863 he removed to 
Salem, where lie became president of the People's Transportation 
Company, which owned the Willamette River steamers.. In 1860 
Mr. McCully represented Linn County in the Legislature, and 
after locating in Salem was city councilman for several years. 

McKUNE, ROBERT, 

Is proprietor of a livery stable in Sheridan, where he has lived 
since 1875. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1820; moved to 
Illinois in 1842; crossed the plains to California in 1850, and two 
years later came to Oregon and settled in Polk County, where he 
lived on a farm until moving to Sheridan. Married Miss Sarah A. 
Buel in 1857, and has six children — Lydia, Walter, Alice, Jane, 
Emeline, and William. 



776 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

MILLER, D. A. 

Born in Grenessee County, New York, in June, 1818. Occupa- 
tion, carpenter and contractor. Mr. Miller died in February, 1874; 
his widow (nee Miss M. J. Martin) resides in South Salem. Their 
children were— Ezra (deceased), and Miles M. 

MILLER, JACOB P. 

Born in Fulton County, New York, July 31, 1808; in 1845, he 
went to Indiana, and came to Oregon in 1852. He settled at Mil- 
waukie, Clackamas County, and is now engaged in keeping a hotel 
in that town. He married Catharine Whitmore, in 1834, and their 
children's names are — Margaretta, Marietta, George H. (deceased), 
Delia, Thomas (deceased), and Martha (deceased). 

MILLER, SEBASTIAN E. 

Born in Morgan County, Ohio, April 15, 1828. Is a steamboat 
captain by occupation, and resides at Canemah, Clackamas County. 
Married Sarah E. Power, and their children were — Melissa and 
Clara; the latter is deceased. 

MOORES, CHARLES B. 

Born in Benton, Missouri, August 6, 1849, and was taken by his 
parents to Danville, Illinois, in 1851, and to Oregon the next year. 
Has resided in Salem the greater part of the subsequent time. He 
' was educated at the Willamette University, class of 1870, and 
served the O. & C. R. R. Co. as draughtsman for four years. Studied 
law in the Universities of Pennsylvania and Michigan; returned to 
Salem and practiced law. In 1880 became chief clerk of the House 
of Representatives, and is at present private secretary to Governor 
Moody. He married Miss S. E. Chamberlain in 1881. 

MOORES, I. R. 

I. R. Moores, Sr., served in the Seminole war in Florida under 
Jackson ; commanded a regiment in the Black Hawk war (whence 
his title of colonel), and finally took part in the Mexican war. 
Arrived in Oregon in 1852, having come overland at the head of a 
company of pioneers organized at Danville, Illinois. Located in 
Lane County near Eugene City, and afterwards represented the 
people of that county in the Legislature and in the State Const itu- 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 777 

tional Convention. Died in 1861 and is buried at Salem. I. R. 
Moores, Jr., was his- youngest son. He was born near Danville, 
Illinois, February 14, 1831. Was educated in the common schools 
and began life as a clerk. In 1850 he crossed the plains to Cali- 
fornia and spent two years there mining, without much success. 
Returned to Illinois then and joined his father's expedition to Ore- 
gon. They set out in March, 1852, and arrived in Portland in 
December following. The young man then went to Yamhill County 
and spent two years as surveyor in partnership with William Logan. 
Removed in 1854 to Salem, where he maintained his residence for 
the remainder of his life. Was at first a clerk for J. N. McDonald, 
and in 1856 bought out his employer and entered into partnership 
with his brother, J. H. Moores. Was a member of the city council 
of Salem and was the chief organizer of the fire department of that 
town. Attained the thirty -second degree in Masonry. Was for seven- 
teen years treasurer of the Grand Lodge of Odd Fellows. Was 
elected to the Legislature in 1862 and 1864, and was once speaker 
of the house. At the beginning of the civil war he became colonel 
of the 2d regiment of Oregon mounted volunteers (whence his usual 
title of colonel). In 1866 Governor Woods apppointed him clerk 
of the State board of land commissioners. He was one of the orig- 
inal incorporators of the Oregon Central Railway Company, of 
which he was for a time the president. In 1870 he was appointed 
land commissioner for the O. <fc C. R. R., and held that position 
until his death, which took place July 25, 1884. 

MORELAND, J. C. 

Born in Tennessee in 1844, and was brought by his parents to 
Oregon six years later. He was raised on a farm in Clackamas 
County, but learned the trade of printer in Portland. Read law 
with David Logan and was admitted to practice in 1868. Was a 
member of the city council of Portland from 1872 until 1875, and 
was city attorney from 1877 until 1882. Married Miss Abbic I>. 
Kline in 1867. " 

MORELAND, S. A. 

Born in Jackson County, Tennessee, November 1, 1836; re- 
moved with his parents to Illinois in 1848, and to Oregon four 
years after. They settled in Clackamas County. The son studied 



t ^8 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

law in Portland, where lie afterwards became justice of the peace, 
city assessor, and police judge, holding the latter office at present. 
Has been occupied in journalism. Conducted the Evening Tele- 
gram newspaper in 1882, and edited the Oregonian for a time, in 

1880. 

MOSS, STEPHEN P. 

Born in Peoria, Illinois, in 1840, and was brought to Oregon by 
his parents when twelve years old. They settled in Linn County, 
and the son was reared on their farm. From 1868 to 1872 he was 
in California. Returning, he settled in Lake County, and raised 
stock. Was elected county commissioner in 1876, and representa- 
tive in 1882. Married Sarah E. Robnett in 1861, who died in 
1868; married Miss Margaret S. Casteel in 1870. 

MOYER, J. M. 

Lives in Brownsville, Linn County, and is proprietor of the 
Woolen Mills in that town. He was born in Schuylkill County, 
Pennsylvania, August 21, 1829, and is married to Elizabeth I). 
Brown. Their children are — Edward D., Hugh B., and Ethel (de- 
ceased). 

MURPHY, JOHN TURNER. 

Born in Knox County, Illinois, October 27, 1843, and came with 
his parents to Oregon. The first winter after their arrival was 
spent in Yamhill County, and in 1853 they moved to Polk County, 
remaining there a. short time, and going the same year to Washing- 
ton Territory, where they lived three years. At the expiration of 
that time they returned to Polk County, locating at Monmouth, 
where Mr. Murphy has since remained. He now owns a farm two 
miles from the lovely little town of Monmouth. He was married, 
March 6, 1870, to Miss Ruth J. Rohrer, and they have four chil- 
dren, namely — Chester V., George J., Linnie G., and William D. 
Mr. Murphy has his home in Monmouth, but continues to work his 
farm. 

MURPHY, WILLIAM P. 

Born in Illinois in 1831; came to Oregon when twenty-one 
years old. Now lives at Salem. Married first Sarah Taylor, and 
afterwards Sarah E. Stanton. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 7 i 9 

MYERS, GEORGE. 

Born in Tippecanoe County, Ohio, in 1829. On his arrival in 
Oregon he settled five miles northeast of North Yamhill, where he 
still resides, on his farm. He married Mary E. Arrnentrcut in 
1854, and their children's names are — Levi M., Ardenny L., Mrs. 
Erne Gnvrson, Leonora, and Albie. 

NEWBILL, B. H. 

Born in Missouri in 1843; came to Oregon, and settled in Polk 
County, where he still resides. Occupation, farming. Married 
Julia Ellis in Polk County, in 1859. Children — Sarah S., Margaret 
E., Mary J., Ora E., and Edward Ray. 

NIXON, JOSEPH. 

Born in Virginia in 1824, and went to Ohio at an early age. 
Left Indiana in 1852 for Oregon, and settled in Linn County. 
Was married in 1846 to H. Parrish. Their children were — 
James W., Orrilla, J. L., J. H., and Mattie. Mr. Nixon's original 
occupation was that of blacksmith; but he now owns and conducts 
the St. Charles Hotel at Lebanon, Linn County. Was county 
treasurer from 1864 to 1867 inclusive. 

NOLAND, N. 

Born in Missouri, in 1842; came to Oregon with his father, J. S. 
Noland; lived several years in Southern and Eastern Oregon, prior 
to settling in Washington County; his present residence is Corne- 
lius, and occupation, hotel keeping. Married Miss Melissa J. Daw- 
son in 1867. Children — Nettie (deceased), Alice, Emma, John, 
and Lulu. 

NORTHRUP, EDWARD J. 

Born in Albany, New York, July 4, 1834. Was reared to 
habits of business, and, in 1852, came to Oregon, and became 1 a 
clerk for his father's firm (Xorthrup & Symonds), succeeding to the 
concern's business in 1856. Retired about 1878, selling out to 
Thompson, DeHart & Co. Met his death by a fall, April 9, 1883. 
He married Miss Frances McNamee in 1856, by whom he had six 
children, five of whom are now living. 



780 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

OLDS, D. G. 

Born in Ohio in 1823; on his arrival in Oregon he settled at 
Middleton, and still lives at the same place; he is a blacksmith and 
wagon maker by occupation. He married Eveline M. Eaton in 
1849, and their children's names are — Frank M., Hattie T., Fred 
E., and Mrs. Rose L. Brooks. 

OLDS, NANCY (JACOBS). 

Born in Branch County, Michigan, in 1834; came to Oregon in 
1852, and settled at West Chehalem. Her present residence is at 
Lafayette, and occupation, dressmaking; she was a school teacher 
formerly. Married H. S. Jacobs in 1855, and has two children — 
Mrs. Ungerman and Charles N. Jacobs. 

PARKER, ALLEN. 

Born in Boss County, Ohio, in 1828; attended school until he 
was fifteen, when his parents removed to Iowa, and he came to Or- 
egon when he was twenty -four. Located in Linn County and re- 
sided there for many years, as a farmer, saw mill and warehouse- 
man. Was elected sheriff of Linn County in 1872, and mayor of 
Albany in 1876. Removed to Benton County in 1878, and con- 
ducts a sav mill. In 1880 the people of that county elected him a 
representative, and again in 1882. Married Miss Julia A. Umphrey, 
in 1852. 

PARRISH, LEWIS M. 

Born in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, June 21, 1830; removed 
to Missouri in 1832, and to Oregon in 1852, settling in Portland. 
Served in the Yakima war in Captain Hembree's company. Mined 
unsuccessfully at Oro Fino in 1861. Began dealing in real estate 
in 1863. Is now a member of the firm of Parrish, Watkins & Cor- 
nell. Married Sarah J. Watkins in 1859. Their children are — 
L. C, Anna J., Mary A., George L., and Lilly M. 

PARTLOW,. WILLIAM B., 

Is a resident of Oregon City, and a farmer by occupation; he 
was born in Indiana, March 8, 1828. Married Miss Frances L. 
Chase, and their children are— James W., Richard S. (deceased), 
and Edgar (deceased). 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 781 

PEARL, JAMES, 

The head of the somewhat numerous family of the Pearls of 
Linn County, who now comprise four living generations, was born 
in Ohio in 1807. Mr. Pearl moved to Oregon and settled near the 
present site of Halsey. He still lives, a much -respected old gentle- 
man, the proprietor of a residence in the tOAvn named, and of a 
large farm a short distance away. Mr. Pearl was twice married, 
first to Elizabeth Berry, the second time to Elizabeth Wiseman. 
The children who accompanied their father to Oregon were — Joseph, 
John (deceased), Malinda (deceased), Isabella (deceased), and Eliz- 
abeth A. 

PEARL, JAMES A. 

Horn September 10, 1849, in Missouri, the son of Joseph Pearl. 
Was married in 1873, to Miss S. J. Miller, and his children by her 
are — Willie E,, Hallie M., and Lulu D. Was again married July 
19, 188*2, to Amanda M. Jesse. Residence, Halsey. 

PEARL, JOSEPH, 

Son of James Pearl, was born in Ohio in 18'29, and came with 
his father to Oregon in 1852. Spent the first years of his residence 
in Linn County in cultivating the soil, but when Halsey was 
founded, he entered upon commercial pursuits, and in 18 70 be- 
came a member of the firm of Black, Pearl & Co., and continued 
so for seven years. He is now a partner with his son James A. 
Pearl in the planing mill at Halsey. This establishment was set 
up in 1872 by Allinghain & Connor, but has passed through 
several changes of ownership. It is a concern of considerable 
capacity, having a variety of machinery adapted to fill the needs of 
the neighborhood. It is driven by steam, and lias planing and 
matching machines, scroll saws, etc. Mr. Joseph Pearl's children 
are — James A., John R., Orpha J., Silas H., Martha A., Joseph 
W., Ida C, Alice, Fannie, Olive, and Edmund Cleve. 

PETTINGILL, WILLARD. 

Born in New York in 184 s -: went to Illinois in 1851 ; enlisted 
in the 7th Dlinois Volunteers in the war, was wounded at Stone 
River and draw- a government pension. Married, in 1872, Miss 
Mary E. Driggs; their children are — Jennie M., I. J., Eewis AV., 
and Elmer E. Came to Oregon and settled soon after in Salem, 
where he is engaged in the upholstering business. 



782 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

PHILLIPS, GEORGE W., 

Lives in Scio, Linn County, and owns and tills a farm of four 
hundred and forty acres on Thomas Creek. Born in Guilford 
County, North Carolina, October 24, 1838; married Martha A. 
Tarpley; children — William M., Sarah F., Emily J., Ida B., and 
George W. 

PIERCE, SAMUEL A., 

Lives in Scio, Linn County, and is a farmer by occupation; born 
in Ray County, Missouri, in 1830; married Emily J. Turnage, and 
by her has six children — Dora E., William, Martha A., Riley, Mary 
E., and Andrew. 

POMEROY, LYMAN. 

Is a farmer by occupation, and resides at Scio, Linn County; he 
was born in Orange County, Vermont, April 22, 1833. Married 
Sarah A. Breler, who died in 1859; in 1860 he was married again, 
to A. S. Breler. His children are — Orange S., Oscar E., Dora, 
Elva C, Amanda, Clara, Emma, Effie, Minnie, Bertie, Eugene H., 
and Mertia. 

PORTER, JAMES A. 

Born in Russell County, Virginia, in 1816. Removed thence to 
Indiana and remained there until he came to Oregon. In the same 
year he settled on a donation claim on Muddy Creek, Linn County, 
on which he remained until his death in 1880. Mr. Porter married, 
in 1838, Miss Nancy Knott. Their children were — William H., 
Elizabeth, Melinda, Thomas L., James C, and Ella. 

POTTER, ROBERT. 

Born in New York. Present residence, Oregon City; occupa- 
tion, liveryman and saloon keeper. Wife's previous name Mary G. 
Patterson. Children — Clara, Belle, Emma, and Gilbert C. 

POWELL, ABRAHAM THOMAS, 

Is a farmer and resides at Scio, Linn County. He was born in 
Jackson County, Missouri, September 1, 1841, and is a son of the 
Rev. Joab Powell. He married twice; his first wife's previous 
name being Amanda A. Carl, by whom his children are — Perthana 



BISTORT OF IMMIGRATION. 783 

C, and Iva. His second wife was Eveline , by whom he 

has one child named Lora. 

POWELL, W. S. 

Born in Ohio in 1832, and came to Oregon, settling in Portland 
where lie remained seventeen years. He enlisted in the army during 
the Rebellion, being in the First Oregon Infantry, and captain of a 
company. Was in the service eighteen months, stationed at various 
times in Eastern Oregon, Washington Territory, and Idaho, at war 
with the Indians. Mr. Powell is now proprietor of a grain ware- 
house situated on the Yamhill River, and also has an interest in the 
Yamhill Lumber Company. He was married to Miss Ellen C. Hill 
in 1855, six children being the fruits of this union, three of whom 
are now alive — Mary L., Charles A., and Frankie A. The de- 
ceased are — Delia M., Harry C, and Anna A. 

RAYMOND, H. C. 

Born in New York in 1825; his first residence in Oregon was 
at Forest Grove; now lives at Gaston and is a merchant by occu- 
pation and is unmarried. 

ROBERTSON, R. M. 

Born in South Carolina, in December, 1830; came to Oregon and 
settled in Linn County; resides at Halsey; owns a warehouse and 
deals in grain. Was married in 1861, to Nancy McMicken, a pio- 
neer of 1851. The}' have two children — Lillie M., and Ina L. 

ROLAND, DAVID. 

Born in Harrison County, Kentucky, in December, 1801. Was 
married to Eliza Barnes, of the same county, in April, 1829. Tn 
October of that year they moved to Illinois, and lived, until 1850, 
in Vermilion County. Coming to Oregon, he took up a donation 
claim of three hundred and twenty acres, one mile east of Jefferson, 
Marion County; here he resided until his death, on March 9, 1871. 
Their children numbered nine, of whom eight still live; their names 
are — C. B., Jacob O. (of Lebanon, dealer in harness and saddlery), 
David S. (tinsmith, of Portland), Pauline (Mrs. Phillips, of Sprague, 
W. T.), George W. (a farmer of Lane County), Melvina (wife of J. 
Warwick, of Portland), Esther, and John \V.: the latter is in part- 
nership with the first named, keeping ;i -tore in Jefferson. 



784 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

ROWLAND, JACOB O. 

Born in Vermilion County, Illinois, March 17, 1832; is of 
German and Irish extraction. Came overland to Oregon, and now 
lives in Lebanon, Linn County; is a saddler by occupation. He 
married Sarah Ralston, and their children are — Ella, May, and 
Harry. Married a second time to Laura Noff; by her his children 
are — - Willie, Fred, Edith, and Clarence. 

SAMPSON, J. K. 

Mr. Sampson, now a resident of Lafayette, Yamhill County, 
came to Oregon in 1852, arriving in Portland on the twentieth of 
August. He remained but six weeks in that town, leaving it for 
Yamhill County, in which he has resided nearly all the intervening 
years. He has been identified with its growth and progress and 
has built up an estimable name as a citizen. 

SAYLOR, A. L. 

Born in Iowa in 1847, and was taken across the plains with his 
parents in 1852. They lived for a while in Portland, and in 1853 
went to Olympia, but returned to Oregon in 1856 and settled in 
McMinnville, Yamhill County. A. L. Saylor was educated at the 
Baptist College at McMinnville, and in 1871 became clerk in the 
store of J. B. Morris <fc Co., at Sheridan, remaining with them four 
years, and then went into business for himself in a drug store, and 
was also postmaster of that town. He removed to Dallas in 1877, 
and bought out the drug store of Dr. Herndon, of Dayton, where 
he still continues in the same business, and has also held the office 
of postmaster since 1878. Was publisher of the Free Press at 
Dayton for one year, and now runs a job printing business. Mr. 
Saylor enlisted in the array in 1864 and served twelve months in 
the campaign in Idaho, 'and was post adjutant of Custer Post, G. A. 
R., at McMinnville in 1884. He is a member of Lafayette Lodge 
No. 3, A. F. and A. M., Royal Arch Chapter No. 20, and Pioneer 
Council No. 1, Royal and Select Masters. Was married in 1875 to 
Miss Susan Griffith, and they have five children, namely — George 
W., Edward A., Susan W., Lolo W., and Ella May. 

SCHOOLING, J. P. 

Born in Boone County, Missouri, December 27, 1830. When 
he arrived in Oregon he settled immediately in Linn County, and 



HISTOKY OF IMMIGEATION. 785 

is now a large land owner and farmer. Married Miss Martha R. 
Fountain in 1850. Their children are — I. B. (deceased), Joseph 
S., Eliza J. (deceased), Jerry A., Susan E., and William A. 

SCOTT, JOHN T. 

Born in Kentucky, February 18, 1809; emigrated to Illinois 
when quite young, and came to Oregon when forty -three years old. 
Died at his residence in Forest Grove, September 1, 1880. He 
w r as the father of H. W. Scott, editor of the Oregonian ; Mrs. A. S. 
Duniway, of the New Northwest ; Mrs. C. A. Coburn, of the 
Telegram; Mrs. M. F. Cook, Mrs. J. M. Kelty, Mrs. McCord, W. 
B. Scott, and Ella Scott. 

SHAW, j. R., 

Is a farmer and a resident of Oregon City; was born in Jessa- 
mine County, Kentucky, in 1803; married Martha J. Fields, and 
their children are — Samuel, Amanda, Minerva, Mary J., Jefferson 
R., Edward, Robert (deceased), and Joel (deceased). 

SHIELDS, JAMES. 

Born in Bourbon County, Indiana, in 1811; came to Oregon in 
1852, and settled in Linn County, near Lebanon. His present resi- 
dence is near Albany, and occupation capitalist. He has been 
twice married, first to Mrs. Matilda Sloan, in Missouri, by whom he 
has four children — Mrs. M. E. Dorris, E. George, Benjamin F., and 
Thomas J. His second w^e's name was Sarah M. Cotton, and by 
her his children are — William H., Matilda C. E., Fannie T., James 
A., and Virginia E. 

SMITH, DAMON. 

Born in Marion County, Oregon, in 1852; is the son of Damon 
Smith, who crossed the plains that year; he was reared by Hiram 
Smith of Harrisburg. His first enterprise was in the mercantile 
business in Harrisburg, but he moved to Albany in 1882, and com- 
menced business in a drug store in partnership with Henry McCart- 
ney. Married Miss Narzette McCartney in 1876, and has one child 
named Pearl. Resides now in Harrisburg. 

SMITH, DAVID, 

Resides at Lebanon, Linn County, where he is employed in the 
occupation of farming. He was born in Tennessee, March 18, 



786 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

1822; came overland to Oregon. Married Miss Sarah J. Mont- 
gomery, and their children are — William P., Thomas, Julia A., 
Sarah J., Mary F., Eliza J., Celia B., Ella, and Sadie. 

SMITH, DELAZON. 

Born in New York in the year 1816. Thrown upon his own 
resources at a very early age, he earned for himself a name through 
the toilsome avenue of patient study and industry. At the age of 
fifteen, with all his earthly possessions tied up in a bundle, he 
started westward and arrived at Rochester, New York, where he 
remained three years with a relative, and labored to acquire an 
education. From West New York he went to a Manual Labor 
school in Oberlin, Ohio, where he spent two years, and from thence 
into a law office at Cleveland. Began writing for the public press 
while there, and assumed the editorship of a paper called the 
Watchman, at Rochester, New York In 1844 established a paper 
at Dayton, Ohio, named the Dayton Empire, and in the same year 
wks appointed a special commissioner of the United States to the 
Republic of Ecuador, in South America, but returned in less than 
a year and settled in Iowa, where, during the Presidential cam- 
paign of 1848, he edited the Iowa Democrat. In 1852 he crossed 
the plains to" Oregon and established his home in the beautiful and 
fertile county of Linn, where, the following year, he established 
the Albany Democrat, and edited that paper until his death. Mr. 
Smith was a representative of Linn County several terms in the 
Territorial Legislature, and a member of the Constitutional Con- 
vention; with General Lane he was United States Senator from 
Oregon, and was candidate for elector on the Breckenridge ticket. 
Married Miss Eliza Vake in 1837; Yolney Y. Smith, a consul to 
St. Thomas' Island, of the West Indies, being the only surviving 
child of that union. Mr. Smith married again in 1848, Miss Mary 
Shepherd, by whom were born five children, only one, D. S. Smith, 
of Linn County, being now living. Mrs. Smith died in 1871. Mr. 
Smith was a member of the M. E. Church, and officiated as 
minister of that denomination; also an active member of the 
Masonic Lodge. After an eventful life of fifty-four years Mr. 
Smith died November 18, 1870. Delevan S. Smith, the only sur- 
viving son of the Hon. Delazon Smith, resides in Linn Count}', 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 787 

and at present holds the office of deputy sheriff of that county. 
He was born in Linn County, and has always lived there. Was 
married to Miss Carrie Clark in December, 1881, and they have 
one child named Ina. 

SMITH, JOHN T. 

Born in Germany, in 1829. Came to Oregon and settled at Van- 
couver; resides in that place still, and is a merchant; serves the peo- 
ple as justice of the peace. 

SMITH, S. A., M.D. 

Doctor Smith was born in Vermont, but left that State when 
eight years old and went to Troy, New York. Emigrated to Cali- 
fornia and dug gold in the northern mines in 1851-52; in the latter 
year he came to Oregon and settled in Linn County. He is a phy- 
sician and is still in practice; his address is Halsey. He has been 
married twice and has one child, now Mrs. Geary, of Halsey. 

STANTON, WILLIAM G. 

Born in Laporte County, Indiana, October 27, 1845; came to 
Oregon and settled later in Salem, his present place of residence. 
Occupation, merchant. Is unmarried. 

STRANG, BEN. 

Born in Iowa in 1834; was about eighteen years of age when he 
came to Oregon with his father, Daniel . Strang, who died in 1869. 
Ben Strang learned the tinsmith's trade, and is now proprietor of a 
hardware store in Salem. Married Miss Jeannette Taylor, and has 
four children — lone, Clara, Frankie, and Veva. 

SWAFFORD, ELIAS W. 

Is a farmer and resides near Oregon City. Was born in Indiana, 
September 17, 1819; married Ellen McManus. Children — Sophro- 
nia (deceased), Martha A. (deceased), Elliott J., James L., and Wil- 
liam H. (deceased). 

SWEARINGEN, ISAAC S. 

Born in Kentucky in 1812. On his arrival in Oregon in 1852, 
he settled in Lane County: moved to Linn County in 1882. Mar- 



788 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

ried Eveline Buoy in 1851, and their children are — Lydia J., Isaac 
L., Martha A., Emma B., and Mary E., all of whom are married. 
Mr. Swearingen was a prominent Mason and Odd Fellow; he died 
January 8, 1883. 

TAYLOR, ANDERSON. 

Born in Cass County, Michigan, in 1838; came to Oregon and 
settled in the Luckiamute Valley, where he still resides. Occupa- 
tion, farming. He married Cornelia A. E. Zumwalt in Oregon in 
1863, and their children's names are — Lola M., James A., Mary J., 
Dick, Phil, and Lilla Maud. 

THOMPSON, JACOB. 

Born in Kentucky in 1822; lived at Evansville, Indiana, and in 
Iowa until he emigrated to Oregon; lived in the Waldo Hills for a 
year, and then moved to Linn Count}' and there remained until the 
town of Halsey sprang into being, when he removed to it and en- 
tered into merchandising. In 1880 be exchanged that occupation 
for the livery business, which he still follows. Mr. Thompson was 
married in Indiana to Khoda Evans. They have two children — 
James and Henry. 

TILLOTSON, GEORGE, 

Is a millwright and resides at Dallas, Polk County. He was 
born in New York in 1816; came to Oregon and settled at Oregon 
City. He married Mary Clark, who died on the plains in 1852. 
In 1854 he was married to Elmira Moore; their children's names 
are — Ellen, William, Lemuel, and Eddie E. 

TUCKER, HENRY B. 

Born in Kentucky in 1804. On arrival in Oregon he settled on 
a donation claim in Washington County, and has lived there since. 
Married, in 1829, Miss Elizabeth McKay, and by her has had six 
children, two of whom now live — Thomas and William. Mrs. 
Tucker died in 1882, 

TUCKER, THOMAS. 

Is a resident of Beaverton, and was born in Indiana in 1831. 
In the year following his arrival in Oregon he settled in Washing- 



HISTORY OF [MMIGRATION. 789 

ton County, where he has since resided. lie has served two terms 
as count) commissioner. In 1854 was married to Miss Man A. 
McKay, and has five children — Lucinda J., William Orville, Eliza 
beth, Samuel II., and Sarah Louisa. 

TURNER, GEORGE H. 

Born in Harrison County, Ohio, March 27, 1842; occupation, 
real estate dealer; residence, Turner. Mr. Turner's father was 
proprietor of the town of Turner. 

UZAFOVAGE, C. 

Born in New York in 1836; lived awhile in Kentucky; came 
to Oregon by ox- team. Located in Polk County and became a 
farmer. In 1859 purchased an interest in the steamer Clinton. 
Removed to Salem and established a grocery store, in partnership 
with John G. Wright, but sold to the latter in 1871. Since that 
time he has continued in business in Salem, mainly in the boot and 
shoe trade. Married in 1862 to Mary Entz. They have three 
children— Alma E., Charles E., and Annie L. 

VAN BUSKIRK, DANIEL. 

Born in Ohio in 1883; the son of William and Margaret Van 
Buskirk. Coming with his parents to Oregon in 1852, he lived on 
a farm in Yamhill County most of the ensuing years. Participated 
in the Yakima war of 1855-56. His occupation is farming, and 
lie resides near Perrydale, Polk County, which is his postoffice. 
Married, in 1878, to Miss Laura N. Brown. Their children are — 
William A., Mary E., Rosa A., and Lawrence A. 

VAN BUSKIRK, JOHN. 

Born iii Knox County, Ohio, in 1818. On arriving in Oregon 
he settled in the Grand Ronde, and afterwards became a farmer at 
Bellevue, Yamhill Comity. He married Sarah S. Henderson in 
1:837, and they had four children, two of whom are now living — 
Lucinda T., and Josephine. Our subject died in 1874, and Mrs. 
Van Buskirk lives with her children. 

VAN BUSKIRK, JOSEPH. 

Born in Ohio, and grew to manhood there. Married Miss Sarah 
Eldridge and had by her three children — Mary, William, and Ar- 



790 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

minda. Setting out for Oregon in the sickly year, 1852, the family 
was cut off by cholera and mountain fever, with the exception of 
William, who came safely across. 

VAN BUSKIRK, WILLIAM. 

Born in Ohio in 1848, the son of Joseph and Sarah Van 
Buskirk. The parents dying in attempting to cross the plains, 
William was left to the care of relatives, who took him to Yamhill 
County, and reared him to manhood. Married in 1874 Miss Alice 
Brown, by whom he has three children — Floyd E., Ada Arminda, 
and Elva. Mr. Van Buskirk's occupation is farming; his address, 
Amity. 

VAN BUSKIRK, WILLIAM, Sr. 

Born in Maryland in 1796; moved to Kentucky, and thence to 
Ohio. Was a soldier in the war of 1812. Married in Kentucky 
in 1825 to Miss Margaret Evans. They had eight children, of 
whom two are now alive, namely — Elizabeth (wife of T. B. Hen- 
derson, of Amity), and Daniel. The family came across the plains 
in 1852, and settled in Yamhill County, where the father died in 
1859. The mother died on reaching the Blue Mountains, on the 
way to the valley. 

WALLACE, C. A. 

Born in Branch County, Michigan, in 1834. After coming to 
Oregon he was mail carrier for some time. In 1855 enlisted in the 
Indian war; was appointed by Governor Stevens to carry the ex- 
press, and was in that occupation from November, 1855, until Sep- 
tember, 1856. In 1858 came to Yamhill County and settled on a 
farm, and later moved to McMinnville, his present residence. Mar- 
ried Miss Elizabeth Schuck in 1857, and has three children — Ed- 
ward W., Annie B., and Cora M. 

WASHBURN, JAMES H., 

Besides in Brownsville, Linn County, and is a dealer in general 
merchandise. He was born in Putnam County, New York, Janu- 
ary 5, 1822;- came to the Pacific coast in 1850, and to Oregon two 
years later. His first wife, Sarah Sperry, died in 1857; his second 
wife, Margaret F. Caypool, died in 1864, and he is now living with 
his third wife, formerly Emeline Davidson. His only child, William 
D., is by his first wife. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 791 

WATERHOUSE, WARREN. 

Born in Onondaga County, New York, May 25, 1829, but was 
taken when a child to Indiana, where he became a cooper and car- 
penter, and continued at such work for twenty years. In 1852 he 
came to the Pacific coast and went direct to Polk County, Oregon, 
where he now resides. Is postmaster of Monmouth, and also works 
at carriage painting. In 1858 he was married to Miss Sarah J. 
Leverich, and seven children have been horn to them, of whom six 
are now living, namely — Minnie (wife of J. F. Delany), Nellie, Ola, 
Rolla, Van, and Effie. 

WATERS, W. H. H. 

Born in Ohio in 1885; lived a while in Indiana and Iowa; started 
for California in 1852; proceeding thence to Oregon, he spent one 
year in this State and returned to California, and worked in the 
mines for two years; returned to Iowa and went to school. Lived 
in Nebraska from 1859 to 1875, running a newspaper, The Ne- 
braska Press; coming to Oregon at the expiration of that time, he 
bought the Statesman newspaper, at Salem, and conducted it awhile, 
but afterwards withdrew from it and opened a law and real estate 
office. Had been admitted to the bar in 1865; was a member of 
the Nebraska Legislature in 1862; resigned to take the office of 
Receiver of the U. S. Land Office; was delegate to the Baltimore 
Convention in 1864, which nominated Abraham Lincoln for the 
Presidency. Was married, in 1862, to E. E. North, by whom he 
has had live children — W. P., Eleanor, George E., Fred., and 
Harry \Y. 

WATKINDS, WILLIAM H. 

Born in Greencastle, Indiana, December 7, 1835. Came to 
Oregon and settled in Linn County. Learned the trade of saddler, 
and followed it at Salem. Was appointed superintendent of the 
penitentiary in L870 and 1*71 by Governor Grover. Removed to 
Portland in 1876, and engaged in the saddlery business. Was 
chief of police of that city for nearly two years. 

WATTS, J. W. 

Born in Missouri in 1832. Settling in Yamhill County, he 
practiced medicine until 1880. Held the position of receiver of 



792 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

the Land Office at Oregon City for a time. His attention having 
been drawn to the evils of intemperance he began an active course 
cf work against them, and has become noted as a lecturer on 
temperance. His exertions have been invaluable and unremitting. 
The doctor resides at Lafayette. Was married in 1880 to Mrs. 
Dorris, formerly Miss C. E. Bailey. 

WELLS, JOHN C. 

Born in Kentucky in 1832; on his arrival in Oregon he settled 
on the south fork of Mary's River, Benton County. His present 
residence is King's Valley, and occupation, farming. He married 
Elizabeth J. King in 1860, and their children's names are — 
Marion V., Leanna, Charles J., John D., Mary E., Kate, William 
P., Alceste E., Henry, Clement K., Pearl A., and Walter C. 

WELLS, W. A. 

Born in Platte County, Missouri in 1838. In 1844 his parents 
removed to Texas, returning the same year to the former State. In 
1852 they set out across the plains for Oregon, performing the 
well known, journey with ox-teams, and were four months on the 
road. Settling in Benton County, the son taught school and 
practiced farming until 18(32. In 1868 he was married to Miss 
Mary J. Wiles, by whom he has one child, Otto by name. In 
1862 he had become proprietor of a livery stable in Corvallis. In 
1870 he removed to California and engaged in farming, but after 
three years returned to Benton County. Purchasing now a tract 
of land comprising six hundred and forty acres, Mr. Wells devoted 
it to wheat raising, but in 1876 he rented it to others and removed 
to Corvallis, and bought a harness shop, and ran it for three years. 
Meantime he entered upon speculations in grain with satisfactory 
results, and became the possessor of a large warehouse with a 
capacity of one hundred thousand bushels. In addition to this he 
shipped grain on his own account to Liverpool, and realized great 
profits from his venture, the net proceeds of a single cargo being 
the handsome sum of seven thousand dollars. In 1883 he removed 
to McMinnville, and subsequently to Albany, where he now 
resides, carrying on an active and extensive business in grain deal- 
ing and kindred pursuits. Mr. Wells has held positions of trust 



HISTOKY OF IMMIGRATION. 793 

anions; his fellow men aud ranks anions: those who have been most 
efficient in developing and utilizing the resources of this rich 
country. 

WELLS, WILLIAM. 

Mr. Wells is, perhaps, the pioneer hop grower of the Willamette 
Valley. His first hop crop was raised in 1867, when twelve hun- 
dred pounds were produced from four acres of land. He was born 
in New York in 1833; his first residence in Oregon was on Soap 
Creek. Benton County; his present residence is at Buena Vista, and 
his occupation, farming. He married Cynthia J. Vanderpool in 
Oregon in 1854, and Mary C. Hall at Buena Vista in 1883; his 
children are — H. C, C. M., Henry A., and Emmet t E. 

WHITEAKER, JOHN. 

Born in Dearborn County, Indiana, May 4, 1820, and was reared 
upon a farm. Lived in Illinois and Missouri subsequently, and was 
married in the latter State in 1847, to Miss N. J. Har grave. Went 
to California in 1849, returning in 1851. In the next year he came 
to Oregon, bringing his wife. Settled in Lane County in 1853 on 
a donation claim. Has been a resident of that county ever since. 
Was probate judge in 1856, and the next year a member of the 
Legislature. Was elected by the Democrats the first governor of 
the State of Oregon. Served his term out, and in 1866, 1868, and 
1870 was a member of the Legislature. In 1876 he was sent to 
the State Senate. In 1879 was elected Congressman over Rev. H. K. 
Hines, the Republican nominee. The exigencies of politics induced 
him to hurry to Washington by special train, making the trip in 
four days and twenty hours. The feat served to bring him still 
more into public notice. He now resides on his farm in Lane 
County. 

WILLIAMS, C. O. T. 

Horn in Poolesville, Maryland, and moved to Illinois in 1839; 
came from that State to Oregon; married, in 1870, Miss Mary J. 
Warren, by whom he has had three children — Gracie E., Winona, 
and Veda. In 1880 he became county clerk of Clackamas County, 
and in 1881 was ehosen State Senator for that county. Resides at 
Oregon Cit\ . 



794 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

WILSON, JOSEPH G. 

Born in New Hampshire in 1828; removed to Ohio and gradu- 
ated from Marietta College ; studied law ; removed to Oregon, settled 
in Salem, and practiced his profession ; became clerk of the Supreme 
Court in 1852. In 1854 married Miss Lizzie Miller. In 1860 was 
appointed district attorney of the Third Judicial District, and three 
years later became judge of the Fifth Judicial District. In 1865 
received the degree of LL.D.; held his judgeship until 1869, and 
then resigned to engage in legal practice. In 1870 was Republican 
candidate for Congress, but was defeated by J. H. Slater by a small 
majority. Two years later he was elected Congressman over John 
Burnett, his majority being eight hundred and fifty. Died in Ma- 
rietta, Ohio, July 2, 1873. His wife survives him. 

WILSON, J. Q. 

Born in Ohio in 1828; resided for a time in Indiana; came to 
Oregon and located near Salem on a farm. Married, in 1838, Miss 
Sarah A. Smith. Their children, both since deceased, were — William 
A., and Armand S. Mr. Wilson has spent a considerable part of 
his time in Eastern Oregon, where he has stock interests. Was 
county judge of Baker County at its organization, and represented 
Umatilla County in the State Legislature in 1880. Has also been 
justice of the peace. Resides at Salem. 

WORTMAN, JACOB. 

Born in New Brunswick in 1827; settled in Oregon City on 
his arrival in this State, and lived there until 1876; has been en- 
gaged in merchandising in Oregon City, and Junction ; also has a 
store in Monroe, Benton County. Started a bank in McMinnville, 
of which D. P. Thompson is president, and John Wortman, cashier. 
In 1850 he married Miss Eliza Stumbo, and has four children — 
John, Frank, Jacob L., and Chris. 

WRIGHT, E. J. 

Born in Kentucky in 1820; removed to Illinois in 1850, and two 
years later crossed the plains to Oregon. Settled in Yamhill County, 
but now lives in Polk and cultivates a farm. He is also a car- 
penter by trade. Married in 1854, Lodoiska Boyd, who had 
two children by a previous marriage — Catharine J., and Frances 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 795 

Rebecca. Mr. and Mrs. Wright's family came to include six of 
their own — Susan, Clara, Ollie, Edward ("deceased), Ella (deceased), 
and Emma. Mrs. Wright died in February, 1864, and the widower 
married Mrs. Ann M. Ferguson, who had had two children — 
Amanda, and Frank. 

YANTIS, WILLIAM W. 

Born in Saline County, Missouri, on July 6, 1851 ; came to Linn 
County, Oregon, the next year. Resides at Shedd, and is proprietor 
of a drug store there. Was married, November 10, 1882, to Miss 
Mollie Mclbree. They have one child, Mabel Zoe. 

YOUNG, S. E. 

Born in Ohio in 1838; when six years old he accompanied his 
parents to Iowa, where they resided until 1852, coming then to 
Oregon. He lived a year in Washington County, but in 1853 
settled in Linn County, at Albany, and has resided there since. 
Occupation, merchant, and dealer in agricultural implements. Was 
married in 1872, in Will County, Illinois, to Miss Naomi Althouse, 
by whom he has had one child, Percy A. 

1853. 

ADKINS, E. S. 

Is a native of Howard County, Missouri, and was born March 5, 
1825. His early years were spent on a farm, and in 1853 he started 
for Oregon. His party pursued a new route and met with many 
difficulties, being much delayed on their journey by losing their 
way. Arriving in Oregon, Mr. Adkins proceeded to Lane County, 
and took up a donation claim, which he now holds. He moved to 
Monmouth in 1871, and has lived there since. Was married in 1848, 
to Miss Helen A. Bushnell, and of their family of nine children 
only four are now living — Frank, Jason, Corydon, and Wizard. 
Mrs. Adkin's mother died, March 25, 1884, aged 94 years. 

AIKEN, ANDREW G. 

Born in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, January 12, 1837; 
crossed the plains by ox-train, accompanied by his brothers, John 
and James. Settled near Albany, but went to Washington Terri- 
tory in 1854, and soon afterwards to Coos County, where he now 
resides. 



796 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

BAKER, JOHN W. 

Born in Kentucky, January 10, 1846; came to Oregon with 
his father and two brothers with ox-teams, and they belonged 
to a train of thirty -six wagons, which was conducted by James 
Biles, now of Tumwater, Washington Territory — being the first 
train crossing the Cascades through the Nachess Pass, and the first 
overland immigrants direct to Washington Territory — arriving at 
Nesqually Plains October 15, 1853. Mr. Baker remained in Wash- 
ington Territory for thirteen years, engaged in farming. Came to 
this valley in 1865, and settled in Yamhill County the next year, and 
has remained there ever since. His occupation is that of carpenter. 
He was married in 1868 to Miss L. A. Martin, by whom he has 
had six children — Cora E., Edward B., Walter L., Clare B., 
Ralph N., and Ella R. Mr. Baker was deputy sheriff in 1874-75, 
and journal clerk of the State Senate in 1876. Address, Lafayette. 

BARRETT, RICHARD A. 

Born in Ohio in 1837; came to Oregon in 1853, and settled in 
Jackson County. Removed subsequently to Washington County; 
was a farmer. He died in 1876. In 1858 he was married to 
Delila E. Griffith, and their children's names are — Union M., 
Margaret, Monroe E., Catharine Isabel, and Wealthy A. Mrs. 
Barrett resides at Cedarville, Washington County. 

BERRY, JOSEPH F. 

Born in Pennsylvania, in 1819; came to Oregon and settled in 
Luckiamute Valley, where he still lives, engaged in farming. He 
married Lucinda Osborn, in 1849, and their children's names are — 
Samuel J., Henry M., Anna, Adaline, Mary E., John F., and 
George E. 

BILLS, CINCINNATI. 

Born in Vermont, October 23, 1825; went to Indiana in 1844, 
and nine years later came to Oregon. Worked as a farm-hand in 
Multnomah County for two years, and then went to Portland; be- 
came sheriff of Multnomah County in 1870, and died December 18, 
1871. ' 

BLAIN, JAY W. 

Was born in Linn County in 1853, the son of Wilson Blain 
(^. £>.). He is in the hardware and machinery business, in partner- 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 797 

slii}) with his brother-in-law, W. S. Peters, trading in agricultural 

implements. Married in March, 1878, Miss Nannie T. Osburn. 
They have one child, Leta A. 

BONHAM, B. F. 

Born in East Tennessee, October 8, 1828, and removed with 
his parents to Indiana in 1840. Came to Oregon and settled at 
French Prairie, Marion County. Removed to Salem in 1854. In 
1856 1 he was elected territorial auditor and librarian, and was a 
member of the last territorial and the first State Legislature. In 
1870 became one of the supreme justices of Oregon, and was chief 
justice for a part of his term. Was admitted to the bar in 1850. 
Resides at Salem. Was a candidate for the United States Semite 
in 1885. 

BRIGGS, W. W. 

Born in Wayne County, Indiana, in 1832; At present is en- 
gaged in mercantile business, and is postmaster of Harrisburg, in 
Linn County. Married Miss Harriet Tompkins in 1858. Their 
children are — W. Willis, W. Oliver, Lula, Calvert L., and Gertrude. 

BURBANK, A. R. 

Born in Ohio in 1817; lived mostly in Illinois until 184 ( .), and 
then went to California; returned to the States in 1851 and came 
to Oregon in 1853. He spent some years subsecpiently in Wash- 
ington Territory, returning finally to Oregon in 1867. Has held 
various public offices, to wit: Was a member of the Legislature 
in 1855, and again in 1859, 1860, 1861, and 1862; was deputy col- 
lector of revenue for three years. Mi*. Burbank was president of the 
council of Washington Territory in 1861 and 1862. Was married 
in 1845 to Miss Mary E. Eckles, by whom he had a daughter, who 
was drowned at Ilwaco. Washington Territory. His present resi- 
dence is Lafayette, Yamhill County: occupation, capitalist. 

BURNELL, C. B. 

Born in Ohio in 1883; came to Oregon and settled near Mil- 
waukie. Clackamas County. Hi- present residence is six miles 
southeast of Beaverton, Washington County; and his occupation, 
farming. He married Louisa Crow in L855, by whom lie had sis 



798 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

children; and Lucinda Hickman in 1874, by whom he had four 
children. Their names are — Arrilla A., John F., James A., Charles 
Francis, George B., Amanda, Ralph, Wayne, Arena, and an infant. 

BUTLER, IRA F. M. 

Born in Kentucky in 1812, and at the age of seventeen went to 
Illinois and remained there twenty-three years. While in that State 
he held the office of sheriff of Warren County two years, and was 
clerk of the circuit court of the same county. Was engaged in the 
Black Hawk war, under General Whiteside. He came to Oregon 
in 1853, and has since lived in Polk County, where he owns a farm 
of six hundred and forty acres. Has served three terms in the 
Legislature; was speaker of the house in 1857-58, and was elected 
county judge in 1878, an office which he held four years. Is now 
notary public at Monmouth. Married Miss Mary A. Davidson in 
1835. Eight children have been born to them, five of whom are 
now living. The living are — Newton H., Asa Douglas, Augustus 
P., Margaret, and Alice E. The deceased are — Paradine, Cyrus, 
and Mary E. 

BUTLER, SANDFORD. 

Born in Rappahannock County, Virginia, May 3, 1814; was 
taken to Ohio in 1815; moved to Indiana in 1833, and to Iowa in 
1844; came from there to Oregon, and settled at Salt Creek, in 
Polk County, where he yet resides, engaged in farming. He 
married Elizabeth Nelson in Iowa, July 19, 1846, and their chil- 
dren are — William A., Martha J., Sarah E., John S., Joseph E. 
(deceased), Mary V., Phcebe A. (deceased), Emma O., and Rosa B. 

BYARS, WILLIAM H. 

Born in Des Moines County, Iowa, July, 1839; the son of Flem- 
ing Byars, a Virginian. In 1853 young Byars crossed the plains 
with his mother and step -father, J. H. Mires, and settled in Ump- 
qua, now Douglas County. From 1856 to 1858 he carried the 
mails, on the Oregon and California route, from Oakland to Yreka, 
and later studied in a private school at Eugene City, Columbia Col- 
lege, and at Unipqua Academy; taught school and studied by turn, 
and so became educated, graduating from the latter institution in 
1867. Became school superintendent of Douglas County; bought 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 799 

the Roseburg Plaindealer in 1873, and conducted it for about ten 
years as a Republican paper; was elected State Printer in 1882, by 
a majority of over two thousand four hundred and fifty; purchased 

the Statesman newspaper of Salem, and in partnership with W. H. 
Odell, conducted it for a time, disposing of their interests iu the 
fall of 1884. ' 

CAMPBELL, JAMES G. 

Born in Murray County, Tennessee, in 1810; moved to Illinois 
in 1830, and to Iowa in 184*2: eleven years later came to Oregon 
and settled in Polk County, near .Dallas, where he is engaged in 
farming. He married Elizabeth A. Black, in Illinois, in 1833: she 
died in 1863. In Polk County, in 1869, he was married to Alta A. 
Armsn-ong, and his family consists of eight children — Thomas J., 
James M., Elizabeth A., William G.. Eliza, Orpha A., Sarah F., 
and John B. 

CAMPBELL, J. M. 

Born in Illinois in 1 833, and came to Oregon across the plains 
in 1853. Has lived mostly in Polk County since his arrival. Was 
in the Yakima war. in Company A, then transfered to Company B. 
Is now in the sash and door business at Dallas. Married Ann E. 
Hagood in i860, and by her has live children — Alice J., Mary E., 
Henry (*., Charles C, and Martha L. 

CAMPBELL, WILLIAM G. 

Born in Van Buren County, Iowa, in 1842; came to Oregon 
settled in Polk County, and still resides there. Occupation, farm- 
ing. Married Emma DeLashmutt October 4, 18B8. Children — 
Maggie. Lena. Lydia, Thomas E., and James. 

CARTWRIGHT, THEODORE. 

Born in Michigan in 1828; came to Oregon in 1853, settled in 
Washington County and worked at his trade of carpenter. Had 
been married two years previously to Sarah Wilder, by whom he 
had five children — Wilhelmina J., Emma T., Adclie B., J. P., and 
lva. Is now engaged in stock -raising in Eastern Oregon, and owns 
large Hock-. 



800 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

CHARMAN, THOMAS. 

Born in Surrey, England, September 8, 1829; came to Oregon 
in April, 1853. He is a merchant by occupation and resides at 
Oregon City. Plas been mayor of the city. Wife's previous name 
was Sophia Diller. Children — Frederick R., Nellie V., Mary J., 
and Annie L., and one named Arthur D. who is now dead. 

CLARK, STEPHEN. 

Born in Connecticut in 1800; removed thence to New York, 
Illinois, and Oregon. Settled in Marion County, near Butteville, 
and remained there until his death. Occupation, blacksmith. 
Married in New York, in 1830, Miss Eunice Rose, by whom he 
had eight children, only one now surviving, whose name is B. S. 
Clark, and who now resides in Buena Vista, Polk County. He 
was born in 1841, in Knox County, Illinois, and was brought to 
Oregon by his father in 1853. He was in the warehouse business 
at Butteville for twelve years, and for five years subsequently dealt 
in merchandise in Champoeg. Located in Buena Vista in 1881. 
Married Adelaide Sawyer in 1869. Children — Stephen, Eunice, 
Hettie, Joseph, Frank, and Byron. 

CONGLE, J. B. 

Born December 9. 1817, in Chester County, Pennsylvania. 
Removed to Virginia in 1838, and thence to Missouri and Indiana. 
Married Miss Ellen H. Gray, of Indiana, May 21, 1844. Went to 
California in 1849 and returned to Indiana in 1851. Two years 
later he came to Oregon and settled at Corvallis, then called 
Marysville. Was the first mayor of that town. Was sheriff of 
Benton County for a time. Removed to Portland, his present 
residence, in 1861. Has represented Multnomah County in the 
State Legislature, and has held municipal offices. In 1874-75 was 
Grand Master of Masons of Oregon. 

COOLEY, GEORGE C, 

Is a merchant of Brownsville, Linn County, his place of 
residence. He was born in Greyson Qounty, Virginia, July 28, 
1831, and was married to Miss Harriet Blakely in 1857, by whom 
he has six children, namely — William C, Carrie, Etta, Kittie, 
James, and Emma. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 801 

CUSICK, SOLOMON. 

Is a farmer, living in Seio, Linn County. He was born in New 
York, December 29, 1814; came to Oregon from Adams County, 
Illinois. Married Anna M. Hollenbeck. Their children are — Henry, 
Eliza Jane, John W., William A., Harriet A., George W., Mary L., 
Martha E., and John Howard. 

CUSICK, w. A., M.D. 

Doctor Cusick was born in Illinois in 1847, and was brought to 
Oregon by his parents at the age of six years. The family settled 
in Linn County, where some of its members still reside. After 
several years of study of the various branches of medicine, in the 
offices and under the charge of the most capable practitioners of the 
Willamette Valley, Dr. Cusick acquired an excellent professional 
education and obtained a diploma. For several years succeeding 
he practiced at Gervais, in company with Dr. M. A. Flinn. At a 
later date he removed to Salem and located permanently. His prac- 
tice is very extensive and is justified by his reputation as a physi- 
cian of great attainments, good judgment and conscientious attitude. 
With such qualifications he has acquired the respect and good-will 
of his fellow -citizens, whose appreciation has been shown by his 
election to the Legislature in 1 884. Dr. Cusick was married in 1869, 
to Miss M. M. Williams. They have one child — Ethel Elaine. 

DAVIES, HORACE G. 

Born in Indiana in 1851; came with parents to Oregon and has 
lived in Washington County since; owns a farm near Beaverton at 
present. He followed the lumber business in partnership with his 
brother. Married, in 1873, Miss Sarah E. Teft. They have two 
children — Freddie, and an infant. 

DAVIES, MILES. ^ ; 

Born in Ohio in 1809. He lived in Indiana before coming to 
Oregon in 1853; after his arrival on this coast he settled in Wash- 
ington County, and in 1854 took a donation claim near Scholl's 
Ferry, and continued in the occupation of farming until 1882. 
Married Miss Jane Haines, by whom he had nine children, namely — 
John (deceased), Phoebe, Alfred, Mary J., James W., Francis M. 
(deceased), Horace G., Rachel (deceased), and Augustus N. 



802 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

DEARBORN, RICHARD H. 

Born in Madison, Indiana, in 1832; came to Oregon and 
settled in Douglas County. Was the first county clerk of that 
county. Present residence, Salem; occupation, saddler and 
harness-maker. Married Helen A. Flint, and has children — Frank, 
Elizabeth, Eliza, Catherine, and Richard. 

DECKARD, ANDERSON. 

Born in Kentucky in 1814; came to Oregon, and settled in 
Linn County, on a farm eight miles south of Albany ; now owns 
city property in that town. Has been justice of the peace for two 
years. Married Miss Lydia Corum, and by her has had eight 
children, only two of whom are now alive, namely — Stephen A., 
and Susan. His wife died in 1869, and in 1873 he married Mrs. 
Elizabeth A. Lincoln. 

DeLETTS, J. 

Born in Ohio in 1833; came to Oregon when twenty years of 
age. The first few years of his residence in this State were spent 
in Curry and Coos counties. At the commencement of the Indian 
war of 1855-56 he took his family to Fort Orford for protection 
from Indians, who destroyed all his property. (See pages 439, 
440.) In 1857 he moved to Portland and worked at the black- 
smithing trade for seven years. Left Portland in 1867 and went 
to Milwaukie, but moved to Washington County in 1870. Is now 
a blacksmith by trade, and resides at Beaverton; is notary public 
and justice of the peace. Married Miss Ida Pike in 1883, and has 
one child — Maud. 

DICKEY, I. C. 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1832; came to Oregon in 1853; for 
some years worked alternately at cabinet- making and farming;' and 
served several terms as recorder at Scio ; was mayor of that town in 
1877, and in 1878 was elected sheriff of Linn County. In 1881 
became mayor of Albany. Is now chief of police at Albany. Mar- 
ried in 1855, Miss F. Miller, who died in 1869. By her he had 
four children — Elva J., Ira C. (deceased), Minnie F., and Addie 
Bell. He contracted a second marriage in 1870 with Miss M. J. 
Starr, by whom he had three children — Armelda J., Anna B., and 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 803 

Frank M. She died in 1879, and in 1881 he married Miss Louisa 
M. Phillips, and they have one child — Ira Claude. 

DICKINSON, O. 

Born in Massachusetts in 1818; moved to Michigan in 1836; 
came to Oregon by way of Cape Horn; settled in Salem after his 
arrival, and was pastor in the Congregational Church there for four- 
teen years after his arrival. He has been engaged in the seed busi- 
ness since 1865, and kept a nursery for twelve years; has twenty- 
one acres of land in orchard and garden, and ships seeds to all 
parts of the Pacific Coast. Married Miss Charlotte Humphrey in 
1852, and by her had several children, but one of whom — Cora E. — 
is now living. Mrs. Perry H. Raymond is his adopted daughter. 

DODSON, McMINN. 

Born in McMinn County, Tennessee, in 1823; came to Oregon 
and settled at Salt Creek, Polk County, which is still his place of 
residence; occupation, farming. In Tennessee, May 9, 1848, he 
was married to Sarah D. Cunningham, and their children's names 
are— Z. T., David D., Henry C, Oliver M., Theodore W., Sarah 
E., Ellen A., and Schuyler C. 

FELLER, PETER. 

Born in France, in 1820. Came to Oregon and settled at Ore- 
gon City; present residence, two miles south of Butteville, and oc- 
cupation, farmer. He married Annie Notenure in 1848, and their 
children are, two sons and four daughters. 

FICKLE, ABNER. 

Born in Virginia in 1803, and when twenty -two years old went 
to Missouri. In 1848 went to Texas, and five years later came to 
Oregon ; now resides at Buena Vista, and is a farmer. Married 
Miss Susan Codley, and by her has had eight children, of whom 
four are living, viz. — Mehala B., Robert C, Mary A., and Mary J. 
Mrs. Fickle died in 1 870, and in 1873 he married Mrs. S. L. Hawes. 

FLANNERY, MRS. T. L. 

Born in Jasper County, Missouri, in 1822, and came to Oregon, 
settling near Perrydale, in Polk County. Occupation, farming. 
She married Elijah Flannery in 1840, by whom she had — John, 
Henry, Joel, and Martha. 



804 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

FORD, ROBERT. 

Born in Illinois in 1832, came to Oregon and located in Wash-, 
ington County, but afterwards resided in Polk and Benton counties. 
Was mainly engaged in the stock business. Purchased a livery 
stable in Dallas. In 1883, in company with J. W. Minto, he 
bought a livery and feed stable in Salem, and in 1884 purchased 
his partner's interest. Residence, Salem. Married to Lydia 
Cahoon, who died in 1859, leaving two children — Thomas J., and 
Cynthia. Married again in 1860, and has these children — James 
M., Mary F., Jessie G., John H., Robert R., Milton R,, F. M., 
Daisy L., and G. L. 

GOLTRA, W. H. 

Born in New Jersey in 1833; resided there until 1852; moved 
thence to Illinois, and after a short stay, set out for Oregon. In 
the next year he settled on a farm within eight miles of Albany. 
Was married in 1856 to Miss Sarah E. Denny, and by her has had 
four children, of whom, three are now living. In order to afford 
school facilities to his family he settled in Albany in 1874 and en- 
tered some time after in the agricultural implement trade. Owns 
a large amount of real estate in Linn County. 

GROUND, LUTHER. 

•Born in Warren County, Illinois, March 22, 1842, and came 
with his parents to the State of Oregon. The family settled in 
Polk County, and from 1869 to 1873, Mr. Ground was engaged in 
merchandising. He then changed his occupation to that of a farmer, 
and is still in that business. Mr. Ground was married February 5, 
1868, to Miss Sarah J. -Butler, and the pair have had live children, 
namely— Lottie, Nettie, Blanche, Mellie (deceased), and l&abel. 
Mr. Ground now owns a line farm of two hundred acres in the vi- 
cinity of Monmouth, Polk County. 

HALEY, P. w. 

Born in. Warren County, Illinois, in 1847; came to Oregon and 
settled in Polk County. Present residence, Independence, and 
occupation, farming. He married Alice V. Parker, in Polk 
County, Oregon, in 1869, and their children's names are — Orion 
E., Iva L., David W., Nellie M„ Eula J., and Minerva A. 



HISTORY OF 1 IMMIGRATION'. 805 

HARE, WILLIAM DAVENPORT. 

Born in Wheeling, Virginia, September 1, 1884. Removed 
with his parents to Ohio in 1835, and in 1853 came to Oregon. 
Remained in Portland until 1857, settling then in Washington 
County. Was elected county clerk in 1858, and held that office 
four years. Studied law and was admitted to practice in 1863. 
Has represented his county several times in the Legislature, and 
was elected State Senator in 1884. From 1873 to 1881 he was 
collector of customs for the district of Oregon. Was a candidate 
for the United States Senate to succeed Slater in 1885. Resides at 
Hillsboro. Married Miss Henrietta Schofield in 1859, and they 
have seven children — Thomas S., J. C, Francis E., Mattie D., 
Henrietta, Ruth, and AVilliam Gr. 

HARRIS, HUGH. 

Born in Ohio in 1818; removed thence to Indiana and to Illi- 
nois. Crossed the plains to Oregon in charge of a train of fourteen 
wagons. Settled in Polk County and has resided there ever since. 
His occupation is farming, and residence Oak Grove. Married in 
Illinois in 1 840 to Miss Nancy W. Hodge. Children — William H., 
(of Colfax, W. T. ), Miriam (Mrs. J. C. Allen, of Polk County), Emma 
(Mrs. John Hanna, of Linn County), Hugh S. (of Colfax, W. T.), 
Lizzie (Mrs. A. Hyse), Marietta (Mrs. James Chitwood), Belle (Mrs. 
W. Putnam, of Eola),* Emerson L., and Andrew J. 

HENDERSON, J. F. 

Born in Indiana in 1844; his first residence in Oregon was near 
Beaverton : his present residence is near Gaston, where he is en- 
gaged in farming. He married Sarah S. Davis in 1871, and their 
children's names are — Orla J., Lucy P., and Lily M. 

HILL, J. LINSEY, M.D. 

Born in Tennessee in 1845; a\<-is brought to Oregon in 1853; 
learned the printer's trade in Albany and Salem, and studied med- 
icine in 1865 and following years, and lias subsequently been steadily 
in practice of the healing art. He has been president of various 
medical societies, and has held several civil offices of importance. 
The doctor's acquirements are uncommon, and have enabled him to 
take a high stand in the profession. He has written upon various 



806 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

scientific topics in a way to command attention, and some of his 
productions have done much to extend the bounds of science. In 
another part of this volume may be seen an allusion to his explora- 
tions of certain artificial mounds in Linn County, which is a subject 
of great interest. (See page 487.) The doctor holds the rank of 
Surgeon -General of the Oregon Militia. He married in 1870, Miss 
Mary E. Pennington. Children — Clyde, Gale, and Emily. Resi- 
dence, Albany. 

HIMES, GEORGE H. 

Born in Troy, Bradford County, Pennsylvania, May 18, 1844, 
the son of Tyrus and Emeline Himes. His parents removed to 
Illinois in 1847, remaining in that State until 1853, when 
they crossed the plains and settled on a farm near Olympia, W. T. 
They were a part of the first train which came through the Cas- 
cade mountains by way of the Nachess Pass, making their own 
roads as they traveled. In 1861 he learned the printer's trade in 
the Standard office in Olympia, and in 1864 removed to Portland. 
Has resided there ever since. His occupation has always been that 
af job printing, with an occasional diversion in the way of publish- 
ing books and newspapers. In 1873 he published the Commercial 
Reporter, and was one of the proprietors of the Daily Bee, in 1875. 
In connection with H. O. Lang, he published the History of the 
Willamette Valley in 1885. He conducts at present a large job 
printing ofiice at Nos. 5 and 7 Washington street, Portland. He 
married Miss Anna F. Biggs, daughter of D. L. Biggs, of Salem, 
December 24, 1866. They have had eight children, named — 
Carrie Frances (deceased), Edna Emeline, Sarah Myrtle, Homer 
Biggs, Mary, Grace Helen, Clarage Holcomb f and Eunice Irene 
(deceased). 

HOULT, ENOCH. 

Born in Monongahela County, West Virginia, April 18, 1820; 
came to Oregon and settled in Lane County. In 1863, moved to 
Linn County, and is now a resident of Harrisburg. Mr. Hoult was 
a member of the Constitutional Convention for Oregon, chosen from 
Lane County in 1857; was elected to the State Senate from Linn 
County in 1870, and re-elected in 1882. He has been a zealous 
laborer in the interest of education. Married Miss Jeanette Somer- 



FTISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 807 

ville in 1842, who died in 1873. Their children were — John (de- 
ceased), Elisha (deceased), Mary E. (deceased), Man E. S., Elenor, 
Alice. Isabel, Morgan, Minnie Gr., and Ina B. 

HULERY, JOHN M. 

Horn in Ohio in 1827; moved to 'Carroll County, Indiana, and 
became a cooper. Married Miss Martha Davidson, by whom he 
had nine children — Mary, John W.. Ida, George W., Frank, Grant, 
Jessie, Minnie, and Walter. Brought his family overland to Or- 
egon via " Meek's Gut-off, 11 Mr. H. being the first immigrant to cross 
the Cascades by the route they took. Their experience was dread- 
ful to a high degree, and hunger and thirst prevailed. He located 
in Lane County, hut afterwards removed to Portland. Resides 
now at McMinnville. Was county commissioner in 1872. Mrs. 
Hulery died about 1872. 

HUMPHREYS, T. M. 

Born in Tennessee, in the year 1800, and assisted in the organiza- 
tion of the government of his native State. He came to Oregon in 
1853, making Linn County his home until 1882, when he moved to 
Monmouth, Polk County, where he still resides, and owns city 
property. Married Miss Jane Harrison in 1825, and his descendants 
comprise eleven children, sixty grandchildren, and thirty great- 
grandchildren. 

HUTCHINSON, THOMAS H. 

Born in Illinois, and educated at xlbingdon College. Coming 
to ( >regon he settled on the Luckiamute, Polk County. Was cap- 
tain in the early Indian wars, and subsequently held some civiJ 
office^: was county clerk at time of his death in 1862. Married 
Mi>s Elizabeth H. Butler, by whom he had three children — James 
B. (deceased ). Robert C, and Thomas O. Mrs. Hutchinson died 
in 1866. 

ISOM, JOHN. 

Born in Virginia in 1827; came to Oregon and settled in Linn 
County, where he took a donation claim, fifteen miles from Albany, 
which he yet owns. Moved subsequently to Eastern Oregon, but 
returned shortly to Linn County, and bought a warehouse in Al- 
bany, which he fitted up for a flour mill, and is' now owned by 
Isoni, Lanning & Co. Was elected county commissioner in 1882, 



B08 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

and served one term. Owns city property in Albany, where he 
resides. In 1848 was married to Miss Elizabeth M. Smith, by 
whom he has had twelve children, two of whom are deceased. 

JONES, HARVEY L. 

Born in Missouri in 1842; in 1847 was taken to Iowa; in 1853 
came to Oregon and settled in Bethel, Polk County. Present 
residence, Bellevue, Yamhill County, and occupation, farming. He 
married Josephine Van Buskirk, and their children's names are — 
Rolland, Weldon M., Luella M., and Herbert W. 

JONES, MADISON L. 

Born in Indiana in 1849, and came with his parents to Oregon. 
Was educated in the Willamette University, and afterwards studied 
law; was admitted to the bar in 1879; was a member of the legis- 
lature in 1882. Married Miss Emma Hovenden in 1880. 

KELLY, E. D. 

Born in New York, May 20, 1833; arrived in Oregon September 
29, 1853; occupation, merchant; present residence, Oregon City. 
Wife's previous name, Lucy Waterous. Children — Maggie, John 
W., Charles, and Edward (deceased). 

KELSAY, JOHN. 

Born in Wayne County, Kentucky, October 23, 1819; moved 
to Missouri in 1829; was a member of the House of Representa- 
tives of Missouri in 1844, and began to practice law in 1846. 
Came to Oregon and settled at Corvallis, where he still lives,, 
engaged in the practice of the law. Served in the Rogue River In- 
dian War of 1855-56, and rose to the command of the Second Regi- 
ment Oregon Mounted Volunteers, and took part in many severe 
actions. Colonel Kelsay was a member of the Constitutional Con- 
vention, and in 1868 became Justice of the Supreme Court of 
Oregon. 

KENNEDY, M." 

Born in ; lived in Kentucky and Illinois; located in Polk 

County in 1853 and took up a farm. Occupation, farming and 
stock-raising. Residence, Polk County. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 809 

KIZER, FRANCIS M. 

Born in Cedar County, Kentucky, in 1838. Settled in Linn 
County, Oregon, in 1853, and still resides there. Is a farmer; has 
been Master of the State Grange. Represented Linn County in the 
legislature of 1882. Married Miss Mary Wigle in 1859. 

KNAPP, GEORGE W. 

Was born in Ohio in 1834; came to Oregon and settled near 
Dayton, and still lives on his farm at the same place. He married 
Solendia Howard in 1864, and their children's names are— Lavinia 
and Frank B. 

KNIGHT, JOSEPH. 

Born in Alleghany County, Pennsylvania, in 1799; was a farmer 
and stone-cutter by occupation; was married twice- — first to Sarah 
Bates, and second to Catherine Bauer; his children are — Charles, 
Henry A. (deceased), Adam (deceased), Joseph, Matilda (deceased), 
Sarah (deceased), William, George, Rachel, Leah (deceased), John, 
August (deceased), Catherine (deceased), Samuel (deceased), and 
Mary. 

knight, p. s. 

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, October 21, 1836, but was taken 
to Iowa when six months old. His family removed to Vancouver, 
W. T., in 1853. He was educated at the Willamette University, 
studied law and was admitted the bar in 1863. Edited the States- 
man newspaper, of Salem, for two years — 1863 and 1864. For the 
next two years he served as pastor of the Congregational Church at 
Oregon City. From the conclusion of that engagement until the 
beginning of 1885 he was pastor of the Congregational Church 
at Salem, resigning then to give his attention more entirely 
to the affairs of the Deaf and Dumb School at Salem, which he 
founded in 1870 and has carried on ever since, almost by his un- 
aided exertions. He has built up a useful and commendable insti- 
tution, doing a work which the State of Oregon ought to assume, 
but which the mean parsimony of legislatures relegates to the be- 
nevolence of private philanthropy. 

LADY, JOHN T. 

Born in South Carolina in 1836; was taken to Indiana in the 
same year, and to Missouri in 1843. Ten years later came to 



810 HISTOTCY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Oregon and settled in Yamhill County. His present residence is at 
Grand Ronde, Polk County, and occupation farming and stock- 
raising. In Yamhill County, in 1872, he married Leona Dodson, 
and their children's names are — Gifford W., Perry C, and Clair. 

LAFOLLETT, CHARLES, 

Is a practicing attorney at Sheridan, Yamhill County. He was 
born in Indiana in 1830; came to the Pacific Coast in 1849, and 
taught school in California at that early day; was also in the 
lumber business. After his arrival in Oregon he became a teacher 
of penmanship in the Pacific University. Married Mary A. Snod- 
grass in 1857; in 1858 moved to Polk County, and lived there 
until 1879, during which time he was admitted to the bar. Served 
in the Legislature in 1863, and was appointed captain by Governor 
Gibbs of a company of Oregon Infantry, who were stationed at 
Vancouver seven months, and then came to Yamhill, after which 
he was sent east of the mountains and built Camp Polk. Returned 
to Dallas, and was appointed Indian Agent at Grand Ronde 
Agency, by General Grant, in which position he served four years. 
In 1879 he came to Yamhill County and settled near Sheridan, 
where he still resides. His children are — Edith, Olive, William 
G., Byron, and Hettie. 

LLEWELYN, ALFRED W. 

Born in Multnomah County, Oregon, in 1853; his parents came to 
Oregon in 1847. His father, Alfred Llewelyn, became county clerk 
of Washington County, and our subject served as deputy clerk from 
1874 to 1878, when he was elected county clerk, and re-elected in 
1880. Studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1883; is now 
practicing at Hillsboro, his place of residence. Married Miss M. 
M. McCloud in 1875, and they have one child, named Fred. 

LONG, A. H. 

Was born in Virginia in 1827; was reared in Indiana, and came 
from that State to Oregon. Married Miss Harriet Wilhoit in 1856, 
by whom he had seven children, one of whom now lives — Phoebe. 
His wife died in 1870, and in 1884 he contracted a second marriage 
with Mrs. Lucinda Crank, he being her third husband. She has 
seven children. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 811 

LOUGHARY, L. W. 

Born in Illinois in 1832; came to Oregon and settled in Polk 
County. Present residence, Luckiainute Valley; occupation, car- 
penter and farmer. He married Eliza Simpson in Polk County, 
Oregon, in 1858, and their children's names are — Bosina, Martha 
R., Uly, and Frank. 

MARSH, SYDNEY HARPER, D. D. 

Born at the Hampden -Sydney College, Virginia, August 29, 
1825, the son of Professor Marsh, D. D. His father removed to 
Vermont a year later to become the President of the University of 
that State. The son was educated at that institution, graduating 
in 184^. In 1852 he met the Rev. G. H. Atkinson, who was then 
in the East soliciting means wherewith to establish the Tualatin 
Academy at Forest Grove, and was induced to proceed to Oregon 
and lend his services to the infant establishment. As early as 1848 
the academy had been organized by the Congregationalists and 
Presbyterians, who exerted themselves for many years to place it 
upon a firm footing. Mr. Marsh had been ordained as a minister, and 
in 1>^53 he came to Oregon, brinoin^ with him books, funds, etc., to 
be devoted to the uses of the school, to which it was determined to 
add a more pretentious department, to be called the Pacific Uni- 
versity. The institution was re -incorporated in January, 1854, 
under the name of " Tualatin Academy and Pacific University," 
and in the following April Mr. Marsh was chosen President, with 
a salary of *1,200 per year, the amount, as well as most other 
current expenses being paid by the Society for the Promotion of 
Collegiate and Theological Education in the West. President 
Marsh attended solely to the duties of his station until 1858 when 
he went East upon an errand of solicitation in behalf of his college, 
and remained for two or three years and obtaining money and 
books to the value of about $23,000. In 1866 and 1867 he was 
again in the East on a similar errand, and collected at this time 
$25,000 and secured the aid of two Eastern teachers, both of whom 
have been of the greatest use to Oregon — G. H. Collier, now Pro- 
fessor in the State University, and Joseph W. Marsh, who still re- 
mains at his post at Forest Grove. A third visit East in 1870 was 
made, and 820,000 secured. Professor Marsh died at Forest Grove 
February 2, 1879. His was a life of the largest usefulness to man- 



812 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

kind within the comparatively limited sphere which he had chosen 
for himself. His qualities of head and heart were such as to gain 
the warmest friendship, and his activity and energy were tempered 
by the spiritual behavior proper to his religious calling. His work 
at Forest Grove was very difficult, yet very successful, and raised 
that educational institution from its condition as a primary board- 
ing school, distant from population and almost inaccessible and un- 
known, as it was in 1854, to its present condition of usefulness, in- 
dependence and liberality. 

MARTIN, THOMAS J. 

Born in Kentucky in 1820; came to Oregon and settled in Linn 
County. Was married to Miss Selena Plow in 1847, and by her 
had the following named children — John, Jacob, Mary J., Rhoda, 
James, Lizzie, Alice, Lula, and Eva (deceased). Mr. Martin died, 
May 6, 1869. 

MATHIOT, JEAN JACQUES. 

Born in France, in April, 1804. Married Catherine Vergon in 
1827, and came alone to the United States in 1839, bringing his 
family out three years later. Settled in Ohio; came to Oregon in 
1 853, accompanied by his wife and their seven children; settled near 
Butteville, Marion County, and engaged in grape -raising. Died, 
April 24, 1876. 

McFADDEN, OBADIAH B. 

Born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, in 1817; was a 
lawyer by profession; was elected to the Legislature of his native 
State in 1843; was prothonotary in 1845; was appointed associate 
justice of the supreme court of Oregon in 1853, replacing Judge 
Deady, but in the following year gave place again to the latter. 
In 1854 he became associate justice of Washington Territory; and 
in 1858 chief justice, so remaining until 1861. Represented his 
district in the legislative council, and continuing to reside in that 
territory he was elected to Congress in 1872 as delegate. Died in 
June, 1875: 

Mclaughlin, Robert. 

Born in Kentucky in 1810; on his arrival in Oregon he settled 
at Buena Vista, Polk County, and still resides there in the occupa- 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 813 

tion of farming. He married Mary Griffith in Missouri, in 1838, 
and their children's names are — Joseph A., Martha A., Harriet 
E., John T., Elizabeth J., Mary E., Louisa C, George W., William 
N., and Alfred M. 

MEREDITH, J. W. 

Born in Oneida County, New York, July 27, 1831. Occupa- 
tion, dentist; residence, Salem. Married in 1859 to Miss Millie 
Adams. Children — Frank and Nettie. 

MILLER, WALTER C. 

Is a harness -maker and farmer residing at Scio, Linn County. 
He was born in Onondaga County, New York, May 14, 1834; 
came from Illinois overland to Oregon. In 1855 he joined Com- 
pany O, of the 9th regiment of Oregon Volunteers, and served in 
the Indian war of Southern Oregon. Married Harriet Hamilton, 
and their children are — Manly W., Nancy D., Charles H., Samuel 
Grant, Harriet E., Mary, Sophia, Lucretia, William W., and Caro- 
line Ida J. Mr. Miller owns four hundred and eighty-six acres of 
land in Linn County. 

MONTGOMERY, R. M. 

Born in Indiana in 1836. Coming to Oregon he settled in the 
Luckiamute Valley, where he still lives and cultivates a farm. Has 
been twice married, first to Margaret E. Leggett, in 1864, and to 
Temperance Johnson, in 1875. Children — Ida, Owen, Frank, and 
Pearl. 

MORRIS, DANIEL. 

Born in Warren County, Kentucky, March 4, 1808; came over- 
land to Oregon; present residence, Scio, Linn County; occupation, 
farmer. Married Eveline Terry, and their children are — John S. 
Aurenia, Jane, and Carrol. 

MORRIS, JOHN S. 

Born in Benton County, Missouri, July 19, 1842; came overland 
to Oregon, and now resides at Scio, Linn County, and holds the 
position of postmaster of that city, having received the appointment 
in 1*79; is also a druggist by occupation. Married Sarah F. 
Queener, and their children are— Addie, Kmma, John F., Charles 
V.. May, Anna, Ollie, Bessie, and Dean. 



814 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

ODENEAL, T. B., 

Crossed the plains in 1853 with the " boy train," whose members 
were all under the age of twenty-one. Worked for Asahel Bush, 
proprietor of the Statesman newspaper. Was clerk of the House 
of Representatives in 1855-56, was clerk of Benton County 
from 1856 to 1860, and in the latter year was admitted to the 
bar. Founded the Gazette newspaper, of Corvallis, in 1863 
and was its publisher until 1866. Served six years as county judge 
of Benton County, ending in 1870. Served two years as assistant 
assessor of internal revenue. In 1872 was appointed superintendent 
of Indian affairs in Oregon; office abolished in 1873. Became clerk 
of the Supreme Court of Oregon in August, 1880, and held that 
position until the fall of 1884, when he resigned. 

PERCIVAL, R. C. 

Born in Howard County, Missouri, in 1822; came to California 
in 1850, and to Oregon three years later, and settled in Douglas 
County. His present residence is Monmouth, and occupation, 
farming. He married Elizabeth Davis in 1867, and their children's 
names are — Sidney D., Nellie M. (deceased), and Camilla E. 

PERCIVAL, WILLIAM. 

Now a resident of Monmouth, Polk County; was born in England, 
August 29, 1815, and came with his parents to America when a 
child, and lived most of his time, until he became of age, with his 
parents in Howard County, Missouri. In 1853 he came across the 
plains to Oregon and lived the winter following his arrival in Yam- 
hill County, but in 1854 he moved to Polk County, where he now 
resides on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, a part of a dona- 
tion claim. On February 4, 1847, he married Miss F. Mulkey, and 
seven children are the fruits of this union; their names are— Millie J., 
Millard F., Mary M., Georgia A., William W., Robert M., and 
Emily H. 

PFAU, JACOB. 

Born in Germany, in 1822; came to America in 1847; settled in 
Illinois; came to the Pacific coast in 1852, and to Oregon the fol- 
lowing year. Married Nancy J. Stump, in 1866, and has two chil- 
dren^-Nancy J., and Effie M. Mr. Pfau is a farmer, and lives near 
Eola, Polk County. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 815 

POPPLETON, EDGAR, M.D., 

Of Lafayette, was born in New York in 183*2, and came to 
Oregon in 1853. Since arriving in this State he has lived at 
various times in Columbia, Yamhill, and Multnomah counties. 
Arrived in Portland in 1858, in which place he remained until 
1870, his marriage to Miss Nancy C. Shelton taking place during 
that time. He moved to his present place of residence in 1871. 
Dr. Poppleton received his medical education in Cincinnati, and 
received his diploma in 1860, and has since had a large practice. 
Has live living children. 

PORTER, THOMAS L. 

Born, October, 1850, in Boone . County, Indiana; came to 
Oregon in 1853, and in October of the same vear settled near 
Halsey, Linn County. Was a member of the State Legislature in 
1876. Occupation, merchant, being a member of the firm of Black, 
Porter <fc Co., of Halsey. Mr. Porter was married in 1881 to Miss 
Mattie Hill. They have two children — Delia, and John D. 

PORTER, WILLIAM D. 

Born in Russell County, Virginia, June 6, 1811; moved to In- 
diana in 1829. Has lived in Linn County since his arrival in 
Oregon — Harrisburg being his present place of residence. Was 
married in 1835 to Elizabeth Nott. Their children are — Mary, 
Nancy, and Maria. 

RANES, JAMES T. 

Born in Kentucky in 1809; came to Oregon and settled near 
Albany, Linn County, and engaged in farming. He married Jane 
Cook in 1855; children — Laura, James, Jasper, and Ulysses S. 
Mr. Panes died in 1879. 

RICHARDS, JAMES. 

Born in Missouri in 1816, and was reared there. Was in the 
employ of the government in the Mexican war, and after its close 
went t<> California. Returned in 1852, and the next year came 
to Oregon, having in the meantime married Miss Amanda Simons 
(1853). Took a donation claim in Polk County, and resided there- 
on tin* rost <>f bis life. U\> children were — John W., Hardin H. 



1 



816 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

(deceased), Mary E. (Mrs. Henry Fawk, of Polk County), James 
0., Walter 8., David W., George L., Ralph R., and B. B. Mr. 
Richards died October 5, 1879, and his widow, March 3, 1883. 

RICHMOND, T. G. 

Born in Kentucky in 1826. Came across the plains to Califor- 
nia in 1850 and mined until 1852; then returned to the States via 
Panama. Came to Oregon in 1853, crossing the plains as before. 
Was a volunteer in the Rogue River war, under Captain Applegate. 
Returned in 1856, and went east of the mountains with cattle. 
While there he panned out gold on Burnt River, being the first 
discoverer of gold there. While on his return he encountered the 
Indians, and had a conflict with them at Klamath Cave. Married 
Miss Sarah J. Whitney in 1859, and their family now consists of 
five children — Alice E., Minnie, Mary E., Thomas G., and Edward 
C. There is one dead, named Nettie. Mr. Richmond is a farmer 
and owner of sixteen hundred acres of land; has a residence in 
Dallas. 

ROWELL, ZIBA M. 

Was born in Orange County, New Hampshire, in 1798. On his 
arrival in Oregon he settled at Scholl's Ferry, Washington County; 
his occupation was farming. He married Frances Sears, of Plymouth, 
Massachusetts, in 1827, and their children's names are — Thomas C, 
Susan F., Louisa M., Lydia W., John D., James B., and Ziba A. 
Mr. Rowell died in 1860. 

SAVAGE, E., Jr. 

Lives in Hillsboro, Washington County, and is a partner with 
his brother in an ax- handle factory. He was born in Adams 
County, Illinois, in 1852; his parents came to Oregon the year fol- 
lowing and brought him with them. In 1873 he was married to 
Miss Frances E. Whitmore. They have four children — Anna Mary, 
Minnie Myrtle, Thomas Rose, and Nettie Lenora. 

SCHWATKA, FREDERICK. 

Born in Gralena, Illinois, September, 1849, and was brought by 
his parents to Oregon when four years of age. The Schwatkas 
resided chiefly in Salem, of which town the father is still a resident. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 81 7 

Frederick Schwatka was appointed to West Point in 1867, and 
graduated therefrom with the rank of lieutenant in 1871, and was 
assigned to service with the Third Cavalry, in Arizona. His ser- 
vices in the field distinguished him considerably, as he was in 
several engagements with the Indians; but what most contributed 
to his celebrity was the very remarkable Arctic journey under- 
taken by him and his command, in connection with the search for 
traces of the English expedition of Sir John Franklin. Lieutenant 
Schwatka, at his own request, was detailed to take charge of the 
expedition, and setting out in 1878, he was occupied until the 
autumn of 1880 in researches in the extreme northern part of the 
American Continent, among icebergs and Esquimaux, making 
sledge journeys with dogs, and subsisting on the flesh of walruses 
and whales, and enduring the extremest cold; meanwhile they 
prosecuted their search with activity and success. Since his return 
to the United States the lieutenant has fully informed the world, 
by means of lectures and writings, of the circumstances and con- 
ditions under which his party plied their search, and the greatest 
credit and a full measure of honor and celebrity have attached to 
him. Until recently Lieutenant Schwatka was a member of the 
United States Army, but has now resigned to enter civil service, for 
which he is well qualified, as he is conversant with several learned 
professions, including law and medicine. 

SCOTT, HARVEY W. 

Born in Tazewell County, Illinois, February 1, 1838; came to 
Oregon with his parents, who settled in Clackamas County in 1854. 
Mr. Scott was educated at the Pacific University at Forest Grove, 
and was the first graduate of that institution, within whose walls 
he spent five years. His occupation is journalism, and his life-work 
has been the editing of the Oregonian newspaper of Portland, 
which he has conducted for nearly twenty years with signal ability 
and success. Lender his management that publication has advanced 
immeasurably beyond all competitors, and has achieved a standing 
among the foremost journals of the United States. The quality of 
Mr. Scott's work, its amount and the regularity of its performance, 
stamp hi^ a^ a most extraordinary working intellect. His literary 
style is mainly distinguished by aptness, force and dignity; and the 



818 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

latter quality is the more noticeable and the more appreciated from 
its extreme infrequency throughout the press of Oregon. Doubtless 
Mr. Scott lives too closely to the people of the Northwest for his 
abilities and services to be understood at their full value, but there 
are two truths which will in time become unmistakably evident to 
them: these are, first, the thoroughness and usefulness of his work, 
and, second, its solitariness. 

SCOTT, THOMAS B. 

Born in Missouri, in 1835; came to Oregon and went to hotel 
keeping at Salem. Was married in 1857, to Eliza McMullin, and 
their children are — Virginia P., Josephine Aramintha, Laura B., 
Lorena, and Myrtle Maud. Mr. Scott participated in the Indian 
war of 1855-56, and in 1864, enlisted in the First Oregon Infantry, 
to serve three years, and became sergeant. Resides at Salem. 

SCOVELL, L. C. 

Born in New York in 1835; removed at an early age to Iowa, 
and remained there until 1853. Mined and drove team in the early 
years of his residence in this State, and afterwards became driver 
of the Portland, Oregon City and Salem stage, and held that posi- 
tion for sixteen years. Married, in 1871, Elizabeth A. Buford. 
They have two children— Allie and Lolla. Resides in South Salem. 

SHATTUCK, E. D. 

Born in Vermont, December 31, 1824, and was educated in the 
colleges of the State. Taught for a time, and was admitted to the 
bar in 1852. Came to Oregon the next year, and became Professor 
of Ancient Languages in the Pacific University at Forest Grove. 
In 1855 he was elected superintendent of schools for Washington 
County, and the following year probate judge. Was a delegate to 
the constitutional convention; following which he resumed the prac- 
tice of law. Represented Multnomah and Washington counties in 
the last Territorial Legislature; was one of the organizers of the 
Portland Library Association; in 1862 was elected judge of the 
Fourth Judicial District, and again in 1874, holding the office nine 
years in all. 

SIMPSON, G. B. 

Born in Georgia in 1811. On his arrival in Oregon he settled 
in Luckiamute Valley, and still resides there. Occupation, farming. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 819 

He married Nancy Jackson in 1861, and their children's names were 
— Kufns F., Martha E., John W., Martha A., Wincy D., B. E., and 
Cerilda. 

SIPPY, JOHN. 

Born in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, in 1826; moved to Illinois 
in 1847, to California in 1850, and to Oregon three years later, set- 
tling in Lane County; in 1864 moved to Linn County. Married 
twice, first in 1849, to Mrs. J. Holliday, who died in 1850, and 
next, in 1853, to Mary J. Haskett; has had eight children — Ann J., 
Marinda, Mary, Samuel, Eliza, Lizzette, Philip, and Verlanda. 

SMITH, BERRYMAN M. 

A well-known druggist of Dallas; was born in Warren County, 
Illinois, in 1846, and came across the plains with his parents in 
1853. They settled in Polk County, and became farmers. Mr. 
Smith, before moving to Dallas, which he did in 1882, was a farmer 
and stock-raiser. Married Miss Sarah Nealy, in 1866, and their 
family consists of five children, namely — Ray N., Ralph O., Mar- 
garet E., Edith C, and Hettie. 

SMITH, HIRAM. 

Born in Ray County, Missouri, in 1821 ; lived in that State until 
thirty-two years of age; then crossed the plains, with ox-teams, to 
Oregon; he brought with him five wagons, thirty yoke of oxen, two 
hundred loose cattle, and twelve horses. On arriving in Oregon 
he settled in Lane County, and followed stock-raising and farming 
ten years. Moved to Harrisburg in 1863; went into merchandising, 
and built the present flouring mill in that town; subsequently 
opened a dry goods store at Junction, and a saw mill at Coburg, 
conducting all those occupations at the same time. Mr. Smith was 
a candidate for Congress in 1873; was a delegate to the national 
Republican convention at Baltimore, in 1864, which nominated 
Abraham Lincoln; also a delegate to the national convention, in 
1872, at Philadelphia, which re-nominated U. S. Grant. Several 
times Mr. Smith has been nominated for State offices, but has been 
defeated, as the Republicans in Lane County have always been in 
the minority. He has owned land to the amount of three thousand 
acres at one time, and is now proprietor of the Harrisburg saw and 



820 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

flouring mills. Was married, in 1848, to Miss Mary E. Fleming, 
'of Platte County, Missouri. 
smith, s. w. 

Born in Warren County, Illinois, in 1844. His family came to 
Oregon, and direct to Polk County in 1853, and settled on the 
Little Luckiamute, that still being his parents' place of residence. 
He worked with his father until he was eighteen years of age, when 
he procured a position as clerk in Independence. In 1867 he went 
into business for himself as partner in the firm of Cooper & Smith, 
and later, McCord, Smith & Co. In 1877 he formed a partnership 
with Vanduyn, the firm now being known as Vanduyn & Smith. 
Mr. Smith was married November 5, 1867, to Miss Esther M. Bar- 
ney, and of their children, six in number, five now live, namely — 
Mary Ellen, Ephram H., Otto B., Lenna M., and Millen W. Ralph 
C. died in infancy. 
STARR, I. W., M.D., 

Is a practicing physician of Brownsville, Linn County. He was 
born in Benton County, Oregon, November 28. 1853, and is mar- 
ried to Miss Clara Bishop. They have one child — Chester H. 

STEARNS, LOYAL B. 

Born in Keene, New Hampshire, in 1853, and brought to Ore- 
gon in the same year by his parents, who settled at Scottsburg, on 
the Urnpqua River. He was educated at the Unrpqua Academy 
and the medical department of the Willamette University. Studied 
law and was admitted to the bar in 1876. Located in Portland 
and has practiced in the courts of that city. Held the office of 
police judge for over three years; was then elected city attorney, 
and afterwards county judge of Multnomah County. Represented 
that county in the Legislature in 1878. 

STEPHENSON, JOHN. 

Born in Virginia ; was sheriff and clerk of Wood County in that 
State; settled in Portland in 1853, and had his residence near the 
Fulton House. Died, October 16, 1871, aged seventy-four years. 

STEPHENSON, WILLIAM. 

Born in Parkersburg, Virginia, in September, 1829. Came with 
his father, John Stephenson, to Oregon in 1853, and resided thence- 
forth in or near Portland. Died, February 14, 1877. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 821 

STEWART, JAMES. 

Born in Pennsylvania in lbl4; moved, in succession, to Floyd 
County, Indiana, to Iowa, and to Oregon. Located, in 1853, in 
Clackamas County, fifteen miles from Oregon City; resides now two 
and a half miles north of Hillsboro, Washington County, and is a 
farmer. Married Sophia Richmond, and after her decease, married 
Catherine J. Lngalls, his present wife. 

STONE, SAMUEL. 

Born in England, in 1814; came to America in 1833, and prior 
to coming to Oregon lived in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Kentucky. 
He settled at Mill Creek, in Polk County, on his arrival in this 
State, and that is still his place of residence; farming is his occupa- 
tion. He married Zerilda Carpenter, and their children's names 
are Thomas B., Sarah J., and John "W. 

STRATTON, CURTIS P. 

Born in New York December 31, 1800; came to Oregon in 
1853. Wife's previous name, Lavinia Fitch. Children — Riley E. 
(deceased, formerly chief justice of the State), Batania (deceased), 
Delia, Carroll C. (now president of the University of the Pacific 
at Santa Clara, California), Victoria, Horace F., Milton A., Laura 
M., Augusta J., Julius A. (attorney at law, and at present superin- 
tendent of the State Penitentiary), and Irene H. Mr. Stratton died 
at Salem in February, 1874. 

SWAFFORD, JAMES L. 

Born in Oregon City, November 15, 1853; is now treasurer of 
Clackamas County and resides at Oregon City. Wife's previous 
name was Temperance L. Rands. The names of his children are- 
George E., and Nellie. 

SWICK, BENJAMIN F. 

Born in Michigan in 1848: the son of Minor Swick; came with 
his parents to Oregon when quite young, and received bis educa- 
tion at the Willamette University, Commenced the study of 
dentistry when twenty years of a^e, after which he practiced in 
various towns of Oregon, finally settling in Salem where he is at 
present in partnership with Dr. Byrd. Married in 1874 to Miss 
Martha Flint. He now has two children — Valeria and Fay. 



J 



822 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

SWICK, L., 

Was born in Michigan in 1840; came to Oregon when quite 
young and settled at French Prairie. His present place of resi- 
dence is near Dayton, and occupation farming. Not married. 

SWICK, MINOR. 

Born in New York in 1811 ; moved to Michigan and from thence 
to Oregon; was a farmer until his death. Married Miss Louisa 
Latourette in 1832, and had five children, namely — T., Louisa (de- 
ceased), Minor, Lyma, and Benjamin F. 

THAYER, ANDREW J. 

Born in New York, and resided there until his departure for 
Oregon. Settled on a farm near Corvallis, and resided there until 
his death, April 29, 1873. Was a lawyer and enjoyed a great prac- 
tice. Became one of the Supreme Justices of Oregon in 1870, suc- 
ceeding Judge Kelsay. 

THOMAS, E. N. 

Born in Ohio in 1829; went to Iowa in 1848, and five years 
later to Oregon. Settled in Douglas County and resided there until 
1862. Participated in the Rogue River Indian war of 1855-56, 
being a member of Captain Rinearson's company. Located in Jef- 
ferson, Marion County, in 1862, and still resides there. Has been 
in the mercantile business for twenty years. Is now in partnership 
with his son, J. A. Thomas. Married in 1852 to Miss Mary J. Far- 
rens. They have three children — Joseph A., Florence, and Emma. 

THOMPSON, JOHN M. 

Born in Missouri in 1843, and crossed the plains with his parents 
when ten years old. They settled in Lane County, and he was ed- 
ucated at the old Columbia College in Eugene City. Married Miss 
Elizabeth Cooper in 1871, daughter of G. M. Cooper of Eugene 
City. They had three children. Mr. Thompson's occupation was 
the law, and he attained distinction. Was elected to the Legislature 
in 1878 and. was chosen speaker of the house. Was returned in 
1880. Died near Prineville, Wasco County, February 10, 1882. 

VANCE, WILLIAM. 

Born in Morgan County, Illinois, in 1831 ; came to the Pacific 
Coast in 1853; in 1867 returned to the States, via Panama, but 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 823 

came back to Oregon in 1868 and settled near Tangent, farming 
there until 1880, when he moved to Albany and has lived there 
since. Owns city property and nine hundred and twenty acres of 
land. Married Miss Martha E. Duncan in 1868, by whom he has 
had two children — named Mary Altha, and Nancy Pearl. 

WAIT, T. B. 

Born in Boston in July, 1834, lived for a time in Illinois, came 
to Oregon in 1853, and settled in Polk County. Participated in 
the Indian wars of 1855-56, and was lieutenant in a volunteer 
company. Removed to Salem in 1873 and in 1878 engaged in the 
hardware business; deals extensively in agricultural implements, 
etc.; was mayor of Salem in 1879, and has been alderman. Mar- 
ried Mary Gibson iu 1858 and had two children, Olive and A^nes. 
Mrs. Wait died in 1866, and in 1872 he married Rachel Morris 
by whom there are three children — Ennis, Thomas, and Lena. Mr., 
Wait resides in Salem, but has a ranch of four hundred and eighty 
acres in Polk County. 

WALKER, SAMUEL A. 

Born in Washington County, Oregon, January 2, 1853; is a 
shoemaker by trade and instructor in that branch of industry in 
the Indian school at Forest Grove, a position he has held since 
1880; owns a residence and other property in that town; married 
Miss Minnie J. Knighten in 1877, and they have three children — 
Charles, Pearl, and Raleigh. 

WARNER, ARTHUR. 

Is a resident of Oregon City and a farmer by occupation ; was 
born in Surrey, England, April 17, 1828; came to Oregon in April, 
1853; married Elizabeth Kaiser, and their children are — Alfred 
(deceased), Surrey (deceased), Imogene (deceased), Ernest (de- 
ceased), Annie, George and Ellen (twins), and Arthur C. Has rep- 
resented Clackamas County in the Legislature, and was sheriff for 
one term. 

WARRINNER, W.C., M. D. 

Born in Richmond, Virginia, and resided at various times in 
Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri. Graduated from a medical school, 



824 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

and in October, 1853, arrived in Oregon and settled permanently 
in the vicinity of Salem. Was married in Illinois in 1848, and has 
a family of six children— Eugenia, Florence, Richard C, John T., 
May, and Edgar A. Dr. Warrinner relates that on his arrival in 
Portland in the fall of 1853, that place contained three practicing 
physicians, Doctors Wilson, Millard and Davenport, the first of 
whom still resides there, but the latter two are dead. Dr. Daven- 
port accumulated a splendid competence in the practice of his pro- 
fession. The regularly graduated physicians in Oregon, says Dr. 
Warrinner, were Doctors Bartley, of Vancouver, Bailey, of Oregon 
City, Boyle, of Polk County, and Warrinner, of Salem. Dr. War- 
rinner belongs to the Christian Church, and was one of the fore- 
most movers in the organization of the college belonging to that 
body. This was originally located at Bethel, Polk County, twelve 
miles from Salem. It was established in 1855, and on July 4th of 
that year the frame of the school building was raised. The found- 
ers were G. O. Burnett, Amos Harvey, J. L. Ladd, W. C. Warrin- 
ner and two or three others. The school flourished, and pupils at- 
tended from widely separated localities, attracted by the good repute 
of the teachers. Among the instructors at Bethel were Dr. Na- 
thaniel Hudson, L. L. Rowland (now of Salem), and J. H. Hall, 
who were installed as professors on or about 1860. The school re- 
tained its prestige for some ten or twelve years, but about 1865 was 
removed to Monmouth. The Bethel school building cost about five 
thousand dollars and accommodated nearly one hundred and fifty 
students. Its subsequent history is merged into that of the Mon- 
mouth College and State Normal School. 

WATSON, EDWARD B. 

Born in Clayton County, Iowa, October 7, 1844, and crossed the 
plains to Oregon nine years later. The family settled in Douglas 
County in 1854 upon a farm. Edward was educated at the Ump- 
qua Academy and at the Pacific University at Forest Grove, grad- 
uating from, the latter in 1866. He read law with J. F. Watson, 
at Roseburg, and was admitted to the bar in 1868. Made a part- 
nership with B. F. Do well and practiced in Jacksonville. Was 
elected county judge of Jackson County in 1872. In 1880 was 
chosen Supreme Judge of the State of Oregon. Retired from the 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 825 

bench in 1884. Judge Watson's first wife, whom he married July 
11, 1872, was Miss Mary E. Owen; the second, married May 28, 
1879, was Miss Ella C. Kubli. He has two children. 

WELLS, GEORGE A. 

Born in Pike County, Missouri; his first place of residence in 
Oregon was at Mary's River, in Benton County; his present resi- 
dence is at Buena Vista, and occupation farming. He married 
Henrietta Turner in Illinois in 1850, and their children are — Rich- 
ard F., Mary 8., Mary E., William L., Commodore H., George P., 
Emma, and John. 

WELLS, RICHARD F. 

Born* in Pike County, Illinois, in 1850; came to Oregon at an 
early age, and lived at Philomath, Benton County. His present 
residence is at Buena Vista, Polk County, and occupation farming. 
He married Emma A. Collins in Polk County in 1876, and their 
children are — Samuel B., George W., Mabel, and Frank. 

WILLIAMS, GEORGE H. 

Born in Columbia County, New York, March 26, 1823. Studied 
law and was admitted to the bar of New York in 1844; emigrated 
to Iowa the same year and began to practice; became district judge 
in 1847, retaining that position for five years. In 1853 he was 
appointed Chief Justice of the Territory of Oregon, and imme- 
diately removed here. He was a member of the Constitutional 
Convention, and soon after began to practice law^ at Portland. In 
1864 he was elected Senator from Oregon, and in the course of his 
duties as such prepared and introduced into Congress the Recon- 
struction Bill " for the more efficient government of the Southern 
States." After his term of office he was appointed one of the 
Joint High Commissioners to settle the Alabama claims, etc. In 
December, 1871, he became Attorney -General of the United States, 
holding that position until 1875, when he resigned. Resides in 
Portland. 

WRIGHT, JOHN G. 

Born in Illinois in 1837; came to Oregon by ox-team when 
sixteen years of age, settled at Salem, and engaged in merchan- 
dising. Residence Salem, and occupation retail grocer; has held 



826 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

several civil offices, among them the mayoralty of Salem; is now vice- 
president of the Oregon Agricultural Society, and a member of the 
board of managers. Married in 1860 to Miss C. M. Cross. Their 
children are — Ella C, and George S. 

WOLVERTON, CHARLES E. 

Born in Iowa in 1851; came with his father, John Wolverton, 
to Oregon, and was reared on a farm in Polk County, receiving his 
education at Monmouth, whence he graduated in 1871, delivering 
the valedictory of his class. He studied law in Lexington, Ken- 
tucky; returned to Oregon in 1874, and has practiced in Albany 
since, where, for a while, he was in partnership wkh N. B. Hum- 
phreys. Was justice of the peace at Albany from 1876 to 1878. 
In 1884 was nominated for prosecuting attorney. Owns city prop- 
erty in Albany, and a farm of one hundred and fifty-three acres 
eight miles from that town. Married Miss Clara E. Price in 1878. 

WOLVERTON, JOHN. 

Born in Hamilton County, Ohio, December 4, 1822. He was 
reared on a farm, and at seventeen years of age went to Illinois, and 
from there to Iowa; in 1853 came to Polk County, Oregon, and 
took a donation claim. He now owns a fine residence in Mon- 
mouth, and a farm of eight hundred acres. Married Miss Mary J. 
Nealy in 1847. They have seven children — William M., engaged 
at Spokane Falls in the hardware business; Charles E., a lawyer at 
Albany; Bruce, a minister of the Christian Church at Seattle; 
Prince Albert, of Spokane, dealer in agricultural implements ; Josie, 
wife of Dr. J. C. Byrd, of Salem; Otis A., a farmer in Polk County; 
and Grant, at Spokane, engaged in the hardware business. Mr. 
Wolverton lives at Monmouth. 

YOUNG, ISAAC. 

Born in Tennessee; lived successively in that State, Ohio, Iowa, 
and Oregon, arriving in the latter in 1853. He lived with his 
family one year in Washington County, but settled in Albany in 
1853. Here he lived and worked at his trade of carpentering 
until 1876, when his death took place. He was the father of S. E. 
Young, of Albany. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 827 

1854. 
BEAN, ROBERT SHARP. 

Born in Yamhill County, November 28, 1854, but moved with 
his parents to Lane County at an early age, and has resided there 
ever since. Graduated from the Christian College at Monmouth, 
in 1873. Studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1876. In 
1877 he entered the State University at Eugene with advanced 
standing, and graduated the next year. Continued in the practice 
of law until 1882 when he was elected Judge of the Second Ju- 
dicial District. 

BELT, GEORGE W. 

Born near Salem, Oregon, August 13, 1854, and has resided 
there almost all the subsequent time. Was educated at the Wil- 
lamette University, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1879. 
Removed to Independence, Polk County, in 1881, and engaged in 
law practice. Married Miss Olive L. Chamberlain, Aug. 1, 1882. 
They have one child, named George. 
bevens, J. s. 

Born in DeKalb County, Missouri ; his first settlement in Oregon 
was in Yamhill County; his present residence is Buena Vista, and 
occupation farming. He married C. K. Shelton in Oregon, and 
their children's names are — Nola J., Minnie A., Prince L., and Josie. 
bevens, t. o. 

Born in Missouri in 1842; on his arr.val in Oregon he settled in 
the Luckiamute Valley, and still lives there. Occupation, farming 
and stock-raising. In Oregon, in 1864, he married Mary E. Grant, 
and their children are named respectively — Gilbert J., Hudson J., 
Permelia, Marquis J., Manley, and Ida. . 

BEVENS, WILLARD P. 

Born in DeKalb County, Missouri; on his arrival in Oregon he 
settled at Luckiamute, Polk County; now resides at Buena Vista en- 
gaged in farming. He married Mary S. Wells in Oi;egon in 1869, 
and they have one child — Willard Easton. 
CONDIT, c. 

Born in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, January 27, 1827; mar- 
ried Rebecca J. Rowland in 1857; by her his children are — James 
P., Silas J., Philip H., Martha J., and Alva O. He married his 
second wife, Jane Frank, in 1865. 



828 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

CONDIT, PHILIP. 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1801; was married to Nancy Gordon 
on February 2, 1826. Children — Cyrenus C, Sylvanus, Alva, 
Samuel J. M., and Mary A. C. Mr. Condit organized Pleasant 
Grove Presbyterian Church, which was built in 1857-58, the second 
church constructed by that denomination in Oregon. 

DEARDORFF, A. G. 

Born in Douglas County, Oregon, in 1854; the son of W. H. B. 
Deardorff. t Educated at Umpqua Academy; studied medicine in 
this State and in Keokuk, Iowa. Returned to Oregon in 1882, 
having graduated, and locating at Jefferson, Marion County, began 
practice. Married in 1879 to Miss Elizabeth Harmon. Residence, 
Jefferson. 

DIERDORFF, WILLIAM. 

Born in Pennsylvania July 4, 1815; emigrated to Iowa and two 
years later married Marianna Ainsworth, sister to J. C. Ainsworth, 
of Portland. Emigrated to Oregon and settled at Oregon City as 
a member of the mercantile firm of Ainsworth <fc Dierdorff; Later, 
he became chief commissary of the O. S. N. Company. In March, 
1870, was appointed inspector of hulls, vice John H. Couch. Was 
Grand Master of the Odd Fellows of Oregon. Died at Portland, 
July 24, 1871. 

GILMORE, JOHN. 

Born in Harrison County, Ohio, in 1814; at the age of twenty - 
six removed to Missouri. Was married in 1844 to Christian Messner. 
Their children were — Susan L., William R., Mary Jane, Charles 
H., James R., and Fanny. At the breaking out of the Mexican 
war, Mr. Gilmore enlisted and served for eighteen months. Coming 
to Oregon, he located in Marion County and set about farming. 
Residence, Salem. 

GODLEY, HENRY D. 

Mr. Godley was born in Tompkins County, New York, June 4, 
1838. At sixteen years of age he came across the plains with his 
parents and an uncle, W. H. Gray. He settled in Linn County, 
and, in 1858, commenced in the hardware business in Albany, 
remaining there until 1880, when he moved to Independence and 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 829 

established himself in his former business, which he is yet engaged 
in. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, and of the orders 
of Odd Fellows and Chosen Friends. Was married in Albany, 
April 28, 1864, to Miss Sarah G. Parrish, and to them the follow- 
ing named children have been born — Fred. C, Anna C, Maggie 
and Lucy. 

HAY, JERRY. 

Born in Adair County, Kentucky, August 1, 1839; has lived 
since his arrival in Oregon in Linn County, and is now proprietor 
of a dry goods store in Harrisburg. Married Miss Martha Evans 
in 1864. Their children are — Alice, Lydia, Annie, William, Frank 
and Nellie. 

HENDRECSON, O. P. 

Born in Albany township, Linn County, Oregon, in 1854; the 
son of W. F. Hendrecson; and has remained there ever since; occu- 
pation farming, and is agent for the sale of agricultural machinery. 
Married, in 1880, to Miss Ella Hideout. They have two children — 
Daisy, and William F. 

HOLMES, H. R., M.D. 

Born in Polk County, Oregon, July 30, 1854. Studied medicine 
at the Willamette University and in the Toland Medical School, 
San Francisco, and duly graduated. Is in practice at Salem, and 
is recognized as a surgeon of great skill and attainments. He mar- 
ried Miss Olivia Swegle, in Salem, September 27, 1879. They have 
had one child, Guy Paul, who died January 6, 1884, aged four years. 

JOHNSON, WALTER. 

Is a resident of Jefferson, Marion County; his occupation is 
varied, he being engaged in farming and conducting a warehouse, 
and is also in the drug business. He was born in Linn County, 
July 21, 1854; married Emma Farwell, and their children are — 
Horace and Ernest. Mr. Johnson has held the office justice of the 
peace in Syracuse precinct from 1878 to 1882. 

LEDFORD, G. T. 

Born in North Carolina, August 20, 1834; came to Oregon and 
settled -in Rogue River Valley; was in the Rogue River war in 



830 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

1855-56; brother of Eli Ledford who was butchered by Indians in 
the Cascade Mountains in 1859. In 1861, entered the Union army 
in First Oregon Cavalry; went from Jacksonville to Walla Walla 
and Fort Hall, as escort for immigrants; was mustered out in 1864. 
Is now a resident of Hillsboro and keeps a variety store. Married, 
in 1877, Miss Mary McCloud, and by her has had three children — 
Ora (deceased), George B., and Hazel D. 

McAFEE, W. E. 

Born in Oregon in 1854; is a druggist by occupation, and in 
partnership with W. E. Hawkins. Married Miss Maggie Cromwell 
in 1874, and has one child. His residence and place of business is 
Salem. 

McBRIDE, GEORGE W. 

Born in Yamhill County in March, 1854; the son of Dr. James 
McBride. Was educated principally in the Willamette University, 
and the Monmouth College. Studied law. Lives at St. Helens, 
Columbia County, and is engaged in merchandising. Has been 
Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

PEEBLES, GEORGE A. 

Born in Clackamas County in 1854, and was educated at the 
Willamette University, graduating in 1877. He studied law in the 
office of William Ramsey, and was admitted to the bar in 1881. 
Mr. Peebles has taught school continuously since 1871, except the 
time speut in college, and is now principal of the East Salem school. 
In 1884 he was elected school superintendent of Marion County. 
Married Miss Virgie Griffith in 1882, by whom he has one child — 
Lois Lucille. « 

SCHEURER, W. R. 

Born in Oregon in 1854; resides at Butteville, Marion County. 
Occupation, dealing in grain. Married Sarah Douglas, November 
9, 1875. Children — Frederick and John. 

SMALL, ISAAC HIATT. 

Born in Richmond, Wayne County, Indiana, in 1823; came to 
Oregon in 1854, and settled at Silverton, Marion County. His 
present residence is Turner and occupation hotel keeper. He mar- 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 831 

ried Hester Ann Campbell, in Indiana, May 7, 1846, and their 
children's names are — Elwood C, Lavina H., James M., Sarah 
Ann, Calvin W., Ada Lorane, Hettie M., and Isaac H. 

STILLWELL, L. L. 

Born in Yamhill County, Oregon, in 1854, the son of W. D. 
Still well. He now resides on his father's old donation claim near 
North Yamhill, and is a farmer and stock raiser. Married Miss 
Sarah Haines in 1878, and has three children — Fred, Dora, and 
Ollie. 

STOTT, J. M., Jr. 

Born in Oregon in 1854; is now a hardware merchant in East 
Portland. Married Miss Sarah J. Powell in 1880. 

STRATTON, J. A. 

Born in Jefferson County, Indiana, in 1844; residence, Salem, 
and occupation, attorney -at -law. 

STRATTON, MILTON A. 

Born in Jefferson County, Iowa, June 10, 1838; came to Oregon 
in October, 1854; present residence, Oregon City; occupation, sec- 
retary to the Oregon City Manufacturing Company. Married Helen 
Williams, and their children are — Creed W., and Carroll. 

THOMAS, D. C. 

Born in New York in 1832; ran away from home when fifteen 
and enlisted for the Mexican war. Returning home, he set out, in 
1848, for California and worked in Wood's diggings, near Sonora, 
Tuolumne County: was in the mines ten years; has traveled many 
times between California and Oregon, but is now settled perma- 
nently at Salem. 

TOWNSEND, J. H. 

Residence and address, Dallas; born in Polk County, Oregon, in 
1854; received an academic education in La Creole Academy at Dal- 
las; commenced the study of law in 1876, under J. J. Daly, of 
Dallas, and was admitted to the bar in 1883; then formed a part- 
nership with Warren Truitt, which continued one year. Mr. Town- 
send is an active member of the A. O. U. AY. Married Miss Allie 
Richmond in 1882. 



832 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

WILLIAMS, L. L., 

Lives in Hillsboro, Washington County, and is a telegraph 
operator; he was born in Ohio, November 13, 1834; moved with 
his parents to Illinois in 1838, and from thence to Wisconsin; came 
from the latter State to Oregon. In 1858 he was married to Miss 
Sarah J. Anderson, who died in the same year. In 1863 he con- 
tracted a second marriage with Miss Mary Hay, by whom he had 
three children. She died in 1872, and he was married for the third 
time in 1873, to Mrs. S. J. Quick, by whom he had three children. 

1855. 

BAYLEY, JAMES R., M.D. 

Born in Clark County, Ohio, in 1819. Received an academic 
education at Springfield; commenced the study of medicine in 1841, 
and graduated from the Ohio Medical College three years later. 
Practiced several years in Ohio. Married Miss Elizabeth Harpole. 
Settled at Corvallis, Oregon, in 1857, and has lived there ever since. 
Was a member of the Territorial Council in 1856 and 1857, and 
has twice been judge of Benton County. Was State Senator in 
1866 and 1868; and supervisor of internal revenue from 1869 until 
1873. Has taken thirty -two degrees in Masonry, and is Past Grand 
High Priest, and Past Grand Master of the Masons of Oregon. 

BARRETT, N. W. 

Born in Washington County, Oregon, November 24, 1855; 
graduated from the Pacific University in 1879. Has taught school 
most of the time since. Was elected to the Legislature in 1880; in 
1882 commenced the study of law in the ofiice of T. H. Tongue, 
of Hillsboro. Married Miss Lucretia Parrish in 1882. His present 
residence is Hillsboro. 

BURKHART, C. G. 

Born in Linn County in 1855. Is now a partner with his 
brother, J. H. Burkhart, in the real estate business at Albany. 
Married Miss Clara A. Anderson in 1880. 

COFFEY, JAMES. 

Born in Ireland in 1836; came to America, and to Oregon in 
1855, settling at King's Valley, Benton County. At present resides 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 833 

in Salem, where he is in business as a furniture dealer. Is justice 
of the peace of Marion County. Married Miss Johanna Hargon in 
San Francisco, California, in 1860. Their children are — John B., 
Julia, James D., Mary A., Margaret L., and Isabelle J. 

COMLEY, JENNINGS B., 

Is a resident of Albany, Linn County, and a carpenter and joiner 
by occupation. He was born in Kentucky, September 21, 1827; 
married Dorinda McFadden, and their children are — George E., 
Adrian A., and Edward J. Mr. Comley served four years in the 
city council of Albany after its first organization. 

EARHART, ROCKEY P. 

Born in Franklin, Ohio, June 23, 1837, and was reared and 
educated in that State. Came to Oregon via the Isthmus, and be- 
came clerk in the quartermaster's department of the United States 
army posts at Vancouver and The Dalles. Dealt in merchandise 
in the West Side counties, and afterward served as United States 
Indian agent at the Warm Springs agency, and subsequently chief 
clerk, special Indian agent, and secretary of the Board of United 
States Commissioners to the Klamath and Modoc tribes. In 1868, 
having concluded these employments, he went into business in 
Salem, and continued so for four years. He managed the Cheme- 
keta Hotel in that town for a year or more. Kepresented Marion 
County in the Legislature in 1870. Was afterward business mana- 
ger of the Daily Bulletin newspaper at Portland. From 1874 
until 1878 he was chief clerk in the surveyor general's office, re- 
signing then to enter upon his duties as Secretary of the State of 
Oregon, to which he had been elected. Was re- nominated for that 
position in 1882, and elected by twenty-five hundred majority. Mr. 
Earhart is a very prominent Free Mason, and has attained the 
thirty-third degree therein. Has held high offices in various lodges, 
and assisted in the organization of the first Commandery of Knights 
Templar established in the Northwest. Has been Grand Master of 
the Masons of Oregon (1878 and 1879). Married July 1863, Miss 
N. A. Burden, of Polk County. They have four daughters. 

GRAF, FRED. 

Born in Bavaria, in 1833; came to Oregon in 1855, and to 
Albany in 1867. In 1870 entered the furniture and undertaking 



834 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

business in partnership with William Fromin, in that town, and 
has continued in it since. Married Miss Carrie Caruthers in 1873, 
and they have four children — Hattie, Lillie, Katie, and Fred. 

HUTCHINSON, THOMAS O. 

Born in Polk County, the son of Thomas H. Hutchinson, an 
emigrant of 1853. His birth took place in 1855; was educated at 
the Christian College at Monmouth. Became a school teacher, and 
still occupies himself in that pursuit. Was married in 1877 to 
Miss Addie Rome, by whom he has had three children — Lester C, 
Roy C, and Lizzie M. 

Mcdowell, f. d. 

Born near Salem, Marion County, August 3, 1855. By occu- 
pation, is a watchmaker and jeweler, and resides at Salem. Was 
married December 29, 1881, to Miss Ella B. Nelson. 

MILLER, LOUIS. 

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, May 12, 1836; came to Oregon in 
1855; occupation, butcher; present residence, Turner. Wife's pre- 
vious name, Sallie Davis. Children — Lizzie, Ollie, Louis, Pearl, 
Emma, and Roy. 

NOYER, PETER S. 

Born in Richland County, Ohio, in 1837, and was taken by his 
parents to Illinois in 1840, and to Texas in 1845. Went to Cali- 
fornia in 1853, stayed two years, and then came to Oregon. Set- 
tled in Clackamas County. Married Miss Delilah C. May in 1857, 
who had come with her parents to Oregon ten years before. Mr. 
Noyer was member of the Legislatures of 1874 and 1882. 

STIMPSON, GEORGE W. 

Born in Nashua, New Hampshire, in 1832; came to Oregon in 
1855 from California, where he had emigrated the preceding year. 
Present residence, Salem. Married in 1875, Mary E. Davis. 

STOTT, JOHN S., M.D. 

Born in Washington County, Oregon, on the twenty -fifth of 
March, 1855; the son of Thomas A. and Nancy Stott — the father 
a well known citizen of that county, and its representative in the 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 835 

Legislature in 1872. The son was educated at the Pacific Univer- 
sity at Forest Grove, and embarked in the profession of teaching, 
at the age of seventeen. He became principal of the school at 
Walla Walla in 1876, and afterwards taught at Forest Grove and 
Hillsboro, in his native county. In the intervals of teaching he 
studied medicine, and afterwards attended two courses of lectures 
at the medical department of the Willamette University, graduating 
therefrom in April, 1883. The Doctor has entered somewhat into 
politics, and was elected clerk of Washington County in 1883, but 
having no time to spare from the exacting duties of his calling, he 
performs the former functions by proxy. Resides at Independence, 
Polk County. 

TANNER, ALBERT H. 

Born near Portland in 1855. Was educated in the public 
schools and the Christian College at Monmouth, graduating in 1874. 
Studied law and was admitted in 1879. Lives in Portland and 
practices law. Represented Multnomah County in the Legislature 
of 1882. Married Sarah, daughter of John Kelly, in 1880. 

WRIGHT, WILLIAM P. 

Born in New York City in 1839, the son of Captain J. S. Wright, 
the celebrated navigator and master of steamships. He came to the 
Pacific Coast in 1855, and has traveled very extensively, visiting 
nearly every portion of Oregon, Washington and California. Re- 
sides now at Dallas, Polk County. Is the United States deputy 
surveyor for that region. He married Maria L., daughter of Dr. 
G. K. Willard, in Olympia, W. T., and their children's names are — 
Willard G., Pansy R., John F., and Dora B. 

1856. 

BUCKINGHAM, A. L. 

Born in Ohio in 1834; came to Oregon by steamer when 
twenty-two; located at Salem and opened a store. Was clerk of 
the State Senate for a time; and also president of the State Agri- 
cultural Association. Resides now at Salem; married in 1876 to 
E. G. Frost, by whom he has two children — George F., and L. F. 

CHARMAN, FREDERICK. 

Born in Surrey County, England, in 1835; came to Oregon in 
1856; was a merchant by occupation. Died at Oregon City, 



836 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

December 23, 1868. His wife's previous name was Mary Diller. 
Children — Thomas Leonard, and Elmer E. 

CONNERS, ROBERT S. 

Born at Salt Creek, Polk County, June 4, 1856, and now resides 
at Smithfield, in the same county. His occupation is farming, and 
he ranks with the most zealous and intelligent of the agricultur- 
ists of Polk County. He married J. J. Davis on the sixteenth of 
December, 1877. Their children are — Koswell E., Millie M., and 
Nellie. 

GILMORE, JOHN W., 

Is a blacksmith and farmer, and lives in Lebanon, Linn County. 
Born in Kentucky, September 13, 1813; came to Oregon and im- 
mediatelv volunteered in the Indian war in Southern Oregon in 
1855-56. Was employed as wagon master from Albany. Mar- 
ried Jane A. Bronaugh, and their children are — William, Lucy, 
Nancy, John T., James, and Robert. 

HALL, C. H., M.D. 

Born in Kentucky in 1835; left that State when a boy and went 
to Indiana. . In 1854 he came to the Pacific Coast and after two 
years 7 residence in California came to Lebanon, Oregon, where he 
served as teacher in the academy; then removed to Salem and was 
instructor in the University four years. Studied medicine and re- 
ceived a diploma from the Willamette University, and has been 
practicing medicine eighteen years. For a time he had charge of 
the Portland Seminary. Since 1873 he has been associated in his 
practice with Dr. Reynolds. Married Miss Mary Waller in 1858, 
and has two children — Nellie and Esther. During the Rebellion, 
Dr. Hall was commissioned captain on General Griffin's staff. 

MILLER, JASPER R. 

Born February 25', 1856, in Polk County; was reared on a farm 
and received a common school education. Has lived in Dallas since 
1872, where he attended school for some time, then taught * school. 
In 1879 commenced the drug business in Dallas, and in connection 
with his drug store, conducts a jewelry store with J. Vaughn. Mar- 
ried Miss Laura Hall in 1883, and has one child named Jesse L. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 837 

MYERS, DAVID. 

Born in Ohio, February 16, 1838; in 1856 arrived in Oregon 
and settled in Linn County, near Scio; now resides in Scio, and 
is a mechanic and manufacturer of lumber. He married Mary 
Priscilla McDonald in June, 1861, and their children's names are 
— Jeff Davis, Nathaniel Clay, Ida Jane, Laura Bell, Eva Adella, 
Mary, Etta Maud, Blanche Myrtle, Dora Elizabeth, Flora Edith, 
and David Edward. 

POWELL, J. M., A.M. 

Born in Linn County, Oregon, January 22, 1856, and is a son 
of A. S. Powell of that county. He was educated in the Christian 
College, and in 1879 received the degree of Master of Arts. After 
graduating he taught for awhile in the public schools, but in 1882 
he became professor of mathematics in the Normal School, a posi- 
tion he still holds. He is an active member of the Christian 
Church, and also of the I. O. O. F. 

PUTNAM, R. B. 

Born in Linn County, Oregon, April 21, 1856; the son of D. B. 
Putnam. Immediately following his birth his father removed to 
Yamhill County and settled near Amity, where he and his son have 
since lived. The later is a harness maker. He married Miss Anna 
L. McKune in. 1883. 

RICHARDSON, A. J. 

Born in Hancock County, Maine; his first residence after his 
arrival in Oregon was at Portland ; his present residence is at Buena 
Vista, and occupation, storage and forwarding merchant. He mar- 
ried H. J. Linville in Oregon in 1862, and their children's names 
are — Lillie R., Albra J., May, and Winnifred. 

RICHARDSON, ELIJAH HARRISON. 

Born in Linn County, Oregon, February 14, 1856; was reared 
in this State, and now resides at Scio, in Linn County. He is a 
school teacher by occupation, and unmarried. 

SUITER, LEVI T. 

Born in Tennessee in 1838, and moved thence to Missouri in 
1844. In 1856 emigrated to California and engaged in mining. Af- 



838 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

ter wards was at Canyon City, in Eastern Oregon, following the same 
pursuit. Later, lie became a constructor of flouring and saw mills, 
and achieved success as such. He has built some half a dozen mills 
in Yamhill County, and many in other localities. He built the 
flouring mill at Lafayette, wherein he is partner with R. Daniel. 

UNDERWOOD, WILLIAM. 

Born in England in 1830, and came to America when three 
years old. On coming to Oregon he made his home in Salem, 
which is still his abode. By occupation is a carpenter, and belongs 
to the firm of Kelly & Underwood. Married in 1865 Miss C. S. 
Evans, by whom he had four children — Elenor E., William E., 
Margaret Ann, and George G. 

1857. 

BAGLEY, O. 

Is a distinguished farmer and stock-grower of Luckiamute Val- 
ley, Polk County. He was born in Erie County, New York in 
1830; was taken to Michigan in 1835; moved to Indiana in 1.848, 
to Illinois in 1849, and to California in 1853; four years later came 
to Oregon and settled in King's Valley. He married Margaret 
Chambers in 1859 and she died in 1881. Their children's names 
are — O. J., Jasper, Andrew J., Emily, and Mary. 

BRIEDWELL, GEORGE W. 

Born in Yamhill County, Oregon, June 26, 1857. His father is 
John W. Briedwell, of Amity. He is county clerk of Yamhill 
County, and resides at Lafayette. Married Miss Ollie L. Maddox, 
in Yamhill. They have one child, Bessie. 

BROWN, E. M., M.D. 

Doctor Brown, now practicing in Forest Grove, Washington 
County, was born in that town, the son of A. C. and Sarah A. 
Brown, immigrants of 1847. He was educated at the Willamette 
University, and afterward heard courses of medical lectures at the 
medical department of the University of California, in San Fran- 
cisco, and duly graduated. Returning to Oregon he set up in prac- 
tice. Married Miss Mary E. Williamson, and they have one child. 

CHERRY, J. G. 

Born in Polk County, Oregon, in 1857; is a son of A. F. Cherry 
who came to Oregon in 1852 and started a foundry in Albany in 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 839 

1865, which he conducted until his death in 1882. Our subject 
worked with his father and was junior partner at his death, when 
he took sole charge and now carries on the business. Married Miss 
Nancy A. Price in 1879 and has two children — Althea and Al- 
pheus. 

D'ARCY, P. H. 

Lives in Salem; he was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1853; 
his parents came to the Pacific Coast in 1854, bringing him with 
them. They came to Oregon three years later and settled in Salem, 
where our subject received his education at the Willamette Univer- 
sity. Commenced the study of law in 1873 with Messrs. Boise <fc 
Willis, and was admitted to the bar in 1876; has practiced in Sa- 
lem since. He was first clerk of the Supreme Court, established in 
1878, and held that office until 1880. Now a member of the Dem- 
ocratic State Central Committee from Marion County and secretary 
of the committee. In 1883, was elected recorder of Salem. Mr. 
D'Arcy had learned the printer's trade and worked at it for eight 
years. 

MILLER, A. H. 

Born in Mercer County, Illinois, November 2, 1840; came over- 
land to Oregon and now lives in Linn County, seven miles north of 
Albany ; farmer by occupation. Married Mary J. Crooks, and their 
children are — Edith V., and Pearl. 

MILLER. FRANCIS M. 

Is a farmer and blacksmith, living at Miller's, Linn County; 
born in Mercer County, Illinois, November 20, 1843; married 
Nancy E. Bowman and their children are — Aurora J., and Albert 
A. Mr. Miller owns three hundred and fifty acres of land on the 
railroad north of Albany. 

PATTERSON, FRANK A. 

Born in St. Clair County, Illinois, on the first of October, 1835. 
In 1852 he emigrated to California, and spent four years in mining. 
Coming to Oregon in 1857, he located for a time in Benton County, 
but two years latter setled in Washington County, and a year 
later still, removed to Polk, where he has since remained. His oc- 
cupation is farming and stock -growing, and he possesses town 



840 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

property in Independence. Mr. Patterson was married in 1859 to 
Miss Caroline Tatom, and their family consists of the following 
children — Isaac L., Henry B., George S., Frank S., William, P. C, 
D., Allen, and Maud. Mr. Patterson is prominent in politics, is a 
Republican, and represented his county in the Legislature in 1880 
and 1882. 

PECK, G. W. 

Born in Virginia in 1822; lived in that state nine years, and in 
Kentucky three years; learned the carpenter's trade; emigrated to 
California in 1852; lived in Mariposa County five years; dealt in 
stock; made a trip to Mexico; came to Oregon in 1857 and settled 
near Aumsville, and farmed and dealt in stock; was married in 
1865 to Miss Louisa Smith; present residence, Aumsville, Marion 
County. 

PHILLIPS, D. T. 

Born in St. Clair County, Illinois, in 1823; came to Oregon via 
Panama, and arrived in 1857. Settled in Washington County, and 
in 1865 moved to his present residence near Cornelius; owns two 
hundred and fifty acres of land and a brick yard. Married Miss 
Martha Tait, of St. Clair County, Illinois; has ten children living 
and two dead. The living are — Melissa, Alonzo, Vickers, Sarah, 
Millie, Emma, George W., Charles, Albert, and Franklin W. The 
deceased — Christian, and Mary. 

POTTER, J. M. 

Lives in Halsey, Linn County, and is a carpenter by occupation. 
He was born in Linn County, Oregon, December, 1857. 

PRATT, LUCIEN C. 

Born in Massachusetts in 1824; resided in that State until 1850, 
then moved to Rhode Island, and in 1857, to Oregon. Arrived in 
Salem the same year. Has lived in Oregon City for a portion 
of the later years, but is now an inhabitant of Salem. Has been 
concerned in manufacturing, and came to this coast to take charge 
of the mill in Salem. Later he has been engaged in river navigation. 
Mr. Pratt married Nancy B. Lawrence in 1844, and had by her 
Mary E., Ida M., and William E. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 841 

PRICE, NIMROD. 

Lives near Albany, Linn County, and is a farmer; has lived 
ever since his arrival in Oregon on the same farm (a donation 
claim). Married America Froman, a native of Indiana, and their 
children are — William C, Strader, Thomas B., and James F. Mr. 
Price owns three hundred and twenty acres of land. 

RHOADES, THOMAS W. 

Born in Ohio, August 31, 1832; arrived in Oregon August 15, 
1857. Occupation, proprietor of the Cliff House at Oregon City. 
Wife's previous name, Annie E. White. Children — Jerome E., 
James L., and William S. (deceased). Mr. Rhoades died in Feb- 
ruary, 1885. 

THOMPSON, T. W. 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1831. When he came to Oregon he 
settled in Portland. His present residence is near Gaston, and his 
occupation farming. He married Avarilla Stott, in 1862. 

1858. 

BEAN, J. W., M.D., 

Of Dallas, was born in Lane County, December 5, 1858. He 
was educated at the State University, graduating in 1880. His 
medical education was acquired under the care of Dr. Sharpies, of 
Eugene City, at the Willamette Medical School, and at the Jeffer- 
son Medical College, in Philadelphia, from whence he graduated, 
March 30, 1882. Practiced a short time in Cottage Grove, in Lane 
County, then entered the government employ as surgeon, and took 
charge of a temporary hospital at the Cascade Locks, for the treat- 
ment of the sick and injured during the government work. Moved 
to Dallas in 1883; is permanently located and has a large practice. 

HAWKINS, w. E. 

Born in Multnomah County, Oregon, in 1858; is a druggist by 
occupation, in partnership with W. E. McAfee, at Salem. 

HODGIN, W. L. 

Mr. Hodgin was born in Jefferson County, Ohio, in 1827, and 
came across the plains in 1849 to California, where, for a while, 
he engaged in mining. He then turned his attention to farming in 



842 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

San Joaquin County, but failed by drouth. He then returned to 
the mines and remained two years. Came to Oregon in 1858 and 
lived at various times in Washington and Multnomah counties until 
1868, when he came to Polk County and settled in Independence 
and engaged in general merchandising for some time. He has held 
the position of postmaster since 1871, and entered into partnership 
with Mr. Henkle in 1884 in trading. Was married in 1874 to Mrs. 
Jeannette Stuard. 

IRVINE, E. L., M.D. 

Born in Linn County, Oregon, in 1858. Keceived his education 
at the WiPamette University, and in 1880 commenced the study of 
medicine at Portland, and graduated in 1883. Located at Albany 
and has practiced there since. Married Miss Laura Houk, July 20, 

1882, and they have one child — Elbert Lloyd. 

MITCHELL, M. 

Born in Oregon City in May, 1858; in 1879 he engaged in trade 
at Gervais, Marion County, and was appointed postmaster of the 
town. Resides in that place. 

MYERS, DAVID. 

Born in Ohio in 1834; came to Oregon by way of Panama, and 
resides in Scio, Linn County; occupation, farmer and mechanic. 
He is owner of a tract of six hundred and forty acres of land two 
and a half miles east of Scio, and town property, including a plan- 
ing mill. Also owns a saw mill on Thomas Creek, six and a half 
miles east of Scio, and one hundred and twenty acres of land, on 
which the mill is located. The mill has a capacity of five thousand 
feet of lumber per day. Mr. Myers was elected county commis- 
sioner in Linn County in 1884. Married Mary P. McDonald, and 
their children 'are — Jefferson, Nathaniel C, Ida J., Laura B., Eva 
A., Mary M., Myrtle and Maud (twins), Dora and Flora (twins), 
David, and Lola H. 

SCHOLFIELD, BENJAMIN. 

Born in Clark County, Illinois, in 1840. When sixteen years 
of age went to California with his father, a year later they came 
together to Oregon and settled near Hillsboro; his father died in 

1883. Benjamin Scholfield has lived in Washington County since 






HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 843 

his arrival in the State; now owns two hundied and seventy acres 
of land. Was married in 1863 to Miss Sarah V. Hall; children — 
Ruth, Scott, Rosa, William T., Rebecca, Mollie, Sarah (deceased), 
and Harriet. Residence and address, Cornelius. 

1859. 

CHARMAN, THOMAS L. 

Born in Oregon City November 4, 1859. Occupation, drug- 
gist : present residence, Oregon City. 

GEISY, AUGUST. 

Born in Pacific County, , in 1857; came to Oregon two 

years later with his parents who settled in Aurora, Marion County. 
He grew to manhood in that place, after which he came to Salem 
to complete his education. Since that time he taught school, and 
in 1884 was elected treasurer of Marion County. He studies law 
with the intention of practicing. 

HARTMAN, B. F. 

Lives in Mc^linnville and is a merchant by occupation. Was 
born in New York in 1837; when twenty-two years of age came 
to the Pacific Coast; settled in Oregon in 1862; farmed in Wash- 
ington County for five years. In 1871, came to McMinnville and 
established his present business. Formed a partnership with A. J. 
Apperson in 1884. He was married in 1864 to Miss Millie Arthur. 

ROGERS, J. L. 

Lives in McMinnville; is a druggist by occupation, and was 
born in Yamhill County in 1859. Was reared on a farm, and 
educated at the McMinnville College. In 1878, commenced clerk- 
ing in a drug store in McMinnville, and later formed a partnership 
with J. W. Todd, in a drug store, which still continues. 

THOMPSON, JAMES I. 

Born in Xorth Carolina in 1827; came overland to California in 
1852. After various experiences, which included mining, garden- 
ing, clerking, a trip to Frazer River in 1858, school teaching, etc., 
he found his way to this State in 1859, and now resides in Salem, 
where he owns city property as well as agricultural land in the 
neighboring County of Polk. Married in 1862 Miss Elizabeth 
Dyer, by whom he has one son, Hugh H. 



844 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

THOMPSON, JOHN. 

Born in Scotland in July, 1821. He came to America in 1842, 
and lived in New York five years; he then went to Alabama, and 
two years later to California via Panama. He lived in California 
several years, and then went to Puget Sound, but shortly after 
came to Oregon, settling finally in Yamhill County, which place is 
still his home. Mr. Thompson has been deputy county clerk since 
1877. He was married in 1878 to Mrs. Fletcher, who is one of 
the early pioneers of Oregon, and daughter of Andrew Smith. 

1860. 

EPPERLY, GEORGE A. 

Born in Oregon City in 1860; moved with his parents to Port- 
land in 1870, and in 1878 graduated from the Portland High 
School. In 1881 he entered into a partnership with Dr. W. Smith 
in the drug business at Sheridan, which partnership still exists. 

GRAVES, WILLIAM. 

Born in Ohio • in 1825; went to Illinois in 1846, and was col- 
lector of Knox County in 1853. On arriving in Oregon, lived 
nearly a year in Corvallis, and for the following twenty-three in 
Salem. Is now a resident of Gervais, Marion County. Occupa- 
tion, furniture manufacturer and undertaking. Married in 1847 to 
Barbara Shoemaker, and their children are — Thomas Wesley (at 
present in Astoria), Melissa, Ellen, and Ida Bell. 

SCHMEER, JOHN. 

Born in Germany in 1845; came to Oregon, and in 1864 settled 
in Albany; started a grocery and bakery, which he kept until 1880; 
in 1883 purchased a livery stable formerly owned by Mrs. Stimp- 
son, which he has conducted since. Married Miss Stenebe in 1867, 
by whom he had two children. She died in 1869, and in 1870 he 
married Miss Hegele, by whom he has one child. 

1861. 

BUMP, WILSON. 

Born in New York in 1837; came to Oregon in 1861 and settled 
in King's Valley, his present residence. His occupation, agricul- 
ture, and he is spoken of as a representative of the best class of 
farmers. He married Emily C. Allen in Indiana in 1870, and they 
have three children — Mark, Clarence, and Daniel. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 845 

CARR, SUMNER. 

Born in Maine in 1839. In 1859, left for California, coming by 
way of Panama; lived in California two years; then entered the 
California Volunteers and was sent to Grand Ronde, Polk County, 
Oregon, where he was stationed three years. Was discharged in 
the fall of 1864 and returned to Polk Count}-. Moved to Yamhill 
County, in 1866, and was elected assessor of that county in 1870. 
Married Miss Lizzie F. Wiley in 1865, and has live children — Le- 
lah, Carrie, Roscoe, Bessie, and Carlton C. He is a carpenter by 
occupation and now lives at Carlton where he owns property. Mr. 
Carr, with his wife, taught the Indian School one year on the agency 
at Grand Ronde. 

COSPER, ROMENO. 

Born in Ohio in 1856; came to Salem in 1862. Married Miss 
Alice Pennoyer in 1882. 

GLEASON, JOHN E. 

Born in Maine in 1845; went to California about 1855, and to 
Oregon about six years later. Married in 1869, Miss Nancy H. 
Naylor, of Washington County, by whom he has had three children. 
Mr. Gleasou's occupation is farming, and his residence is in Forest 
Grove. 

HORNER, JOHN B. 

Resides in Brownsville, Linn County, and is a teacher by occu- 
pation. Was born in La Grange County, Texas, August 4, 1856, 
and married Miss Isabella Skipton, who was born in Iowa, April 
9, 1859. 

JARNIGAN, ALLEN J. 

Born in Sumner County, Tennessee, May 4, 1835; emigrated to 
Missouri in 1844, and from thence to the Pacific coast in 1850. 
For seven years he mined in California and for two terms was 
-sor of Mendocino County of that State. In 1858 went to 
Frazer River; in 1861 he fought Indians in Eastern Oregon; in 
1863 came to Albany and while there was married to Miss Eliza- 
beth Fish. In 1865 moved to Southern Oregon, where he lived for 
fifteen years. His wife died in 1873, and he was married to Sarah 
H. Terris. Came to the Willamette Valley from Southern Oregon 



846 HISTOEY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

and held for some time the office of justice of the peace in Linn 
County; now lives at Marion; is a mechanic by trade; is also an 
ordained elder of the Primitive Baptist Church, and has preached 
eighteen years. 

LEE, THOMAS J., M.D., 

Born in Missouri, November 24, 1851. When a child he was 
taken with his parents to Kansas, and in 1860 they proceeded to 
California, and the next year came to Polk County, Oregon. At 
the age of eighteen he commenced the study of medicine under his 
father, Dr. W. C. Lee, an old English physician, who graduated in 
London and practiced in Polk County, and died in February, 1882. 
The subject of this sketch also studied under Dr. Sharpe, of 
Eugene City, and attended lectures at the Toland Medical College 
in San Francisco, and from there went to the Medical College of 
Missouri, where he graduated with the highest honors in a class of 
two hundred and four. Dr. Lee formed a partnership with Dr. J. 
C. Davidson of Independence, which still exists. Married Miss 
Emma Swearingen, of Lane County, December 24, 1876, and has 
two children, namely, Loleta W., and Myrtle. Dr. Lee was twice 
elected coroner of Polk County. 

SCOTT, LYMAN S. 

Captain Scott was born in Connecticut in 1830. His youth was 
spent in Canada, Illinois and Missouri, and in 1850 he crossed the 
Rocky Mountains to California. For over ten years he was a miner 
in Amador County. In 1861 he raised a company of infantry at- 
tached to the Fourth California regiment, and became captain of it. 
These troops did duty in Western Oregon for the succeeding four 
years, and Captain Scott commanded in turn Forts Yamhill and 
Hoskins, and the block house at the Siletz reservation. For a por- 
tion of 1865 the company was on duty in Eastern Oregon, at Camp 
Curry, but in December of that year it was ordered to San Fran- 
cisco and mustered out of service. Captain Scott then returned to 
civil life, and settling in Portland, began merchandising, but re- 
moved to Salem in 1866 where he has since remained. He has held 
several public offices, namely — Mayor of Salem (1868-69), sheriff 
of Marion County (1872-74), chairman of the Republican State 
Central Committee (1874-78), member of the House of Representa- 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 847 

tives (1878), postmaster of Salem (1879), adjutant-general of Oregon 

(1883 ). Captain Scott married in 1858 Miss Eliza J. Erwin, 

of Volcano, Amador County, California, and they have five chil- 
dren — Grant, Pearl, Lloyd L., P. A., and Hubert. Captain Scott 
is now engaged in the livery and hack business. 

SLOAN, MRS. SARAH A. 

The Forest Grove Hotel, a somewhat noted public house, was 
begun by Mrs. Sloan and husband in 1862, the first hotel in that 
town if one excepts the small inn kept by Mr. Blank. The Sloans 
were from Chautauqua County, New York, and came from the East 
the year before the house was opened, and have sustained it ever 
since. Their children numbered three, but one, Eugene, a prom- 
ising young man, died in 1873. James and George survive. u The 
residents of Forest Grove in the year 1861," says Mrs. Sloan, " were 
Messrs. Walker, Eells, McMillan, Clarke (Kev. Harvey), Marsh 
(president of the college^), Stephen Blank, A. Hinman, and Robert 
Porter, with their families." 

STRONG, J. E. 

Mr. Strong, an old resident of Salem, was born in New York in 
1814. He was educated in New England, and spent some years in 
early life under the instruction of eminent educators, by whom he 
was taught the principles of the then new and unexplored domain 
of electricity. He aided in the construction of the second telegraph 
line built in the United States, namely — that from Boston to New 
York, and became general superintendent of the same. Coming to 
California in 1852, he built, the next year, the first telegraph line 
in that State, it being the short experimental line from Grass Val- 
ley to Nevada City. After several years actively spent in similar 
engineering works, Mr. Strong left California, and in 1861 settled 
in Salem, Oregon, and has since remained there. He married, in 
1836, Miss Margaret L. Fitzgerald. 

1862. 

BARGER, S. P. 

Born in Rockbridge County, Virginia, in 1837; is a resident of 
Brownsville, Linn County, and a butcher by occupation. In 1858 
he was married to Miss Sarah E. Dodson. 



848 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

BILYEU, W. R. 

Born in Missouri in 1848; came with his parents across the 
plains to Oregon and settled in Washington County. Was educated 
in the Pacific University, and graduated in 1873; then commenced 
the study of law and was admitted to the bar in 1876. Located in 
Albany subsequently, and has practiced there since; is now in 
partnership with Judge Powell. Was elected State Senator in 
1878, and re-elected in 1882. Married Miss Mary E. Goldson in 
1883. They have one child — Charles Theodore. 

DEMPSEY, I. I. 

Born in Jackson County, Ohio, in August, 1820; is a son of 
Judge Dempsey, of Ohio; from that State Mr. Dempsey went to 
Illinois, and there lived until 1862; in 1856 he was a candidate for 
the State Legislature from Knox County, Illinois. Mr. Dempsey 
has lived in Polk County since his arrival in this State. Dixie, his 
present place of residence, was so named because of Mr. Dempsey's 
strong Democratic principles, and his mill, built in 1865, was the 
commencement of the town; it now has one store, blacksmith shop, 
mill, large warehouse, church, and school house. In 1866 Mr. Demp- 
sey was elected to the State Legislature from Polk County, and was 
a candidate in 1874; in 1884 was elected county judge. In 1840 he 
married Miss Nancy W. Ferguson, and they have four children — 
Julia A., James A., C. E., and Mary J. 

GASTON, JOSEPH. 

Born in Loydsville, Ohio, in 1833; came to Oregon in 1862 and 
settled at Jacksonville. Married Narcissa M. Jones in 1858, and 
they have a daughter, Mary W. Gaston. Their residence is at Gas- 
ton, near Forest Grove, Washington County. Mr. G.V occupation 
is stock-raising and farming. For Mr. Gaston's connection with 
the introduction of railways into Oregon, see preceding chapters. 

HALE, G. N. 

Born in Iowa, April 15, 1848. Came to Oregon, settled in 
Washington County, and has lived there since. Was deputy sheriff 
in 1878-80; elected sheriff in 1880, and re-elected in 1882. Now 
owns a farm of one hundred and fifty acres, and cultivates it. In 
1875, married Miss Emma N. Vite; they have two children — John 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 849 

V., and William G. Mr. Hale's residence and postoffice address 
are Hillsboro. 

HIATT, WILLIAM. 

Born in Iowa in 1851 and removed to Nebraska seven years 
later. Was in Colorado in 1861, but returned to Iowa the same 
year. Coming to Oregon he settled at Salem and engaged in the 
hack and dray business. In 1873 he married Miss Huldah A. Whit- 
man. They have three children — Bertha, Nora and Jessie. Eesi- 
dence, Salem. 

MARTIN, J. M. 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1836 and was bred a farmer. Besides 
now in Salem and was for a time a member of the firm of Martin 
& Allen, grocers, composed of himself and David Allen. The firm 
name at present is J. M. Martin <fc Co., and does a very extensive 
business. Mr. Martin married M. Tillotson and has by her a 
daughter, Maud Martin. 

McGREW, J. W. 

Born in Indiana; came across the plains to the Salmon River 
mines in 1862 and moved to Portland in the same year. In 1863 
went East and returned to Oregon in 1866; has been in business in 
Dallas and Lincoln. In 1871 moved to Perrydale and entered the 
mercantile business. The town of Perrydale was laid out by him 
in 1878. He was married in 1866 to Miss Phoebe Walling and 
has five children — Emmett, Mabel, Curtis, Jessie, and Florence. 
Mr. McGrew's residence and postoffice address are Perrydale. 

O'CONNOR, FRANK. 

Born in Wisconsin in 1855; when seventeen years of age came 
to Oregon, and locating in Washington County, learned the drug 
business. Going next to Lafayette, Yamhill County, he engaged 
in a drug store as clerk, but soon became proprietor, and as such, 
still remains. He is recorder of Lafayette and has held several 
similar offices. Was married in 1881 to Miss A. L. Watts and they 
have one son, Willie by name. 

QUICK, D. O. 

Born in Indiana, August 27, 1829; has lived in Washington 
County since his arrival in this State. Is owner of a steam saw- 



850 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

mill, and is also proprietor of a hotel at Hillsboro. Studied law in 
Illinois under the Hon. James Davis and was admitted to the bar 
in that State in 1859, and to the bar of Oregon in 1864. Became 
a member of the Legislature in 1864, and served in the called ses- 
sion that adopted the thirteenth amendment. Married Miss Sarah 
Updyke, and by her has one child named Emerson E. His wife 
died in 1857. In 1858 he married Amelia E. Young, and by her 
has seven children — Elmer, Emerson O., William D., Anna May, 
Warren, Frederick, and Ada Gertrude. 

STITES, T. J. 

Born in Putnam County, Indiana, in 1839. Came to Oregon 
and settled in 1868 in Harrisburg, Linn County; studied law in 
Albany and was admitted to the bar July, 1880. Entered the 
newspaper business in 1882, and is now editor of the Albany Dem- 
ocrat, which was founded by Delazon Smith. In 1868 was elected 
a member of the Legislature from Linn County, and in 1870 was 
elected school superintendent and served four years; was principal 
of the Albany public schools from 1872 to 1876; was then elected 
county clerk and served one term. In 1878 was nominated for 
state senator, but was defeated by a small majority. Mr. Stites was 
employed by Governor Thayer as his private secretary. He was 
married March 31, 1868, to Miss Mary J. Martin, and they have 
two children — Etta Belle, and William M. (One, Herschel A., 
deceased.) 

TURPIN, D. L. 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1846; emigrated to Minnesota, and was 
in the Government service for a while. • Came to Oregon in 1862; 
principal occupation, hotel -keeping; residence, Washington County; 
at present is miller for the Smith Brothers at Hillsboro. Mr. Tur- 
pin was married in 1856, to Martha Willey. Their children are — 
Ellen K., and W. N. 

1863. 

COOPER, E. W. 

Born in Lawrence County, Missouri, April 11, 1852. He came 
across the plains to Polk County, Oregon, eleven years later, and 
has since remained there. His occupation since his arrival has 
mainly been the livery business, in which he remained until 1882, 



HISTOEY OF IMMIGRATION. 85] 

since which he has been partner with J. S. Smith in the hardware 
and agricultural implements trade. The firm name at present is 
Smith, Cooper, Wade ct Co. Mr. Cooper married, in February, 
1884, Miss Ella Butler. 

CORKER, D. I. 

Born in Albany, New York, in 1829. In 18-49 he went to Cal- 
ifornia, landing at San Francisco in November of that year. He 
came to Oregon first in 1863, having spent the intervening years in 
mining in various portions of the Golden State. Subsequently he 
has mined somewhat in Idaho, has visited various points of interest, 
and has pursued merchandising with good success. He is now 
in the hardware trade at Lafayette. 

HENDREX, J. F., M. D. 

Born near Knoxville, Tennessee, May 27, 1826; studied medi- 
cine in New Orleans in 1851-52. Came to the Pacific Coast in 
1853: lived in California and British Columbia prior to his coming 
to Oregon. After his arrival in this State he lived three years in 
Canyon City engaged in mining and practicing his profession; next, 
went to Lebanon, Linn County, and continued in practice. In 1868 
moved to Harrisburg, Linn County, where he still resides, and 
in connection with his profession, is proprietor of the Harrisburg 
Hotel. The Doctor attended a course of lectures at the Willamette 
University and graduated in 1856. Was married to Mrs. M. M. 
Brown in 1867. 

HOWE, J. M. 

Resides in Brownsville, Linn County, and is a harness and sad- 
dle-maker; was born in Calloway County, Missouri, m July, 1854. 
Married Sophronia Coshow in 1877, and their children are — Owen 
P., Fay D., Lolo, and an infant. 

JESSUP, S. R., M.D. 

Born in Indiana in 1839; moved to Iowa when eleven years of 
age and worked on a farm, attended school and became a teacher. 
After coming to Oregon he taught school at Amity, in 1863 and 
1864; tljen studied medicine at Fort Yamhill, and at the Toland 
Medical College in San Francisco; graduated in 1868, in Salem, and 
moved to Dallas. On August 26. 1868, he was married to Miss S. 



852 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Coshow. Went East and, in 1871, graduated at Belle vue Hospital 
and Medical College in New York City; returned to Oregon and 
settled in Salem, where lie has since resided. Was Professor of 
Anatomy in the Medical Department of the Willamette University 
several years. In 1880 he was elected councilman. His children 
were — Arthur (deceased), Albert A., and Roy (deceased). 

KAY, THOMAS. 

Is a resident of Brownsville, Linn County, and superintendent 
of the Brownsville Woolen Mills. He was born in Yorkshire, near 
Leeds, England, in June, 1838, and came to the United States in 
1857. In that year he was married to Miss Ann Slingsby, and 
their children are — Fannie, Thomas, Lydia, Sarah, Henry, Minnie, 
and Breta. 

KNIGHT, WILLIAM. 

Born in Alleghany County, Pennsylvania, April 17, 1839. Re- 
sides now at Oregon City, and holds the office of sheriff of Clacka- 
mas County. Married Martha E. Birchet, and their children are 
Bertha E., Minnie J., Arthur R., Martha V., and Mary V., the 
latter being twins. 

LANCE, J. W. 

Born in Ohio, in 1830; went to California in 1849; came to 
Oregon in 1863; occupation mail carrier and teamster; present res- 
idence, Salem. His wife's previous name was Sarah Basey. Chil- 
dren — Mary H., Lismond P. (deceased), Ora, Ruby, Frankie 
(deceased), and Joe. 

LEININGER, WILLIAM H. 

Born in Pennsylvania; came to Oregon in 1863, and settled in 
Salem, where he still resides. His occupation consists in collecting 
and selling the seeds of the large-leaved maple, acer circinatum, a 
deciduous tree of the most beautiful description, and perfectly 
adapted for shade and ornament. (See page 525.) These seeds 
readily command, from eastern nurserymen and planters, a high 
price, and are found to grow very well in those colder regions. 

PILSBURY, JOHN G. 

Born in Biddeford, Maine, August 19, 1839; came to Oregon 
in 1863. Occupation, receiver in the United States land office at 



HTSTOKY OF IMMIGRATION. 853 

Oregon City, his place of residence. Wife's previous name, Mrs. 
Margaret Post, Children — Ethel V., and Hazel. 

ROORK, J. H. 

Born in East Tennessee in 1826; moved to Missouri in 1848, and 
to the Pacific Coast in 1852. Mined in California two years; then 
went to school two years, and in 1861 commenced ministerial work 
in that State. Two years later he came to Oregon and went into 
the milling business, having a sawmill and gristmi 1 ! in South Sa- 
lem, and for some time was pastor of the Methodist Church. For 
two years he was agent of the Klamath Indians, and agent of the 
Willamette University for the same period. He is now engaged in- 
merchandising in Salem. He was married in Tennessee in 1847 to 
Miss Letitia Witten, who died in 1849, and in 1858 he married 
Evaline Herrick. 

STAIGER, WILLIAM. 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1844; lived for some years in Missouri, 
working in sawmills and the like. Crossed the plains by ox-team, 
settling in Marion County. Was engaged in cabinet-making for 
three years, but about 1871 purchased a marble- catting establish- 
ment in Salem and runs it successfully. It is the second largest in 
the State. J. F. Staiger, brother of the foregoing, is associated in 
the enterprise. The latter was county treasurer of Marion in 
1882-83. Both reside in Salem. 

TOZIER, C. T. 

Born in Indiana, November 7, 1832; came to Oregon in 1863; 
in 1872 was elected sheriff of Washington County and re-elected in 
1874; in 1876 was chosen to the Legislature; in 1878 became county 
assessor, and in 1882, county judge. He is a Good Templar, and 
is grand worthy chief of that order in the State of Oregon. By 
trade he is a carpenter, and resides at Hillsboro. He lias been 
married twice — first, to Miss Caroline Mince, in 1856, and by her 
had one child, named Edgar. She died in 1857. In 1859 he mar- 
ried Miss J. P. Mayfield, and by her has had five children — Albert 
E., Rosella C, Edith M., Leroy M., and Nellie V. 

WALTERS, HARRY. 

Born in England in 1844; was a seaman in early life, but find- 
ing his way to Portland, entered the employ of the O. K. <k N. Co. 



854 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

for some time, and eventually settled at Albany, his present home, 
in 1878. Was married, in 1879, to Miss Lou Merrick. Their chil- 
dren are — Ella and Netta (twins). Mr. Walters is now in trade. 

WHEELER, ALMON. 

Born in Orleans, New York, in 1824; came to the Pacific coast 
in 1863, and settled in Linn County; is a merchant of Shedd, Linn 
County, and deals largely in grain and lumber. Was married, De- 
cember 8, 1864, to Mary Cusick. Children — Homer, Thomas, and 
Alfred. 

1864. 

ANDREWS, DAVID. 

Born in Castile, Connecticut, in 1840. On his arrival in Ore- 
gon he settled in Linn County and still resides there. Has held 
various county offices during that time ; was postmaster at Lebanon 
for three years; in 1884 was elected county clerk. He married 
Miss Adda H. Hamilton in August, 1877, and their children's names 
are — Ora May, Jessie P., Olgie, and Thaddeus W. 

BURROWS, THOMAS. 

Born in England in 1840 and came to the United States in 1854; 
emigrated in 1864 to Oregon. Found employment for several years 
in various woolen mills, and finally retiring to Salem, became part- 
ner in the firm of Boothby & Burrows. Mr. Burrows resides 
now in Salem. 

CLARK, T. W. 

Born in Illinois in 1842; came overland to California in 1860, 
and spent four years in mining. Went to Yamhill County, Ore- 
gon, in 1864 and farmed for over a year. Returned to California 
and spent some months in the employ of the Central Pacific Rail- 
way Company, but eventually returned to Oregon, and in the course 
of his wanderings made a visit to Washington Territory and another 
to California. Settled eventually at Woodburn, Marion County, 
his present residence, and engaged in merchandising. Married Mrs. 
M. E. Brant in 1878, and they have one child — Bertha E. 

COOPER, J. S. 

Born in Lawrence County, Missouri, in 1841; came to Cali- 
fornia in 1860, and Oregon four years later; settled in Spring 
Valley. Now resides at Independence, where he organized a 



HTST0KY OF IMMIGRATION. 855 

bank in 1864, known as the J. S. Cooper Bank. In Polk County, 
in 1869, he was married to Miss F. O. Graves, who died at Inde- 
pendence in 1879. In 1883 he was married a second time, to Miss 
Jennie McNiel. Their children are— Stella M., Dora E., Ella P., 
Clarence F., and Mabel. 

CROASMAN, A. B. 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1846; came to Oregon at the age of 
eighteen ; settled at Salem, his present address. Was postmaster of 
that city for a time, resigning in 1885. His present occupation is 
dealing in clothing, etc. Married Linnie McCully, and they have 
one child — Alice L. 

DAVIS, N. 

Born in Hamilton County, Illinois, in 1848; came across the 
plains with his father in 1864. Taught in the public schools four- 
teen years. Resides now at Forest Grove, and is principal of the 
public schools of that place. He is a graduate of the Pacific Uni- 
versity, class of 1883. Married, in 1871, Miss Alzade Brazee, by 
whom he had a son, named Howard. Mrs. Davis died in 1873, and 
in 1875, he married Miss Irene Clark, who is also a graduate of the 
Pacific University. Mr. Davis' father, Captain A. Davis, died at 
Vancouver in 1868. He had served in the Mexican war, and in 
the Union army during the rebellion, attaining, in the latter war, 
the rank of captain. 

EVANS, J. G. 

Born at Long Point, Canada West, in 1840. When twenty-one 
he went to British Columbia, and mined there until 1864; spent 
then one year in Oregon, and at its expiration returned to Canada 
and married Miss Eliza Vincent. Their family includes six chil- 
dren—John A., M. J., Mary Ann, J. G., David W., and Ellen C. 
In 1867, Mr. Evans settled in Salem, where he now lives, pursuing 
the occupation of farmer and dairyman. 

FLINN, M. A., M.D. 

Born in New York in 1841; went to Wisconsin when sixteen; 
emigrated to California in 1863, and after a year came to Oregon. 
Had studied medicine previously and graduated at the Willamette 
University with the degree of M. D., in 1872. Was in government 
employ as surgeon for three years, but resigned therefrom in 1875 



856 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

and began practice in Vancouver, subsequently removing to Ger- 
vais, Marion County, where he has resided since, engaged in practice. 
For a time was in partnership with Dr. Cusick. Was married in 
1871 to Amanda McCorkle. Represented Marion County in the 
Legislature in 1885. 

GREGG, J. T. 

Born in Allen County, Indiana, April 20, 1847; came to Oregon 
in 1864. Resides at Salem and practices law. Was principal of 
the East Salem public school for eight years, and since 1876 has 
held the position of superintendent of schools for the city of Salem, 
and likewise held the office of county superintendent for three 
terms. Married in 1874, Isabella Fraser, who died in the same 
year. Their only child, Alice, by name, is also deceased. 

GROVES, JOHN F. 

Born in Indiana in 1846; came to Oregon in 1864, being four 
months and twenty days in making the trip across the plains. 
Since his arrival in Polk County his principal occupation has been 
farming. He was elected sheriff in 1884. Married Miss Ada 
Merical in 1864, and three children were born to them — William 
B., Louisa Belle, and Clark. Mrs. Groves died June 17, 1872. 
Mr. G. resides at Dallas. 

KUTCH, W. T. 

Born in Monroe County, Indiana; lived there until twenty years 
of age ; then went to Iowa, and lived ten years in that State. Came 
to Oregon in 1864, and settled in Yamhill County. Now resides 
at Carlton where he owns a farm; also owns a stock ranch 
in the mountains. Married Miss Lydia Ann Sparks in 1846, 
by whom he had nine children; she died in 1862. He was 
married again, to Annie M. McCutchin, and by her had ten 
children. 

MASON, DAVID C. 

Born in Missouri in 1846 and came to Oregon when eighteen 
years old. Lived three years at Amity, teaching school. Moved 
to Linn County and learned the druggist's profession. Set up in 
business in Scio and staid three years. Removed to Albany, es- 
tablished himself there, and is now a member of the firm of Fo- 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 857 

shay & Mason, druggists. Mr. Mason lias held several public offi- 
ces, among them, the treasurership of the county. He is Grand 
Master of the Free Masons of the State of Oregon. Married in 
1867 Rebecca A. Dodd. Children's names are — Flora A., Vesta L., 
and Rockey E. 

MORGAN, JAMES W. 

Born in Missouri November 4, 1858; came to Oregon and has 
lived in Washington County since. Was appointed deputy county 
clerk when nineteen years of age and held that office until 1884, 
when he was elected county clerk. His residence and post office 
address are Hillsboro. 

QUEENER, J. P. 

Born in Missouri in 1845; came to Oregon by ox-team and set- 
tled in Marion County. Occupation various, including farming, 
bridge construction for railways, agency of the Scotch Milling Com- 
pany of Salem, real estate agency, etc. Is justice of the peace. 
Married in 1882, Frances Stayton, by whom he has Florence B., 
Maud, and Pearl. Residence and address, Stayton. 

STRAHAN, R. S. 

Born in Kentucky in 1835; went to Missouri with his parents in 
1841, and there received a common school education. In 1856, 
returned to Kentucky and commenced the study of law under Judge 
R. F. Canterbury; was admitted to the bar in 1858. Practiced for 
a while in Kentucky; moved to Sullivan County, Missouri, in 1859, 
and continued his practice there until 1864; was appointed probate 
judge of that county in 1859, and served four years. Before the 
expiration of the term he resigned and came to Oregon; he settled 
in Corvallis, and in 1868, was elected district attorney and served 
two years ; he also served one term in the senate from Benton County, 
in 1870-72. Moved to Albany in 1876, where he formed a part- 
nership with L. Bilyeu, which existed several years. Married Miss 
Sarah H. Wilson in 1861, by whom he has had four children, 
namely — Jessie (deceased), Fannie, Claude, and Pet. The judge 
was a regent of the State University for ten years. 

WEATHERFORD, J. K. 

Born in Putnam County, Missouri, in 1850; came to Oregon and 
settled in Brownsville, Linn County. Attended the Lebanon 



858 HISTOKY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Academy, and the State Agricultural College at Corvallis, and 
graduated with the degree of B. S. in 1872. Studied law under N. 
H. Cranor, and Baldwin & Humphreys, and was admitted to the 
bar in 1875. Located in Albany, where he still resides, and prac- 
tices law in partnership with Hon. D. E. N. Blackburn. In 1874 
Mr. Weatherf ord was elected school superintendent of Linn County. 
Was elected to the Legislature in 1876, and became Speaker of the 
Lower House. In 1880 he was nominated by the Democrats for 
presidential elector, and in 1882 for Secretary of State. In 1884 
was chosen to represent Linn County as State Senator. Was mar- 
ried to Miss Nettie Cottle in 1877, and has two children — Eialto L., 
and Alfred A. Mr. Weatherf ord is an active member of the Ma- 
sonic and Odd Fellow orders. 

1865. 

ELLIS, M. M. 

Born in Ohio in 1845, but was reared in the State of Iowa, 
where he was taken by his father when quite young. In 1865 he 
came to Oregon with his parents and settled in Yamhill County, 
and was educated at. McMinnville College, after which he taught 
school. In 1868 he acted as clerk in a store in Portland, but set 
up a business for himself in 1870, in Polk County; moved to Dallas 
in 1874, and took a half interest in an old firm there with J. T. 
Wortley, which partnership existed two years. Mr. Ellis was elected 
county clerk in 1878, and re-elected in 1880. He returned to his 
former business in 1883. Married Miss Ellen DeLashmutt in 1871. 
Owns two farms in Polk County, one in Marion and one in Crook, 
and also some city property. 

FENTON, F. W. 

Born in Missouri in 1859, and came with his father to Oregon 
in 1865. Received his education at the Christian College at Mon- 
mouth and graduated in 1880. Studied law under Killin .& More- 
land, of Portland, and under his brother, W. D. Fenton, of Lafay- 
ette; was admitted to the bar in 1883, and formed partnership with 
his brother in the same year. Married, in 1884, Miss Delia Butler 
of Monmouth. 

FENTON, W. D. 

Born in Missouri in 1853 and came to Oregon in 1865 with his 
parents, who lived a short time in Marion County, and then settled 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 859 

in Yamhill county. The subject of this sketch took a collegiate 
course in Christian College, at Monmouth, receiving the degree of 
A. B. in 1872, and the degree of A.M. has since been conferred. 
He studied law at Salem, and was admitted to the bar in 1875, 
practicing in Lafayette in partnership with James McCain for three 
years; was elected to the Legislature in 1876; in 1882 was nomina- 
ted for Congress on the Democratic ticket, and in 1884, for presi- 
dential elector. In 1883 he formed a law partnership with his 
brother, F. W. Fenton. Owns a farm of three hundred and twenty 
acres; is a member of the Masonic and Workmen's orders, and of 
the Christian Church. Married Miss Katie I. Lucas October 16, 
1879. Their family now consists of two children — Ralph A., and 
Fred I. 

FISHER, CHARLES G. 

Born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, February 10, 
1835; removed to Missouri in 1840, to Iowa in 1845, and to Cali- 
fornia in 1854; settled in Yamhill County, but is now located in 
Polk County, at Smithiield, where he owns and cultivates a farm 
and raises stock, in which pursuits he has become distinguished. 
He married Sarah E. Johnson, in Yamhill County, and they have 
had eleven children, of whom nine are living, viz.: Abraham L., 
Minnie, Henrietta, Ella, Lena, Charles F., George C, Ralph B., and 
Sarah A. The two deceased were Alsie, and Alda, 

HENDERSON, L., M. D. 

Born in Montgomery County, Indiana, June 9, 1840; resided 
and taught school in Iowa in succeeding years; enlisted in 1864 in 
the forty -sixth Iowa Infantry and was discharged in the following 
November. Arrived at Salem in November, 1865 and engaged as 
type-setter in a newspaper office. Studied medicine with Dr. Shel- 
ton in Salem, and began practicing at Sheridan, Yamhill County, 
in 1869. Went East and graduated in medicine at a college in St. 
Louis, and returning, located permanently in Salem and practiced 
medicine. Has three sons — William W., L. E., and Robert G. 
Residence, Salem. 

HUMPHREYS, GEORGE. 

Born in Ohio in 1833, and was taken soon to Illinois and after- 
wards to Iowa. Came to Oregon in 1865 by ox-team, fifty-six 



860 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

wagons along, he the leader or captain, and arrived safely in this 
valley. In 1872 he was made deputy sheriff of Linn County, and 
held the place ten years. In 1882 he was elected sheriff; one of 
his captures was that of the boy murderer, Charles B. Finlayson, 
who killed his grandmother and fled to various places east of the 
Cascades, but was eventually run down and apprehended by this 
sheriff. Mr. Humphreys was married in 1854 to Martha Wills, 
who has borne him three children. C. H. Humphreys, the oldest, 
is an employe of the Oregonian newspaper at Portland; George 
W. is foreman in the Albany Herald office; and William A., is 
telegraph operator and agent at Albany. 

MARTIN, THOMAS. 

Born in Kentucky in 1817; resided in Indiana nineteen years; 
came to the Pacific coast in 1862, and lived in California until 
1865; then came to Oregon and settled at French Prairie. He has 
lived in various parts of the State since and now lives at Hillsboro, 
engaged at farming. He married Lucy Humphreys in 1837, who 
died in 1868. He was married again in 1875 to Sarah Heater. 
His children's names are— Angeline, Elizabeth J., and Nellie. All 
married. 

martin, w. W." 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1843; moved to Illinois soon after and 
lived there until eighteen, learning the jeweler's trade. Coming to 
Oregon he located at Salem and purchased an interest in a business 
house, and became sole proprietor three years later. Removed, in 
1874, to the bank building in Salem, and has remained there ever 
since, dealing in and manufacturing jewelry. Has made several in- 
ventions connected with his profession, notably, a watch oiler, on 
which he has obtained patents. Married in 1869 to Isabella Myers. 

McCLAIN, DANIEL. 

Born in Scotland in 1842; came to Oregon and settled in Linn 
County. Is now proprietor of a livery stable in Harrisburg. Was 
married in 1874, to Miss Cora Couch. Their children's names are 
Ernest L. (deceased), Annie L., and Una M. (deceased). 

TILLESON, EDWARD. 

Born in Norway in 1849; in 1863, came to America; then was 
taken on a vessel to France, but returned to America and enlisted 



HISTOKY OF IMMIGRATION. 861 

in the Union army in 1864, and served nine months; was in several 
battles; started for Mexico to join the army there, but was taken 
sick; re -entered the Union army in 1865, as sergeant of First U. 
S. Cavalry under Col. Baker, and came to the Pacific Coast. Left 
the army in 1868, and has since lived in Yamhill County. In 1876 
moved to Sheridan, where he is engaged in wagon -making, and is 
captain of a company of cavalry. 

TOWNSEND, WILLIAM M. 

Born in Indiana in 1839; lived successively in Missouri and Kan- 
sas; served in the Thirteenth Kansas Infantry in the civil war. 
Coming to Oregon in 1865, he settled in Yamhill County and was 
farmer until 1870. In that year he became a member of the 
lower house of the Legislature, and in 1874 was chosen State Sen- 
ator. In 1878 he was elected county judge of Yamhill County. 
He began the publication of the Oregon Register, at Lafayette, in 
1881, and still remains its editor and proprietor. He married Miss 
Louisa Stout in 1860. They have five children — Mary, Sophia, 
Anna, Olive, and Willis S. 

WHITE, J. H. 

Born in Virginia in 1813; removed to Missouri in 1823 with his 
parents; came to Oregon in 1865. Was a member of the Legisla- 
ture in 1872. Besides now in Polk County, two and a half miles 
from Salem. Occupation, farming. Was married in Missouri in 
1838 to Miss Margaret Allison, who died in 1847, leaving five chil- 
dren. Married in 1848 to Miss F. Edgar, by whom he had ten 
children. 

WHITNEY, j. j. 

Born in Ohio in 1840; came to the Pacific Coast in 1864, and to 
Oregon one year later. Taught school for a while after his arrival ; 
in 1868 commenced the practice of law at Albany. He had been 
admitted to the bar while in the East, and received admission to the 
Oregon bar in 1868. Was elected district attorney in 1874 and 
1878. In 1882 was elected to the Legislature, and in 1884 became 
county judge. Married Miss Lizzie Mills in 1880; they have one 
child, named Stephen A. 



862 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

1866. 

CHARLTON, J. K. 

Born in Virginia May 30, 1824; moved to Iowa in 1846, and 
crossed the plains in 1850 and spent the two following years in 
travel upon this coast. Returned then to the East and resided in 
Missouri until 1866, when he came with his family to Oregon, set- 
tling in Linn County. Mr. Charlton owns a farm at the Forks of 
the Santiam on which he has mainly resided since his arrival, but 
moved to Albany in 1884. Was elected county commissioner in 
1876, and sheriff in 1884. Was married in 1847 to Miss Martha 
Walker, and has five children — Andrew (sheriff of Lake County), 
Elizabeth (wife of G. M. Paul of Linn County), Henry K., Charles 
M., and James J. 

CRAWFORD, J. W. 

Born in Ohio in 1835; educated at the Monmouth College; 
studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1861 ; enlisted in the 
same year in the 17th Illinois regiment of volunteers and served 
three years; married in 1864 to Margaret R. Stephenson; children 
— Emma, Edwin S., Frank H., and Mary A. Mr. Crawford came 
to Oregon in 1866; located at Dallas; was clerk at the Grand 
Ronde Indian agency for three years; removed to Salem in 1872; 
soon after established himself in the tin and stove business and still 
pursues it. Was alderman of Salem in 1873, and mayor in 1881-82. 

HARRIS. JAMES. 

Born in Madison County, Ohio, in 1825; came to Oregon and 
settled at Corvallis, Benton County. Present residence, Luckia- 
mute Valley, and occupation, farming and fruit-raising. He mar- 
ried Rebecca Welch in Ohio, December, 1849, and their children's 
names are — Ananias, William, Benjamin, John D., Ida, Ollie, and 
Nellie. 

HENDERSON, W. G. 

Born in Iowa; arrived in Oregon in 1866; married; settled in 
McMinnville, Yamhill County, in 1877; occupation, livery-stable 
keeper. 

HOPKINS, HENRY. 

Born in Wisconsin in 1847; enlisted when fifteen in the First 
Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment and fought through the war; came 






HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 863 

overland to Oregon in 1866, experiencing hostilities from the 
Indians on the route. Was married in 1870 to Miss Mary E. Hig- 
ley, and they have four children — Lulu M., Frederick T., Stella N., 
and Esther. Mr. Hopkins' residence is Lafayette, Yamhill County, 
and his occupation is shoemaker. 

MERWIN, M. 

Is a native of Athens County, Ohio, where he was born August 
11, 1852. Came with his parents to Oregon in 1866, being one of 
the last parties to cross the plains with wagons. He settled in In- 
dependence and engaged in harness-making; was in mercantile 
business two years in Louisville, and three years in the harness 
business, and in 1882 entered partnership with Mr. J. Claggett in 
a hardware and agricultural implements store, in Independence. 

1867. 

OLLINS, GEORGE. 

Born in Cumberland County, Maine, in 1836; lived in that State 
until 1863, when he removed to Rhode Island and spent two years 
dealing in live stock. Emigrated to California in the last mentioned 
year and remained until 1867, when he found his way to Oregon. 
Before his arrival he had been engaged in making brick, and since 
then has devoted himself to that industry, and to contracting for 
and building brick structures. His place of residence is Salem, 
and the principal public buildings of that city have been the scene 
of his skill and industry; the state house, the county court house 
of Marion County, the insane asylum, and other buildings were con- 
structed of material furnished by him as contractor, or under his 
charge as supervising director. In 1882, Mr. Collins was appointed 
warden of the State's Prison at Salem. He was married in 1867, to 
Jane Hamilton, by whom he has had two children — George R., and 
Esther May. 

HYDE, H. O. 

Born in Vermont, in 1814; came to Oregon by steamer in 1867. 
His subsequent occupation has been the drug and general merchan- 
dise business. He married in 1842 Miss Eliza M. Pearce, and his 
family contains Jennie S., Everett A., Mary E., and Hattie. His 
present residence is Forest Grove. 



864 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

MARSH, JOSEPH W., A.M., Ph.D. 

Professor in the University at Forest Grove. Born in Vermont 
in 1836. Received his education at the State University. His 
father, the Rev. James Marsh, had been president of that Univer- 
sity. Prior to his arrival in Oregon J. W. Marsh taught school in 
Wisconsin and Canada. He came to this State to take a position 
in the Pacific University, and has held the chair of Latin and 
Greek ever since. He received the degrees of A.M. and Ph.D., the 
former from his alma mater, and the latter from the Pacific Uni- 
versity. He was a member of the State Board of Examiners for a 
time. While in Canada he was married to Miss Mary Parmelee, 
in 1862, and they have had seven children born to them — live girls 
and two boys — four of whom are now alive. 

NATHMAN, B. A. 

Born in Prussia in 1845; came to this country in 1849, and lived 
in Pennsylvania and Iowa in succession. Learned the blacksmith 
trade. Coming to Oregon, he worked at his trade in Salem, and in 
1871, removed to Gervais, Marion County, and went into business 
as dealer in hardware, etc. ; resides in that town, and also possesses 
a farm near by. Married, in 1871, to Mary C. Viesman, by whom 
he has five children — Rosa M., Ann M., John, Mary T., and Joseph. 

1868. 

FISHBACK, J. L. 

Born in Virginia in 1830. Before coming to the Pacific Coast 
he lived at various times in Colorado, Montana, and Illinois. He 
came to Oregon in 1868, and settled in Polk County; present resi- 
dence, Monmouth. Married Miss Elizabeth Scott, April 6, 1874; 
they have six children, viz.: — Vardamon A., Harmon R., Clement 
G., William M., Robert A., and an infant. 

PAYNE, J. M. 

Born in Ogle County, Illinois, March 30, 1838; was left an 
orphan at the age of six years, and he lived subsequently at Bloom - 
ington until 1858, when he went to Missouri and remained there 
throughout the war. Was educated at the Illinois Wesleyan Uni- 
versity, and in April, 1868, was married to Belle Price. Came to 
Oregon the same year and lived in Yamhill County until 1875; 
then returned to the Eastern States, but came back to Oregon in 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 865 

1879. Lived in Jackson County, Oregon, until 1883, and then set- 
tled in Salem. Occupation, merchant. The children's names are 
— Addie, Delia, Lena, George, Mary, and Edward. 

WOOD, FRANK D. 

Born in Kutland, Vermont, in 1833; came to Oregon in 1868, 
and settled at Albany, where he still resides, and is proprietor of 
the marble and stone works of that town. He was married to Mar} T 
DuCray, and their children's names are — Frank N., Ellen, and 
Mary. 

1869. 

BRONSON, L. 

Native State, New York; date of birth, 1846. Was a soldier in 
the Union Army throughout the Rebellion, and for a time was a 
prisoner in Libby and Andersonville. After the close of the war, 
Mr. Bronson was married to Sarah J. Gregory, who died two years 
later. Came to this coast in 1869, and after staying a short time in 
San Francisco and Sacramento, came to Oregon. Shortly after his 
arrival in Washington County, he married Miss Jennie S. Hyde, 
and has by her one child — Carmen M. Mr. Bronson's residence is 
at Forest Grove. 

frink, w. s. 

Born in Rochester, New York, in 1828; came from Michigan to 
the Pacific Coast in 1859; lived in California the ten years follow- 
ing ; then came to Oregon and settled in Polk County. Was elected 
county clerk in 1874 and 1876. Moved to Yamhill County in 1881, 
and was in partnership with Henry Warren in the real estate bnsi- 
at McMinnville for some time. Now owns an interest in the 
Grange store; residence, McMinnville. Married Miss Margaret 
Barber, and has four children — Charles, Lincoln, Warren and Alice. 

HARMON, C. H. 

Born in Wisconsin January 30, 1856; removed to Minnesota; 
to this coast in 1869. Is a printer by trade. Married Louise Ri- 
ley in 1879. They have one child, C. H. Harmon, Jr., by name. 
Mr. Harmon is located at Lebanon and is engaged in business there. 

MICKELS, PETTER. 

Born in Minnesota in 1858; came to Oregon when eleven years 
old, and located in Gervais, Marion Count)-. Lived on a farm for 



866 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

i 

seven years, and one year in Yamhill County. Soon after he re- 
moved to Gervais, opened a meat market and conducted it for two 
years. Was elected town marshal of Gervais in 1883 and still 
holds that office. 

PATTERSON, JERRY M. 

Born in Ohio in 1845; in 1861 enlisted in the Fifteenth Ohio 
Volunteers, and served nearly through the war. Returned to Ohio, 
and shortly afterward went to Iowa. He learned the art of tele- 
graphy. For a time was in the dry goods business in DesMoines. 
Coming to Oregon in 1869 he engaged in the real estate business 
for ten years; held the office of city recorder of Salem in 1871. 
Owns land near Salem and resides in that town. Married Miss 
Blanche Gray in 1872, and has three children — Edward G., Beulah, 
and Prudence M. 

YEATON, A. T. 

Born in New Hampshire in 1840; at the age of twenty-one went 
into the Union Army and served ninety days; after leaving the 
army, went to Massachusetts, and from there to Michigan; lived in 
Detroit six years; settled in Salem, Oregon, in 1869, and com- 
menced his present business, as dealer in furniture. 

1870. 

ARMSTRONG, WILLIAM. 

Born in Ireland in 1829; came to New York in 1845; worked at 
his trade of shoemaker until 1862, when he enlisted in the one 
hundred and twenty -fifth regiment New York Volunteers and served 
during the war; went to Michigan in 1866, but left that State for 
Oregon four years later. Resides now in South Salem, but has a 
farm in Benton County. Married Miss Mary Carns, and has two 
children — George and William H. 

BENTLY, L. 

Born in New York in 1825, and was taken by his parents to 
Ohio and from thence to Michigan. While in the latter State he 
was county treasurer for Isabella County for four years and chair- 
man of the board of supervisors for an equal time. He came to 
Polk County, Oregon, in 1870, and was elected State Senator in 
1876. Married Miss Parnelia Parmelee in 1848 and they have 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 867 

two children, named Aylett and Rosa. Mr. Bently owns city prop- 
erty and a farm of two hundred and thirty acres, and at present is 
engaged in farming. Residence, Monmouth. 

BETTMAN, L. 

Born in Bavaria in 1850, and came to the Pacific Coast in 1868, 
living for two years in California previous to his arrival in Oregon 
in 1870. He served as clerk in Eugene City until 1874 when he 
opened a store in Buena Vista, Polk County. Moved to Dallas in 
1880; formed partnership with Mr. Rosenblatt, the firm doing bus- 
iness in Dallas. 

CLARK, J. C. 

Born in Albany, New York, in 1856; came to Oregon when 
fourteen years old, and lived on a farm at Woodburn, Marion 
County, for ten years, and then removed to Gervais and learned the 
drug business. Still resides in that town and has become proprietor 
of the drug store there. Is notary public. In 1882 he married 
Hattie Safford. 

ERB, IRA. 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1847; lived there, and in Ohio and Illi- 
nois, until the beginning of the Rebellion; served in the Union Army 
throughout that struggle. Came to Oregon and settled at Salem. 
Married, in 1880, Hattie Myers. Mr. Erb's occupation is carpenter. 
Is a member of the Odd Fellows, A. O. U. W., and Grand Army or- 
ganizations. 

GIMBLE, S. S. 

Born in Knox County, Ohio, in 1847. Enlisted in the Union 
Army in 1861 and served in the several campaigns of the Army of 
the Potomac. At the close of the war was in New Orleans, but in 
1866 went to San Francisco, then to Arizona, and finally settled at 
Zena, Polk County. Occupation, shoemaker. Was in mercantile 
business at Zena four years. 

KNIGHT, CHARLES, M.D., 

Is a practicing physician of Canby, Clackamas County; was 
born in Pennsylvania in 1828; moved to Missouri in 1845, and 
lived there until coming to Oregon. He was the first to settle at 
Canby, and built the first house in the place. The town now con- 



868 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

tains three stores, one hotel, one drugstore, one blacksmith shop, 
and one warehouse. Dr. Knight married Catharine Schriber, and 
his children are — Louise, Henry A., Charles M., George W., and 
Esther C. The Doctor also deals in drugs in addition to his pro- 
fessional practice. 

MILNE, JOHN. 

Born in Scotland in 1834; is a miller by occupation; came to 
Oregon in 1870; in 1871 went to Hillsboro and built a gristmill, 
which he runs in partnership with James Garson. The mill grinds 
annually about thirty thousand bushels of wheat and a very large 
quantity of oats. Mr. Milne owns a farm of seven hundred and 
thirty acres, and is engaged in farming and stock-raising. In 
1877, married Miss Margaret Linklater. They have three chil- 
dren — John, Elizabeth, and Jacob. 

NORTON, EDWARD OGDEN. 

Born in Yates County, New York. Came to Washington Ter- 
ritory in 1868, and to Oregon two years after. Resides at Salem 
and is proprietor and editor of the Vidette and Anti- Monopolist — a 
newspaper of large circulation and of great value to readers. In 
this paper Mr. Norton has published some of the most valuable de- 
scriptive and statistical articles which have ever appeared in print, 
concerning the Northwest. Mr. Norton married Sophia S. Cole in 
1854, and had two children — Letta, and Frederick W. — but these 
with their mother are deceased. 

REAMS, HENRY. 

Born in Pennsylvania, May 1, 1817; was married in 1854, to 
Miss Eleanor Gordon. Came to Oregon and settled in Linn County, 
where his wife died, in October, 1882. By her his children were — 
Jessie F., Lydia C, Birdie, and Myra F. Mr. Reams is a cabinet- 
maker and undertaker, and lives at Harrisburg. 

ROCKENFIELD, C. S. 

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1843; was in Illinois when the war 
broke out, and enlisted in the seventy -seventh regiment of Illinois 
Volunteers, and served on Bank's Red River expedition, also at Mo- 
bile, and Vicksburg — served three years. After the war he returned 
to Illinois, and in 1869, married Miss S. M, Reese. In 1870 they 



HTSTOKY OF IMMIGRATION. 869 

came to Oregon, locating at Salem, where Mr. Rockenfield is en- 
gaged in merchandising, while his wife has the care of their green- 
house, containing a line collection of plants, etc. 

SMITH, GEORGE N. 

Born in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1833. When the war of 
the Rebellion broke out he enlisted in the 43d New York Volun- 
teers, and served until the close of hostilities. Came to Oregon in 
1870, and resides now at Scio, Linn County. Is a contractor by 
occupation. 

SMITH, I. L. 

Born in Ohio, May 16, 1827. When six years old was taken 
to Illinois by his parents. He served three years in the Union 
Army; was in the sieges of Vicksburg, Mobile, Fort Morgan, and 
other places. In 1870 came to Oregon and settled at Forest Grove, 
and is still a resident of that town. He kept a hotel for three years. 
In 1884 resumed his former occupation of cabinet- making, and, in 
connection therewith, has a sash and door factory. The firm name 
is Smith, Lee <k Co. Mr. Smith was elected to the Legislature in 
1880, and re-elected in 1884. Was a member of the first city 
council, and remained a member of that body for four terms. Mar- 
ried Miss Margaret Mathews in 1849, and their family now consists 
of nine children, namely — James, George, Elinor, William, Fred, 
Flora, Etta J., Lillie D., and Carrie. 

WELLS, d. R. 

Born in New York July 4, 1831; came to the Pacific Coast in 
1855 and mined in California and Nevada until 1864. In the 
spring of 1805 went to Humboldt County, Nevada, and prospected 
for mineral oil, then returned to California and mined until 1870, 
in which year he came to Oregon and went into the dairy business, 
establishing a new system of dairying now used throughout the 
State. Since 1877, Mr Wells has been engaged in raising fine stock, 
and has one horse, Woodbury, an English thoroughbred of great 
value. Mr. Wells' address is Salem. 

1871. 

GREEN, N. J. 

Born in Illinois in 1860; lived in Folsom, California, for a while 
attending school; located in Portland, Oregon, in 1871 and staid 



870 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

two years. Lived on a farm at Jefferson, Marion County, for a 
time; learned telegraphy, and was in the employ of the Oregon <fc 
California Railway as general agent for the establishment of tele- 
graph stations along that road's southern extension. Has charge 
of the Gervais telegraph office at that town. 

HAMILTON, A. J. 

Born in Ireland in 1826; came to America in 1841. Lived in 
Illinois and New Jersey prior to coming to Oregon. Is now a 
resident of Beaverton, Washington County, and a merchant try 
occupation. Married in 1856 Miss Cynthia Anthony, who had two 
children — Mary F., and Jennie. 

HALLETT, J. L. 

Born in New York in 1836. Married Miss Con vers of Kansas, 
who died in 1868, and in 1872 he married Martha Clerk, a native 
of Oregon. His children are — Kate, now Mrs. Aben of Portland, 
and two sons, Fred and Claude. Mr. Hallett's principal occupa- 
tion until of late has been in the carrying out of large railway 
contracts, requiring the work of hundreds and even thousands of 
men. In this business he has become widely celebrated. He built 
the first hundred miles of the East Side Railway, acting as superin- 
tendent of construction, and the remainder as far as Roseburg by 
contract. Contracted for and built the West Side road. Super- 
intended the building of the Clark's Fork division of the Northern 
Pacific Railroad. Having amassed wealth he retired to his magnifi- 
cent farm of over one thousand acres on the Tualatin, near Forest 
Grove, and entered upon the breeding of blooded cattle and horses. 
The place is known as "Spring Hill Farm.'' It possesses a half- 
mile track, roofed over its entire length, so as to admit of training 
horses the entire year. The conveniences and improvements of the 
farm make it altogether unique in Oregon, and far beyond every- 
thing of the sort on the Coast north of San Francisco. 

HEARN, E. J. 

Born in Ohio in 1857; came to Oregon at the age of fourteen; 
resides at Jefferson, Marion County, where he has been in business 
for eight years; present occupation, merchant. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 871 

SMITH, T. C, M.D. 

Born iii Pennsylvania in 1844; enlisted in the twenty-seventh 
New York Volunteers, and was promoted for bravery at the battle 
of Bull Run ; after expiration of term of service, raised a company 
of the one hundred and seventy-ninth New York, and fought through 
the Avar, participating in all the most important battles, including 
Chancellorsville and the operations in front of Petersburg, where he 
was wounded, being then on General Griffin's staff. After close of 
the war, studied medicine, and, in 1871, came to Oregon; kept drug 
store and practiced medicine at Portland and Oregon City, and 
finally settled in Salem. In 1881 he withdrew from the drug busi- 
ness and began the practice of dentistry, and still follows it. Was 
married, in 1866, to Elvira Chapman. Their children are — Laura 
May, James A., and T. C. 

TRUITT, WARREN. 

Born in Illinois in 1845. Received his education in McKendree 
College, graduating in 1868. Entered a law office, and was admit- 
ted to the bar in 1870. Came to Oregon the following year, and 
was a teacher in Bethel Academy three years. Was elected county 
judge in 1874 and served one term. At the close of his term of 
office lie commenced practice in partnership with C. A. Johns. Was 
elected a member of the Legislature in 188*2, and has served on the 
judiciary committee. Is now president of the board of trustees of 
LaCreole Academy, and a member of the city council; also a prom- 
inent member of the Masonic fraternity. Was presidential elector 
in 1884. Married Miss Mary Basey in 1874, and two children have 
been born to them — Madison (deceased), and Don W. Residence, 
Dallas. 

187*2. 

BINGHAM, G. G. 

Born in Wisconsin in 1855; came with his parents to Oregon 
and settled in Yamhill County; studied law at Ann Arbor, Michi- 
gan, and was admitted to the bar in that State, in 1880. Returned 
to Oregon in the same year and practiced for a year in Lafayette. 
Moved to McMinnville in 1881, that now being his place of resi- 
dence, and in 1883 formed a partnership with Judge Ramsey. He 
was elected coroner in 1884. Married Miss Wilkie Harris in 1882. 



872 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

DAVIS, GEORGE W. 

Is a resident of Shedd, Linn County, and a dealer in general 
merchandise; lie was born in Knox County, Illinois, May 16, 1844; 
married Miss Alice T. Bottsford, and their children are : — James R., 
George E., Alice M., Rex W., and Walter. 

HOWELL, JONES. 

Born in Kentucky in 1851. Has been carpenter, but is now 
engaged in hotel keeping at North Yamhill; married Miss Julia 
Wright in 1872, by whom he has five children — Maggie, Minnie, 
George, Dexter, and Jennie. 

McADAMS, FRED. 

Born in Illinois in 1848; entered the Union army — one hundred 
and thirty- eighth Illinois regiment — in 1865 and served until the 
close of hostilities. Came to Walla Walla, Washington Territory, 
in 1870 and remained two years; then came to Portland, and sub- 
sequently to Salem. Married Mary Scovell in 1881, and they 
have two children — William, and Lotta. Mr. McAdams died in 
the winter of 1884-85. 

POLLOCK, ROBERT. 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1819; entered the United States Volun- 
teers in 1846, first in the Virginia Volunteers as lieutenant, 
and served during the Mexican war ; was mustered out 
in 1848. Came to the Pacific Coast in 1850; in 1861 went 
into service again, and served during the civil war; was major 
in the first regiment of California Infantry ; was made lieutenant- 
colonel in 1861, and colonel in 1863. From the year 1865 to 1871, 
was in Arizona among the Apaches. During the Modoc war was 
at Vancouver and Fort Klamath ; in the Nez Perces war served 
under Howard, and was in all the campaigns. Returned to Oregon 
in 1884, and settled near Cornelius. Married Miss Sarah J. Myers 
in 1860, and has eight children — Izatus, Ella, John, Clara J., Wil- 
liam M., Flora Belle, Lyle, and Charlie Hodge. 

RIGBEY, FRANCIS. 

Born in Ireland in 1843; came to America in 1860, and three 
years later enlisted in the U. S. Army (13th New York Cavalry) and 
served until the end of the war. Eemoved then to California and 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. B73 

resided there five years; came next to Oregon, and after a short time 
spent in Washington Territory, began to reside permanently in 

Gervais. Marion Comity. Conducts a store and owns a farm. 

ROBERTSON, L. W. 

Born in Knox Count}". Indiana, December 7. 1S47. When he 
was four years old his parents moved to Iowa, where they remained 
until 1>5<>. when they returned to Indiana, and in 1864 he entered 
the Union Army in Company B of the 26th Indiana Volunteers, 
and was in that service until 1866, being in the linal action of the 
war at the Spanish Fort, near Mobile. He was mustered out at 
Yicksburg in 1866, when he returned to Indiana and went into the 
stock business. In IS 72 he came to Oregon and farmed in Polk 
County, near Independence, for three years, and at the end of that 
time purchased a drug store in that town which he owns still. He 
was married to Miss Ellen Hooper, and their children are the fol- 
lowing — Loreno C, Alta R., AVilliam J. (deceased). Alice E., and 
Eottie L. Mr. Robertson is a member of the Grand Army of the 
Republic. 

ROCK, JOHN. 

Born in Barnstaple. England, December 5. 1848; came to Ore- 
gon in IS 72. His former occupation was that of editor of the 
Oregon City Enterprise. Residence, Oregon City. 

SHUSTER, H. S., A.M. 

Lives in Salem, and is a photographer. Born in Xew Jersev in 
1830. and was educated at the AVesleyan University in Middleton, 
Connecticut: graduated in I860, taking afterwards the decree of 
Master of Arts. Taught in Pennington Seminary. Xew Jersev. two 
years. Since 1866 has been in the photographer's business: and 
sinee 1879 in Salem. 

VAUGHN, J. W. 

Born in Jefferson County Illinois, May *2n 1848, and was edu- 
cated to become a teacher, an occupation he followed for some time. 
He came to Oregon in 1872, stayed a short time in Baker County, 
going then to Union County, where he lived four years. He then 
moved to Dallas, Polk County, and was clerk for J. D. Lee, and 
Wftfl married in 1S78 to Miss Ida Hutton. They have a child, named 



874 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Clifford W., and had one other that died in infancy. Mr. Vaughn 
came to Independence in 1879 and has been employed as clerk ever 
since. Is a member of the City Council of that place. 

WAGGENER, R. 

Born in Indiana in 1842; served three years in the United States 
army, being attached to the third Indiana Volunteers; was at Shi- 
loh and all the battles which took place in the West. Is now a 
member of the Gr. A. R. Came to Oregon and farmed for a time, 
but in 1881 took charge of the Tualatin Hotel, at Hillsboro, which 
he still conducts. Was married in 1864 to Anna B. Bailey. They 
have fiye children — Lura, Adella, Lena, D. B., and Willard. 

WILCOX, DAVID. 

Born in Montgomery County, New York, in 1811; went to Can- 
ada in 1818; in 1842 moved to Wisconsin, and lived there thirty 
years. Then came to Oregon and settled in Washington County, 
where he has a farm on the Tualatin River, and property in Cor- 
nelius, his place of residence. He was married in Canada, in 1834, 
to Miss Sarah M. Davis. Their children are eight, five of whom 
live in Oregon and three in the Eastern States. 

WRIGHTMAN, FRANK T. 

Born in Erie County, New York, in 1858; came to Oregon in 
1872; occupation, farmer; present, residence, Sublimity. 

1873. 

BAKER, L. M. 

Born in Virginia in 1834; lived mostly in the Western States 
until 1861, when he enlisted in the U. S. Army, and participated 
in the battle of Bull Run, and nearly all the other great encounters 
in Virginia; was severely wounded at Gettysburg, and disabled for 
life. He now draws a pension therefor. Married in 1869 to Mary 
McHarter, by whom he has four children — F. O., F. A., Ella May, 
and E. D. Residence, Salem. 

CONOVER, READING B. 

Born in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, in 1836. Came to 
Oregon in June, 1873, and settled in Salem. Is the publisher of 
the daily and weekly Talk, an afternoon newspaper, devoted to 
the news of the day, political affairs, etc., and one of the principal 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 875 

papers of the valley. It was established in 1878. Mr. Conover 
was married in Indiana, and has three children — Frank (assistant 
publisher of the Talk), Daisy, and Lula. 

DANIEL, REMUS R. 

Born in Kentucky. Resided, for various periods, in Minnesota 
and Washington Territory. Came to Oregon in 1873, and settled 
in Yamhill County. Married Miss V. V. Williamson in 1878, and 
has two children — Ivan H., and L. B. Mr. Daniel had acquired 
experience in flour-making before coming to this valley, and in 1881 
he purchased the steam flour mill at Lafayette, in company with 
Mr. Suiter. They carry on a good business and 'have made an ex- 
cellent reputation for their products, which they ship to many points 
in the valley, as w^ell as to Eastern Oregon, Washington Territory, 
and even to California. They handle fifty thousand bushels of 
wheat annually. 

HARBORD, M. G. 

Born in Illinois in 1837; farmed principally until his departure 
for Oregon. Was married in 1862, to Jane Price. Their children 
are— Hetta Esther, born in 1863; Rolla C, born in 1864; Ida Maud, 
born in 1865; Kittie W., born in 1875; and three others, who died 
young. Mr. Harbord was deputy United States Marshal in 1882- 
1883, and has held the office of city marshal of Salem since 1879. 
Resides in South Salem. 

HEMSTOCK, WILLIAM. 

Born in Nottinghamshire, England, March 17, 1827; in 1832 
he went to Canada; in 1837, to Wisconsin. He came to Oregon 
and settled at McMinnville, where he now resides, engaged in farm- 
ing and fruit-raising. In 1850, in Racine County, Wisconsin, he 
married Mary A. Bingham, also a native of England; their children 
are — George H., Hannah A., Fanny J., and Albert B. 

HOLMAN, THOMAS. 

Is a manufacturer of fanning mills and grain separators in Sa- 
lem. Was born in England in 1849; came to America in 1871, 
and lived in Canada until coming to Oregon. In 1877 he invented 
the Western fanning mill and grain cleaner; manufactures and 
sells annually from two hundred to three hundred mills. Learned 
the trade of machinist in England and has worked at it since. 



876 H1ST0KY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

JOHNSON, W. P. 

Born in New York in 1846; became a photographer, and has 
carried on that industry in New York, Wisconsin, and Iowa, previous 
to his coming to Oregon. Is now located at Salem, Marion County, 
and still carries on the business of photography. In 1871 he was 
married to Miss Ella Southwick, by whom he has four children — 
Frank R, William A., Aylett N., and an infant. 

MALONEY, HANDLEY S. 

Born in Green County, Tennessee, in February, 1849; was a 
private in the Fourth Tennessee Volunteers in 1864; and second 
lieutenant in the U. S. Infantry in 1867; resigned in 1870. He 
came to Oregon in 1873, and in 1876 was county surveyor of Uma- 
tilla County. In 1880-82 was county surveyor of Yamhill County. 
In 1884 became first lieutenant of Company A, Oregon Cavalry. 
He now resides at Sheridan, Yamhill County, and is engaged in 
farming and surveying. He married Mary F. Metzer in Umatilla 
County in 1873, and their children's names are — Lillie S., Mary L., 
William C, Minnie S., and Hugh P. 

Mcelroy, e. b. 

Born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, September 17, 1842. 
Was educated in a normal school in that State, and after teaching 
a while, enlisted (1861) in the first regiment of West Virginia Vol- 
unteers, and afterwards (1863) in the one hundredth Pennsylvania, 
and served through the war ; afterwards employed himself as teacher 
and farmer until his departure for Oregon in 1873. Taught in the 
public schools of Corvallis until 1875, then assuming a professor- 
ship in the State Agricultural College. Was three times elected 
superintendent of schools for Benton County, and in 1882, became 
State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Resides at Salem, with 
his wife (formerly Miss Agnes McFadden), and their four children. 

MENDENHALL, W. F., M.D. 

Born in Jefferson County, Tennessee, in 1833; graduated in med- 
icine at Knoxville in 1866; came to Oregon in 1873, and has prac- 
ticed at Harrisburg, Linn County, since. Married Miss Eleanor 
Hoult in 1876. They have two children — Frank and Fred. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 877 

PHILIPPI, ANTONY. 

Born in Lewis County, Washington Territory, August 1, 1859. 
Was reared to a farmer's life, but moving to Portland when four- 
teen years old, he learned the trade of carriage and sign painter, 
and was occupied thereat for eight years in that city. Subsequently 
he resided in Hillsboro, and in March, 1884, removed to Independ- 
ence, his present abode, and there continues the exercise of his trade. 

STOLZ, GIDEON. 

Born in Columbiana County, Ohio, in 1844. In 1873 he arrived 
in Oregon and settled in Salem, where he has established a cider 
factory, run by steam power, where he also manufactures fruit but- 
ter and jellies. In 1884, fifty thousand bushels of apples were used 
in the mill, and several workmen were employed. Mr. Stolz mar- 
ried Miss Margaret Whittinger, and their children's names are — 
Lenta D. and Walter T. 

TYLER, ASHER. 

Born in Livingston County, New York, August 6, 1831; went 
to Wisconsin, at the age of sixteen. Was educated in military 
affairs, and when twenty-three years of age was commissioned by 
Governor Harvey, of Wisconsin, first lieutenant of militia. During 
the Rebellion he was promoted to captain; was taken prisoner at 
Lexington. ,Was in active service more than four years, and in 
Government employ seven years. He came to Oregon in 1873, and 
has since lived in Forest Grove, where for a year he has had charge 
of the U. S. Military School. This school was established in 1879; 
in 1880 the munitions of war were sent, first under command of 
Captain Wilkinson, next Captain Pierce, and then Captain Tyler. 
A full class comprises fifty-five students in infantry, and twenty- 
four in light artillery. Their drill is perfect, says their instructor. 
Captain Tyler was married to Miss Elizabeth Hawley in 1856, by 
whom he had two children. In 1869 he married Miss H. L. Johnson. 
Captain Tyler is an able linguist, speaking eight languages. 

1874. 

BAILEY, JOSEPH. 

Born in Barnesville, Belmont County, Ohio; came to Oregon, 
arriving on June 10, 1874; settled at Forest Grove. His present 



878 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

residence is Greenville, and occupation, blacksmith. He married 
Miss Ella Hay, January 24, 1883, at Forest Grove, and they have 
one child — Blanche. 

BRINK, THOMAS. 

Born in Indiana in 1830; made two trips to California and re- 
turned East as often, previous to his arrival in Oregon. Settled in 
Albany and has lived there since; is a furniture manufacturer. 
Married Miss Mary E. Vrooman in 1859. They have four children 
— Margria P., Manfred A., Mason E., and Millard D. 

CLARK, J. S., Sr. 

Born in New Hampshire in 1816; went to Illinois in 1837 and 
learned the brick and mason trade. Came to Oregon and settled 
in Albany, where he works at his trade ; owns a brick-yard and 
some city property. Married Miss Harriet Kicharcls in 1843, by 
whom he has had nine children, namely — Francis A., Mary L., 
Henry J., Hattie A., Emma B., Rose, Josephine, Joseph S., and 
Carrie C. 

HUDSON, WILLIAM S. 

Mr. Hudson, now a citizen of Forest Grove, was born in New 
York in 1827, and after many years' residence in Massachusetts 
and Wisconsin, emigrated to Oregon in 1874. His occupation is 
that of blacksmith, and being an attache of the Indian school at 
Forest Grove, he has charge of the youths who learn that branch of 
industry. Mr. Hudson was married in 1853 to Elizabeth Rogers. 
They have four children — Charles, Hattie, Harvey, and Paul. 

HYDE, EDWIN O., M.D. 

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, on August 2, 1849, and educated 
at the Peabody High School. Was a member of the fifth regiment, 
M. V. M., for several years; also librarian of the Peabody Institute. 
Visited Missouri and Kansas in 1869, and returning east, married 
E. E. Evans at Tamworth, N. H, October 16, 1873. Set out for 
Oregon in the following spring via the Isthmus. Taught school in 
Albany for a time and studied medicine, hearing lectures at the Wil- 
lamette Medical College. Practiced at Prineville for a year. Is 
now an inhabitant of Scio, Linn County, practicing his profession. 
Children — Walter S., Oscar C, Archie M., and Edwin H. 



history of immigration. 879 

Mcpherson, william h. 

Born in Washington County, Tennessee, November 24, 1848; 
is a mechanic and resides in Lebanon, Linn County. Married Eliz- 
abeth Burritt, and their children are — Maud E., Charles, and Delia. 
Mr. McPherson was a body guaid of Andrew Johnson in 1865. 

MONTANYE, L. H. 

Born in Indiana November 8, 1840; of French extraction; 
served in an Indiana regiment during the Rebellion, and after the 
close of the war lived in Louisiana until 1874 when he came to Or- 
egon and has resided since at Albany. Is a lawyer, and studied 
the profession and was admitted to the bar in Louisiana in 1871. 
Is still engaged in that pursuit. Was elected to the Oregon Legis- 
lature in 1884. Is active among the various secret orders. Was 
married in 1876 to Miss Kate Baynard, and they have two children 
— George B., and Mary H. 

NEIBERT, CONRAD. 

.Born in Calumet County, Wisconsin, in 1848; came to Oregon 
in 1874; occupation, blacksmith; present residence, Turner; wife's 
previous name, Rosie Thomas. Children — George A., John P., 
Edward J., and George W. 

RANDLE, S. A. 

Born in Illinois, November 29, 1839. He attended high school 
in that State, and attended at Asbury University in Indiana until 
the senior year. Came to Oregon and taught in Salem public 
schools; in 1881, took the senior year course in the Willamette 
University, and received the degree of A.M. in 1884; now holds 
the position of principal of La Creole Academy in Dallas. Mar- 
ried Miss Ellen Taggart, and has live children, named — Harry C, 
George, Nellie, Fay, and Maggie. Mr. Randle was in the Union 
army from 1862 to 1865. 

TIFFANY, G. W. 

Born in Barkhamsted, Connecticut, a descendant of English 
Puritans. Spent seventeen years in mercantile affairs in New York, 
in the employ of a large firm, and in 1874 came to Oregon. In 1879 
moved to Salem; is associated with Beu. Forstner as agents for sew- 
ing machines and supplies. Mr. Tiffany has traveled very exten- 



880 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

sively, visiting every State and Territory in the Union, with hardly 
an exception. When twenty-three years old he married Mary B. 
Gardner, of Canandaigua, New York, by whom he had three boys, 
the two oldest of whom survive. Mrs. Tiffany died in October, 

1873. 

WILSON, ANDREW. 

Resides in Independence, Polk County. Was born in Perry 
County, Ohio, in 1842. He entered the army in 1861, as one of 
the Colorado Cavalry, and took part in the battles of Valverde, 
Sand Creek, Patch's Canyon, and in a raid into New Mexico. After 
the war he went to Missouri, but in 1874, left that State and came 
direct to this coast, and lived for a while in Lane County, before 
settling in Independence. He was married, in 1867, to Miss Martha 
Sodders, by whom he had two children — Thomas and Furman. 
His wife died, June 28, 1873, and he was married again, in 1874, 
to Mrs. Margaret Crouse, by whom he has one child, named Laura. 

WOQDIN, A. B. 

Born in New York, in 1834, his parents removing to Michigan, 
they being among the pioneers of that State. Mr. Woodin was 
surveyor of Genessee County, Michigan, and afterwards mined at 
Pike's Peak, Colorado. Served four years in the Union Army 
during the civil war. Coming to Oregon he settled at Albany and 
engaged in milling. Is now a dealer in furniture. Married Miss 
Eliza Barber in 1868, and has one son, Harry by name. 

1875. 

ABDILL, G. B. 

Born in Ohio in 1845, and lived at different periods in Ken- 
tucky, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota. After his arrival 
in Oregon he lived one year on a farm at Amity, then moved to 
Dayton and set up business as tinsmith, and is still residing there, 
engaged at the same occupation and trading agricultural imple- 
ments. He married Miss Charlotte Gibbon in 1869, and three 
children have been born to them, two of whom are now alive, 
named, William and Daniel. Mr. Abdill entered the Union Army 
in 1865, and served one year. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 881 

ALLEN, N. H. 

Born in Ontario County, New York, in 1837; came to Oregon 
and entered upon lumbering as an occupation. In company with 
others he cut a vast amount of timber upon the Calapooia Creek 
and floated it to the mill at Albany. Selling out in 1882, Mr. Allen 
engaged in mercantile affairs at Albany and so remains. Married 
Miss Mary Hanawalt in 1873. They have three children — Edna, 
Mamie, and Frank. 

BAKER, A. B. 

Born in Washington Territory in 1855; came to Oregon and 
lived for a time in Lafayette, moving thence to McMinnville in 1881. 
Is recorder of the latter town. Married Miss Phcebe Henry, in 1882. 
They have one child, Jessie E., by name. Mr. Baker is now a part- 
ner with J. H. Robinson in the drug and stationery business at 
McMinnville. 

CASTO, JOSEPH. 

Is a resident of New Era, Clackamas County, and proprietor of 
a general merchandise store ; also postmaster and agent for the O. 
<fe C.R. R. He was born in Knox County, Ohio, May 20, 1827. 
Married in Colorado in 1861 to Julia A.Lake; their children are — 
Frank E., Lottie, Jessie K., Seth L., Julia A., Ella, and Charles. 

COLLINS, J. H. 

Born in Gallia County, Ohio, February 21, 1842; in 1856 he 
went to Jefferson County, Ohio, and entered into the business of 
stock-raising and farming. He came to Oregon in 1875 and settled 
in Polk County, his present home being on his farm near Inde- 
pendence. He was married to Miss Martha G. Sears, March 25, 
1869, and they have four children, named as follows — James H., 
William E., John D., and Charles. 

CONNAWAY, W. P. 

Mr. Connaway, who now resides in Independence, Polk County, 
was born in Cedar County, Missouri, May 3, 1 850. His early life 
was spent on a farm, and in the years preceding 1875, he acquired 
a very good academic education. In the year mentioned he came 
to Oregon and took residence in Polk County. At a later date he 
was successively secretary for the Willamette Falls Lock and Canal 
Company, and book-keeper for a firm in Harrisburg, Linn County. 



882 HISTOKY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Mr. Connaway was married, April 2, 1879, to Alice Wells. At 
present his occupation is agent for the Salem Flouring Mill Com- 
pany, which handles yearly from eighty thousand to one hundred 
thousand bushels of wheat. 

HANEY, JOHN. 

Born in Boston, and resided there until the age of seventeen. 
Enlisting in the Regular Army, he remained in the military service 
of the country for five years. After the close of the war, Mr. Haney 
went to Texas, stayed there half a year, and then came to Yamhill 
County, Oregon, where he has since resided. His place of residence 
and postoffice address are Lafayette. 

HOWARD, D. C. 

Born in Ohio in 1828; was a carpenter in early life; served in 
the First Ohio Regiment and rose to a captaincy. Came to Ore- 
gon and located at Salem, his present residence. Present occupa- 
tion, carpenter and house mover. Married in 1847 to Cora Hat- 
field. Their children are — William J., Joseph E., S. E., Lizzie, 
Hattie, Carrie, and George B. 

HUMPHREY, JOHN A. 

Born in Sullivan County, New York, May 17, 1836. Came to 
Oregon in 1875. Residence, Oregon City. Occupation, miller. 
Married Sophia V. Wheeler. Children — Charles M. (deceased J, 
James (deceased), Pearl D. (deceased), Mary, and Tessie B. 

LAMKIN, J. C. 

Born in Arkansas in 1846; went to Nebraska in 1860; in 1875 
came to Oregon; had been married five years before to Mary Arch- 
bold, by whom he has had Alta and Charles. Dealer in hardware 
in Hillsboro, Washington County, and possesses a residence in that 
town. 

LAUGHMILLER, J. A. 

Born in Indiana in 1837; learned the trade of blacksmith and 
followed it for a time in Kansas. Enlisted in 1862 in the IT. S. 
Army and served until November, 1865. Coming to Oregon he 
located at Woodburn, Marion County, his present residence, and 
opened a blacksmith shop, but in two years bought a warehouse 
and conducts it now. The structure, the largest in that section, has a 



HISTOEY OF IMMIGRATION. 883 

capacity of thirteen hundred and fifty tons of grain. Married in 
1860 to Vesta E. Ross, by whom he has had two children — William 
E., and J. R. 

MASON, I. T., D.D.S. 

Born in Tennessee in 1860. Came to Oregon in 1875 and set- 
tled in Eugene City, where he attended the State University, and 
nearly completed the collegiate course. Commenced a dental 
course under Dr. L. M. Davis, of Eugene, in 1877. In 1879, went 
to Philadelphia, studied there and received the degree of D.D.S. in 
1880. Returned to Oregon in that year, and has been practicing 
in Dallas since. Married Miss Mary E. Long in 1881, and they 
have one child, named Clay. 

PERRINE FINLEY C. 

Born in Indiana in 1845; enlisted at the beginning of the Re- 
bellion in the twenty -fourth Indiana infantry regiment and served 
three years, taking part in many battles, particularly Pittsburg 
Landing, and was at the siege of Corinth, and the operations in Ar- 
kansas, and again under Banks in Louisiana. On the close of 
his term of service he entered the secret service of the Government. 
Until 1875 he was in many portions of the West and South, en- 
gaged in various businesses, and in that year left for Oregon. Here 
he has been in several pursuits and is at present guard of the State 
treasury, and resides at Salem. He married in 1882 Miss Irene 
Cosper. 

VENNER, J. F. 

Is a resident of Brownsville, Linn County ; he is a druggist, and 
proprietor of the only drug store in that town. Was born in Ver- 
mont, December 3, 1846; came to the Pacific Coast in 1865, and 
lived several years in Washington Territory previous to coming to 
Oregon. In 1878 he was married to Miss Diantha Simons; they 
have had one child — Warren D. (deceased). 

1876. 

CLOUGH, A. M. 

Born in Vermont in 1849; went to Iowa in 1858; learned the 
trade of wheelwright. Was married in 1873 to Adella Ryder. Their 
children, Bernice and Arthur B., are both deceased. Came to Ore- 
gon in 1876, located at Salem, and engaged in cabinet -making. Res- 
idence, Salem. 



884 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

CLOW, W. C. 

Born in Canada in 1852, and reared in Wisconsin. Traveled 
through the United States with a theatrical troupe for six years; 
came to Oregon in 1876; went to Alaska the following year, but 
soon returned to Washington County, Oregon, and now resides at 
Cornelius. Married Miss Mary Baker in 1877; has three children 
— Maud, Genevieve, and Charles. 

COOPER, G. W. 

Born in North Carolina, February 27, 1855; studied dentistry 
in Leavenworth, Kansas, and now follows that profession. ^ He 
came to the Pacific Coast in 1876, and is a resident of Harrisburg, 
Linn County. Was married in 1878 to Miss Hattie Tupper. Their 
children are — Edith, Clara, and Harry. 

DOUTY, SYLVESTER. 

Born in Perry County, Pennsylvania, in 1840; moved to Bur- 
lington, Iowa, in 1848, and to Colorado in 1860; was the pioneer 
miller of the latter State, and established the Bed River, flouring 
mills there in 1861. He came to Oregon in 1876 and settled at In- 
dependence, Polk County, and is proprietor of a saw mill in that 
town, said mill having a capacity of twenty thousand feet per day. 
He married Sarah A. Brown in Chicago, Illinois, in 1863, and their 
children's names are — Minnie, Fred A., Louisa, and William O. 

FERGUSON, H. J. 

Born in Schoharie County, New York, in 1832. His early years 
were spent in farming. He entered the Union Army in 1862, and 
served until the close of the war. After the war closed he moved 
to Iowa, but in 1876 started for the Pacific Coast, and came to Or- 
egon by way of California, and after visiting several of the princi- 
pal cities of this State, settled in Independence, where, he lives now, 
a partner in a fire insurance firm, its name being Ferguson & Hall. 
Mr. Ferguson owns city property in Independence, and a farm in 
Washington County. He is a member of the city council of Inde- 
pendence. Before coming West he married Miss Mary L. Craig, 
by whom he had three children, all of whom are grown and 
are living in the Eastern States. His wife died in 1865, and Mr. 
Ferguson married Miss Ellen Eaton. 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION 885 

DU GAS, E., M.D. 

Born in Georgia in 1850; settled at Charnpoeg, Marion County, 
and resides there still: occupation, physician. Married Annie L. 
Jones, in October, 1882. 

KRIESEL, WILLIAM. 

Born in Dodge County, Wisconsin, February 28, 1848; came to 
Oregon and settled in Marion County; moved to Linn County in 
1882. Is a tinner by trade and located at Harrisburg. Was mar- 
ried in 1873 to Miss Albertina Wedde. Their children are — Rich- 
ard, Fred, Alma, Ella, and Emma. 

Mcintosh, j. m. 

Born in Canada in 1848; went to Minnesota in 1861, and 
learned the flour milling business. Came to Oregon in 1876, and 
is now superintendent of the extensive Flouring Mill at Turner, 
Marion County. This mill holds a high rank as regards its prod- 
uct. Its capacity is one hundred and fifty barrels per day, it is run 
by water power, and is owned by a corporation styling itself, "The 
Oregon Milling Company. It uses the "roller process." * 

MILLER, F. M. 

Born in Iowa in 1844. Served in the Union Army as a member 
of the Third Iowa Cavalry. Returninor- home after the end of the 
war, he studied law, and also held a civil oflice — that of superin- 
tendent of schools. Coming to Oregon, he located in Lebanon and 
opened a law oflice. Was recorder in 1882. Married in that year. 
Hulda S. Armstrong. They have three children — Walter, Bessie, 
and Kate. 

REDMOND, F. W. 

Born in Canada in 1852; coming to this coast in 1876, he set- 
tled in Yamhill County. Is proprietor of a store and warehouse in 
MeMinnville. Handles about fifty thousand bushels of wheat, be- 
sides other grain, yearly. Married Miss Martha Garrison, Novem- 
ber 19, 1882. 

SEGUIN, LOUIS. 

Born in St. Mary, Canada, in 1847; married, in 1866, Albina 
Cormier. Their children are — Elphas, M. Georgiana, E. Louisa, 
G. E.. X. Rose, A. Augusta, Arthur A., Louis M., Josephine Lina, 



886 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Mary, and Lucy S. M. In 1878, Mr. Seguin located in Gervais, 
Marion County, and began to deal in liquors and cigars, and follows 
that occupation at present. 

TRAIN, SAMUEL S. 

Born in Essex County, New York, in August, 1841. Came to 
Oregon, May, 1876, and settled at Harrisburg, Linn County. Estab- 
lished the Disseminator newspaper, at Harrisburg, in February, 
1882. In June, 1884, he took into partnership Joseph K. Whitney, 
a native of Marion County, Oregon, born May 1, 1860, and gradu- 
ated from the University of Oregon in 1884. They consolidated 
their paper with the Herald, of Albany, November 1, 1884, and 
removed to that town. The combined publication is termed the 
Herald-Disseminator. Mr. Train married Mary J. Ricks, in Wis- 
consin, May 26, 1866, and they had a daughter — Minnie O. — who 
died July 21, 1884, aged sixteen years. 

1877. 

BERGMAN, M. L. 

Boru in Sweden in 1843, and came to the United States in 1871. 
Went to California and spent several years, arriving in Oregon in 
1877. Is a potter by occupation, and a most expert workman. Has 
a numerous collection of medals and diplomas which have been pre- 
sented him in recognition of his skill. Is foreman of the Buena 
Vista Pottery. 

COOK, LYMAN HALL. 

Born in New York, March 23, 1830. Settled in California and 
farmed in the San Benito region, near Hollister, for some years 
with good success. Was a locomotive engineer for various rail- 
ways. Came to Oregon, settled at McMinnville and now resides 
there, conducting the Central Hotel, a far-famed hostelry, at that 
place. Married Miss Lydia Jane Reed in Branch County, Michi- 
gan. Children — Charles Hamlet, and E. Eloise. 

DENNIS, P. M. . 

Born in Ohio in 1841. At the age of twenty -one entered the 
Union Army and served four years; was with Sherman in his fa- 
mous "March to the Sea"; and at Shiloh, Vicksburg, and other 
battles. Was sergeant when the war closed. Came to Oregon and 



TTTST0KY OF IMMIGRATION. 887 

now lives in Hillsboro, Washington County; has held the office of 
deputy sheriff four years. Married Miss Julia A. Steel in 1866, and 
they have six children. 

FERRIN, WILLIAM NELSON, A.M. 

Born in Barton, Orleans County, Vermont, in October, 1854. 
Graduated from the University of Vermont in 1875, and two years 
later came to Oregon, and accepted the professorship of mathematics 
in the Pacific University at Forest Grove, which he still retains. 

GRAHAM, JAMES. 

Born in Scotland; came to the United States when one year old; 
lived with his parents — Adam and Agnes Graham — in Kentucky 
and Chicago. Coming to Salem, he worked for four years at his 
trade of wood-turner, and in 1881 bought the Salem Soda Works ? 
and now continues to carry it on. 

HARDING, S. F. 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1821. Was educated at the Genessee 
Academy in New York. Taught school and studied law in Michi- 
gan ; was admitted to the bar in Indiana in 1873. Came to Oregon, 
located at McMinnville, and now occupies his energies in the prac- 
tice of the not incompatible pursuits of the law and shoemaking. 
He is likewise notary public and justice of the peace. Mr. Hard- 
ing married Miss Abigail M. Whitman, in 1842. Children — Phcebe 
E., E. X., and Frank S. 

JANNEY, PHINEAS. 

Born in Ohio, May 4, 1824; came to Oregon in 1877; occupa- 
tion, shoemaker; present place of residence, Turner. Wife's pre- 
vious name, Mrs. M. E. Porter. They have one child, named 
Worth H. 

JOHNSTON, W. B. 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1854; at the age of eight moved to 
Illinois and lived there for fourteen years. Came to Oregon in 
1877. Was married in 1876, and has two children — William C, 
and Cora V. Is proprietor of the Johnson Livery Stable, Hills - 
boro, Washington County. 

LANNING, E. J. 

Born in North Carolina in 1842; came to the Pacific Coast in 
1867, and to Oregon in 1877. Bought an interest in the flouring 



888 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

nr.ll at Albany in 1881. The firm owing it is now known as 
Isom, Lanning <fc Co. The mill has a capacity of thirty thousand 
barrels of flour per year, and ships to all points on the Northwest 
Coast. Married Miss Virginia L. Isom in 1880, and by her has 
one child, named Lillian May. 

NEWMAN, ALEXANDER. 

Born in Virginia in 1825; resided subsequently in Kentucky, 
Missouri, Texas and California. Was married to Mary Wright in 
1851. Children — Mary E., William A., Susan A., James A., Da- 
rilla I., and Luther E. 

REDFIELD, F. M. 

Born in Vermont, September 6, 1 842. Came to the Pacific Coast 
in 1862; lived in various localities subsequently; was sub -agent at 
the Nez Perce Indian Reservation for five years; lives now at Al- 
bany and deals in groceries. Married Miss Elizabeth Farrell, in 
April, 1869. Children— Charles M., Ethel E., and Frank M. They 
have lost two — Velle M., and Elbert W. 

ROSS, GEORGE W., 

Lives at New Era, Clackamas County, and is a millwright by 
occupation; he was born in Franklin County, New York; married 
Lydia McCalley. 

SAVAGE, H. W. 

Born in England in 1842; came to America when fifteen. Mar- 
ried in 1861 to Eliza Dove. Their children are — F. A., T. R., and 
H. L. Settled in Salem in 1877, purchased seven acres of land 
which he converted into a garden for raising vegetables, etc., for 
the Salem market. His success was immediate and great. His 
sma 1 ! tract supplies a large proportion of the vegetables consumed 
in that city. 

1878. 

RUDDER, MARCH C. 

Born in Kentucky, in 1842; emigrated northward in 1856, and 
staid in Indiana and Illinois for several years. Removing to Mis- 
souri, in 1861, he entered the Confederate army as private in the 
first Missouri Cavalry regiment, and participated in the battles of 
Wilson Creek, Pea Ridge, Corinth, and the siege of Vicksburg, 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 889 

and was taken prisoner at the latter place. Was married in Illinois, 
in 1865, to Sarah E. Wiley, and they have children — Maggie E., 
Etta M., and Eugene. Mr. Rudder resides at Lafayette; occupation, 
carpenter and bridge builder. 

SMITH, D. A. 

Mr. Smith's address is Hillsboro; his occupation, miller, he being 
one of the firm of Smith Brothers, flour millers of that place. Mr. 
S. was born in New York in 1846, and came to Oregon in 1878. 
The mill owned by the firm stands by the railroad track, is called 
" Red Jacket Mill," and has a capacity of seventy-five barrels of 
flour per day. Its machinery is new, and its capacity sufficient for 
the purposes for which it was designed. Buhr stones are in use for 
grinding, and sufficient of the newly invented milling appliances 
have been introduced to enable its work to be acceptable and its 
product of the finest. 

VAN HORN, DAVID. 

Born in New York City, July 14, 1837. His ancestors were of 
the Knickerbocker stock, having come from Holland to New York 
— then New Amsterdam — and become proprietors of estates on 
Manhattan Island. The family property (now estimated to be 
worth two hundred and fifty millions of dollars), descending irreg- 
ularly, has passed from the possession of the later representatives, 
who instituted suits for its recovery, which suits from their magni- 
tude have become celebrated throughout America. The subject of 
this sketch was bred up to the manufacture of pianos, and now de- 
votes himself to the tuning of instruments. His nominal residence 
is at the Holton House, in Portland. He came to Oregon in 1878. 

WHITE, ASHLEY. 

Born in New York in 1841; moved to Pennsylvania when quite 
young; entered the Army of the Potomac and served eighteen 
months; was wounded when Burnside crossed the Rappahannock. 
Came to Oregon in 1878, and now lives in Polk County, near Oak 
Grove, and receives mail at Zena; is a farmer by occupation. Mar- 
ried Miss Caroline Pinkley in 1865, and has two children — Archie, 
and William Charles. 

WHITMER, CHARLES. 

Born in Iowa in 1858; twenty years later came to Washington 
County, Oregon, and moved from thence to Yamhill County in 1880. 



890 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

In the same year went to Klickitat County, Washington Territory, 
but returned to Yamhill County in 1881. In January, 1884, he 
was appointed postmaster at Sheridan, which position he still holds, 
and, since 1883, has had charge of a hardware and tinware store 
which he now owns. Married Miss Laura Graves, September 24, 
1882; they have one child, named Thomas Lloyd. 

1879. 

CATHER, EZRA. 

Born in Indiana in 1842; farmed in Illinois during his youth; 
fought through the Rebellion as a private in the 38th Illinois Vol- 
unteers, serving five years and doing service at Nashville, Atlanta, 
etc., and was wounded at Murfreesboro. In 1879 came to Oregon 
and located at Junction, and in 1882 at Salem, where he now lives. 
Married Susan E. Hanson, and has a son, Lawrence, by name. 

HOSLER, W. H. 

Born in Iowa, March 12, 1859, and came to California in 1869, 
with his parents, and lived there ten years. At the age of twenty 
years, he came, with his father, to Polk County, Oregon, where Ife 
learned the trade of carriage and sign painter. Besides at Inde- 
pendence. 

1880. 

BROWN, GEORGE W. 

Born in Penobscot County, Maine; came to Oregon in 1880; 
occupation, carpenter; present place of residence, Turner, Marion 
County. 

CAMPBELL, GEORGE D. 

Born in England in 1830; came to America when three years 
old. After various experiences, as whaler in the Pacific Ocean, 
soldier in the Crimean war, traveler in Mexico, etc., came to Oregon 
in 1880. Has been in the livery stable business mostly since his 
arrival. Address, Hillsboro, Washington County. 

EVEREST, ERNEST, M.D. 

Born in Indiana in 1852. Commenced the study of medicine in 
1869, and pursued his studies at the schools in Iowa and Nebraska, 
graduating in 1877. Came to Oregon in 1880, and settled in Bea- 
verton, Washington County, in 1884, where he now practices. He 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 891 

i> now pursuing a course in surgery which will be completed in 

1885. Married Miss Annie Hawkins in 1878, by whom he has two 
children — Edna and George. 

MOORE, PHILIP M. 

Present residence; McMinnville : birth-place, Illinois ; date of birth, 
1855 : came to Oregon in 1880 : is a printer by trade : has no family. 

1881. 

BARNES, FRANK P. 

Born in Indiana in 1852: emigrated to Washington Territory in 

1880, and arrived in Oregon a few months later: was clerk of the 
Ohemeketa Hotel in Salem for a time. Is now a resident of Salem. 

TALKINGTON, F. P. 

Born in Warren County. Illinois. April 25. IS 53. Went to 
California in 1 S «3 v* . and came to Oregon in 1881. Residence. Sa- 
lem. Wife's previous name. Carrie J. Schnider. They have one 
child, named Cora M. 

1882. 

BATCHELOR, JAMES. 

Born at Great Bend, Pennsylvania. May -1. 1830; was a carpen- 
ter until 1860 when he went to Illinois and farmed. Enlisted in 
1862 in the ninety- third Illinois Infantry and served through the 
war. Was at Vicksburg, and with Sherman on his "March to the 
Sea." Draws a pension for disability incurred at Altoona. Married 
Elizabeth J. Schock in 1873. They have three children — James 
F.. C. A., and William L. Postoffice address. Knight. Marion 
County. Occupation, farming. 

BRIGGS, JAMES J. 

Captain Briggs, now of Salem. Marion County, was born in 
W^tinoreland County. Pennsylvania. January 16, 1840. He 
served with credit in the Union Arniy throughout the civil war, 
participating in all the battles of the Army of the Potomac. En- 
tering the service as a private, he rose to the rank of captain and 
adjutant of hi> regiment. He received a severe wound at the 
Battle of the Wilderness. Coming to the Pacific Coast after the 
close of the war, he set foot in Portland in May. 1882, and - 
after entered into busn rhe proprietor of a large drug >toi e in 



892 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

Salem, of which he is still at the head. Captain Briggs married 
Miss Mary E. McCreery, January 16, 1865. Their children are- 
Anna V., Eichard Coulter, John McCreery, George Curry, and 
Walter Koscoe. 

LeMAHIEU, ISAAC. 

Born in the province of Zealand, Holland, September 13, 1841. 
Came to Oregon in May, 1882. Present residence, Oregon City; 
Occupation, Unitarian minister and editor of the , Courier 
newspaper. 

SHOBE, LUTHER. 

Born in Kentucky in 1838; lived in Missouri until 1858; spent 
the following years, until 1867, in various mining regions; built the 
first house erected in Virginia City, Nevada. Was married in 1867, 
to Miranda France; was a resident of Missouri again, from the last 
mentioned year until 1882, holding some civil offices and carrying 
on a traffic in general merchandise; came to Oregon in 1882; is now 
a dealer in musical instruments in McMinnville, with agencies in 
various parts of the State. 

STAPLETON, JOHN. 

Born in Connecticut in 1856; worked for the Union Metallic 
Cartridge Company for four years; went to the Lake Superior mines 
and worked two years; traveled extensively in the Eastern States 
and in Cuba; enlisted in the U. S. Regular Army in 1877, and 
attained the rank of sergeant ; served five years ; at the end of service- 
came to Oregon, in 1882, and located at Salem; became guard at 
the State's prison and holds that place still. 

ZINNE, GEORGE. 

Born in Illinois in 1844; removed to Missouri when twelve; en- 
listed in the 2nd Ohio Cavalry in 1862, and fought in most of the 
battles in the West. Married in 1865 to Miss Elizabeth Tucker, 
by whom he had Zina J., and Willis W. Mrs. Zinne died in 1879. 
He was married next to Flora E. Welch, to whom was born one 
child — W. T. Residence, Salem. 

1883. 

HOWARD, A. D., M.D. 

Born in Massachusetts; commenced the study of medicine in 
1848, and graduated at Philadelphia in 1852; during the Re- 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 893 

bellion was a surgeon in the Union Army. He came to the Pacific 
Coast in 1882; lived in California a year, then came to Oregon and 
settled in McMinnville, his present residence. Married Miss Eliza- 
beth Payne in 1850, and has one child. 

LADUE, WILLIAM N. 

Born in Troy, New York in 1838; lived in Michigan from 1847 
until 1883, then coming to Oregon. Is now vice-president and 
manager of the First National Bank, of Salem, which was first 
opened on the eleventh of June, 1883. The institution possesses a 
very fine building, one of the handsomest in Oregon. Its capital 
is $60,000. Mr. Ladue was married in 1867, and has four children 
— William B., Kate Stuart, George Franklin, and Robert Stuart. 
Mrs. Ladue is of the Stuart family, two of whose members were 
partners with John Jacob Astor in the Pacific Fur Company. 

MULTNER, F. 

Born in Baden, Germany; came to Oregon in April, 1883, and 
lived for a short period in Portland. His present place of resi- 
dence is McMinnville, and occupation, proprietor of the St. Charles 
Hotel. He was married in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1856, and has 
one child, F. "W. Multner, born in Oroville. California. 

PATTERSON, JAMES H. 

Born in Dutchess County, New York, in 1837. Married Wealthy 
J. Foster, in Michigan, in 1861. Their children are — Homer J., 
Earnest F., Elmer M., and Ora R. Mr. Patterson's address is Hills - 
boro, but he lives at the Jolly Sawmill; his occupations are milling 
and farming. 



1884. 

HYDE, CLARENCE B. 

Born in Geauga County, New York, April 4, 1856; the son of 
Jacob and Marilla Hyde; removed thence, in 1869, to Cass County, 
Missouri, and from thence to Oregon. Settled in Scio, Linn County, 
which is his present residence. 

MASTON, G. W., M.D. 

Born in Ohio, December 14, 1849; studied medicine and took 
his diploma at the Cincinnati Medical College. Served as surgeon 
in the United States Regular Arm)' for several years. Resigned 



894 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

therefrom in , and established himself in practice at Waitsburg, 

Washington Territory. Came to Oregon in 1884 and practices at 
Albany. Married Miss Nellie O. Canon, daughter of Sylvester 
Canon, of Linn County, in 1879. They have one child, named 
Vida M. 

Mcpherson, matthew s. 

Born in Washington County, Tennessee, June 13, 1826. Came 
to Oregon in 1884, and located at Lebanon, Linn County. Mr. 
McPherson's occupation is that of a carpenter. He married Catharine 
Brubaker, and their children's names are — William H., Joseph 
A., George W., and Emma. 

Unclassified. 

CHRISMAN, JOEL D. 

Born in Virginia in 1795; moved to Illinois in 1833, and eleven 
years later to Oregon. Settled in Yamhill County, and died there 
in 1875. He was a farmer. Married Polly Sprowl, in Virginia, in 
1817, and they had a large family, of whom the following are the 
survivors — Elizabeth (Mrs. B. Robinson), Gabriel, Eleander (Mrs. 
Darr), William M. C, and Campbell E. 

CHRISMAN, WILLIAM M. C. 

Born in Virginia in 1830; accompanied his parents to Missouri 
in 1833, and to Oregon in 1844. Served in the Yakima war. He 
is proprietor of a very large farm at Amity. Married Margaret 
Parrish in 1853, and they had five children, all of whom are 
deceased. 

DAVIS, SAMUEL. 

Born in New Jersey, December 13, 1804; went to Ohio when 
young and there married Mary Brocken. Her birth occurred on 
March 2, 1806. The pair removed to Missouri in 1836, and to 
Oregon in 1846. They lived a year in Washington County, mov- 
ing to Yamhill at the expiration of that time. Here Mr. Davis 
lived until his demise, which happened on the twenty -seventh of 
February, 1875. His wife's decease took place on the sixth of Jan- 
uary, 1872. Their children were — J. B., William B., Martha A. 
(died January 4, 1882), Albertis O, Levi T., Sarah (died August 
13, 1873), Elizabeth E. (died July 20, 1879), Rachel A. (died 
October 20, 1870), and May M. (died May 10, 1868). 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 895 

DINSMORE, JAMES M. 

Born in Maine in 1833; served in the 60th New York Infantry 
regiment, and was wounded in one of the battles of the Rebellion. Is 
now a member of Can by Post G. A. R., No. 13. Occupation, lum- 
bering. Family contains but one child, Isabella by name. Resi- 
dence, Cornelius, Washington County. 

GRIFFITH, ELISHA. 

Born in Pennsylvania in 1803; in 1845 came from Illinois to 
Oregon, and settled at Oregon City; moved subsequently to Linn 
County. He superintended the burning of the first kiln of brick 
ever burned in Oregon City; but subsequently was engaged at 
shoemaking. He married Elizabeth Finlay in Indiana, and their 
children were — William N., Sabra J., David, Sarah A., Nancy J., 
Mary M., John, Delila E., Elisha W., James M., and Lydia M. 
Mr. Griffith died in Linn County in 1871. 

HEWITT, HENRY. 

Born in Huntington County, Pennsylvania, in 18*22; came to 
Oregon in 1843, settling in Washington County; lives now in 
Yamhill County, and is a farmer. Was elected county commis- 
sioner in 1864. Married Miss Elizabeth Matheny in 1841. Chil- 
dren — Annie E., D. M., Henry, Adam, James, Isaac, Matthew, 
Jasper, Harry, and L. L. 

LYONS, h. w. 

Residence and address, Dallas. Born in Shelby County, Iowa, 
in 1858. Received his education in LaCreole academy, at Dallas. 
In 1883, entered the real estate business in connection with H. J. 
Ellis, under the firm name of Ellis <fc Lyons. In connection with 
the real estate office, has the agency for several fire insurance com- 
panies. 

Mcdonald, Nathaniel g. 

Born in Orange County, North Carolina, August 10, 1818; came 
overland to Oregon and in the fall of that year settled in Marion 
County and remained there three years, then moved to Linn County, 
near Scio, where he still lives. In the spring of 1848 he served in 
the Cay use war, under Colonel Gilliam. Was in all the engagements 
of the war and received a wound in the right lung at the battle of 
Well Springs and was carried one hundred and forty miles on a 



896 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

litter to Whitman's station. Married Rebecca Jane Munkers, who 
was born in Clay County, Missouri, in 1825; their children are — 
Mary P., Alex. R., Benjamin F., Eliza W., Virginia A., William 
G., Minnie V., Elizabeth J., and Robert L. 

MEADE, N. B. 

Born in New York in 1842; moved to Wisconsin and resided 
there for twenty -five years. Served in the Federal Army during the 
Rebellion, and was at Pittsburg Landing, Atlanta, and other renowed 
historical engagements; his regiment was the seventeenth Wiscon- 
sin. Was married in 1866, to Eliza Collins. Children — Van 
Rensselaer, John H., N. B., and Margaret. Residence, Hillsboro; 
occupation, farming. 

ROBINSON, BENJAMIN MORGAN. 

Born in Onondaga County, New York, in 1815. Came to Ore- 
gon in 1844, settling in Yamhill County, where he still resides, Is 
a farmer. Married Miss Elizabeth J. Chrisman in 1845. Children — 
Mary A., John M., Eliza, Araminta and Ruth. 

ROQT, LORENZO. 

Born in Ohio in 1825; at the age of twelve years went to Iowa 
with his parents, thence to Illinois, and left that State three years 
later for Oregon. On arriving on this coast they went to Astoria 
where the subject of this sketch remained several years with his 
parents on a farm. Removed thence to Yamhill County and pro- 
cured a farm in Chehalem Valley. Went to McMinnville in 1879 
and in 1882 commenced the business of grocer w T hich he yet follows. 
Mr. Root was justice of the peace in West Chehalem two years, 
and was married in 1850 to Miss Martha Vedder. 

SLOAN, JOSEPH. 

Born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, January 1, 1826. Moved 
to Columbus, Ohio, in 1850, and came to Oregon in 1851, in com- 
pany with V. Trevitt and W. Connie. Arrived in Oregon City in 
September. In 1854 he was appointed superintendent of the Ore- 
gon Penitentiary at Portland, and held that position over five years. 
He was also president of the board of penitentiary commissioners. 
He subsequently held various positions on the Portland police force, 
withdrawing in 1881. Married Lucinda F. Lich ten thaler in Au- 



HTSTOKY OF IMMIGRATION. 897 

gust, 1854. Children — Mary J. (deceased), and Xellie (Mrs. Squires). 
Mrs. Sloan died in March, 1881. 

WALLER, A. F. 

Born in Abingdon, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, May 8, 1808. 
Was brought up in the teachings of the Methodist Church, of which 
he became a member when he reached the age of twenty-one, and 
three years later he began to preach. In 1833 he wedded Miss 
Elpha White, and immediately after entered the Lima Theological 
Seminary, in order to fit himself more perfectly for his chosen call- 
ing. In 1839 he came, in the ship Lausanne, to Oregon, having 
chosen the life of a missionary. With him came his wife and their 
two children. (See page 232.) " For thirty-two years — half of his 
life — he was a faithful laborer and cheerful supporter of charitable 
and religious institutions. He helped to lay the foundation of the 
Oregon Institute, from which grew the Willamette University. He 
was the principal agent in establishing the Pacific Christian Advo- 
cate, in 1853. His good works were innumerable, and were per- 
formed in a truly Christian spirit, as all old Oregonians will testify." 
This reverend missionary died on December 26, 1872. Mrs. Waller 
survived him by nine years, dying on the thirtieth of December, 
1881. Of their children, O. A.^Yaller (a. v.) and Mrs. C. H. Hall 
reside in Salem; Mrs. C. C. Stratton in Santa Clara, California. 

WALKER, LOUIS. 

Born in New York in 1833; was educated in Madison Univer- 
sity at Hamilton, New York. He left his native State in 1856; 
lived for some time in Minnesota, then in Chicago for two years, 
and went from thence to Kansas, where he assumed the editorship 
of the Register, of Iola, Allen County. W r ent to California in 
1 875, and was postmaster of Woodland eight years, and owned a 
newspaper part of the time. Has been married twice; first to 
Miss Mary Lang, who died in 1877, and in 1879 to Miss Georgie 
Wall. Two children by each wife were born to him. Mr. Walker 
edited the Albany Herald until the beginning of 1885. 

WILLIAMS, E. C. 

Born in Ontario County, Xew York, September 24, 1818, re- 
moved to Michigan in 1830, and to Illinois in 1835. Came to Or- 
egon in 1845, settling on a donation claim in Yamhill County, 



&{)$ HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

which he still owns a portion of. Resides in Amity, having re- 
tired from the active pursuit of farming. Mr. Williams served as 
county commissioner for a term. In 1848 he married Miss Wilhel- 
mina Maly, who died in January, 1882. 

ATKINSON, REV. G. H M D.D. 

Born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, May 10, 1819, and went to 
Newbury, Vt., in 1830. Spent the years in alternate farm work 
and teaching until 1839, when he entered Dartmouth College and 
graduated therefrom in 1843, spending a portion of each year in 
teaching to defray college expenses. Spent three years in the 
Andover Theological Seminary, graduating in 1846, and then was 
appointed to missionary work by the A. B. C. F. M. to South 
Africa, or the Zulu country. Upon the urgent solicitation of the 
A. H. M. S. his destination was changed to Oregon, then the only 
United States territory on the Pacific Coast. After waiting one 
year — which was spent in Andover Seminary, and in making special 
preparations for Bible, tract and school work in Oregon — there be- 
ing no opportunity of engaging passage sooner, he left Boston on 
the bark Samoset, October 24, 1847, and reached Sandwich Islands 
in February, 1848. After waiting at Honolulu three months for a 
vessel bound for Oregon, he went in the British bark Cowlitz, a 
Hudson's Bay Company's vessel, and crossed the Columbia bar 
June 12, 1848. He settled in Oregon City and remained there 
fifteen years as pastor of the Congregational Church. During 
this time he secured the erection of its house of worship, and also 
the Clackamas Female Seminary, and provided its first corps of 
teachers. He also brought the plan of the academy and college at 
Forest Grove, and arranged for its establishment there through the 
Association of Congregational churches, which had been formed 
with reference to that work. This institution was incorporated by the 
iirst Oregon Legislature in 1849, and in 1852 Mr. A., returned to 
New York and secured its adoption by the American College and 
Educational Society, thus obtaining its iirst funds to defray ex- 
penses of teaching. Mr. A. brought $2,000 worth of public school 
books to this Territory, and procured the establishment of a public 
school system by the Legislature of 1849, Governor Lane strongly 
recommending the same in his first message. He was the first 
school superintendent of Clackamas County, and held the same po- 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 899 

sition in Multnomah County two terms, after taking up his resi- 
dence in Portland in 1863, rendering efficient service in building up 
the excellent system of public schools which now prevails in that 
city. At this time he became pastor of the First Congregational 
Church, of Portland, and so continued nine years. In 1872 he 
was employed as Home Missionary by the Am. H. S., and in 
1880, became Superintendent of the Home Missions of the Con- 
gregational Churches for Oregon and Washington Territory. In 
18-46 he was married to Miss Nancy Bates in Springfield, Vt., 
by whom he has had six children — Sophia B. (deceased), Dr. Geo. 
H., a physician and surgeon of Brooklyn. X. Y. ( died December '27, 
1884), Anna Sophia B. (Mrs. Frank M. Warren), Edward M., 
now a lawyer in Xew York City, Sarah Frances (deceased), and 
Charles William (deceased). He has contributed much useful mat- 
ter to the press descriptive of Oregon and its resources, and during 
his frequent trips East has delivered many lectures upon the same 
subject. 

DOANE, REV. NEHEMIAH, D.D. 

Born in Eastham, Mass.. January 22, 1820; he was licensed to 
preach in 1845. He was sent out from the Theological Seminary 
at Concord, Xew Hampshire, as a foreign missionary in 1849. 
beinor the first ever sent to a foreign mission from any of the Meth- 
odist theological schools, and was placed in charge of the Oregon 
Institute, now the Willamette University, and afterwards of 
Portland Academy. He has served many terms as presiding 
elder, and was a delegate to the General Conference held in Bal- 
timore in 1876. He has written several theological works, and is 
now pastor of Salem circuit. 

EATON, CHARLES. 

Born near Erie Pennsylvania, in 1819. Came to Oregon in 
1843, and settled at Oregon City, where he was employed by J. 
W. Xesniith for a time. Went to California in 1849, and engaged 
in mining with his brother Xathan. In 1880 went to Pu^et Sound 
and settled on Tenalquot Prairie. During the Indian >var of 
1855-56 -he was in active service as captain of a company of rang- 
era who helped greatly in protecting the frontier. Afterwards he 
became a prominent stock -raiser in Eastern Washington, and died 
in 187". 



900 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

EATON, NATHAN. 

Was born near Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1824. Came to Oregon 
in Nesmith's company in 1843, and settled near LaFayette, Yam- 
hill County. Was in the Cayuse war in 1847. Went to Cali- 
fornia in 1849 to dig gold. Returned in 1850, and removed to 
what was afterwards known as Thurston County, Washington 
Territory, that year, and located on a farm twelve miles from Olym- 
pia. Here he lived until 1882, when he sold out and removed 
to Elma, Chehalis County, W. T., where he engaged in farming 
and merchandising. He died in 1883, leaving a wife — formerly 
Miss Lestina Z. Himes — by whom he had four children — Lestina, 
Hugh, Mary, and John. Mr. Eaton rendered efficient service to 
the country during the Indian war of 1855-56. 

HINES, Rev. GUSTAVUS. 

Born in Herkimer County, New York, in 1809; entered the 
itinerant ministry in 1832 in the Genessee Conference; remained 
there until 1839, when he was appointed missionary to Oregon, 
and arrived here in 1840; he was an active participant in the for- 
mation of the provisional government. In 1845 he returned to 
New York, from whence he returned to Oregon in 1853. He 
represented the Conference of this State in the General Conference 
in 1868. He died in 1871 at Oregon City aged sixty -four. He 
was the author of two works relating to Oregon. 

HINES, H. K., D.D. 

Born in Herkimer County, New York, 1828, and was reared 
upon a farm and educated in the country schools. At the age 
of nineteen he was made a licensed preacher in the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, having already served as a public exhorter for 
three years. At twenty he began his itinerant ministry in the 
Genessee Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1852 
he was transferred to the Oregon Conference, and at the first session 
of that body was appointed to the city of Portland. He crossed 
the plains with an ox-team, driving his own oxen, in the summer 
of 1853, reaching Portland on October 3, and occupying the pulp't 
of old Taylor Street Church on the following Sunday. In 1856 
he organized the first society of his Church at The Dalles, and in 
1859 was made presiding elder of the Salem district. In 1865 



HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION. 901 

he was presiding elder of the Puget Sound district; and in 1869 of 
the Wall a Walla district, which then included all Eastern Oregon, 
Eastern Washington and a part of Idaho. He was presiding elder 
of the La Grande and Boise district from 1875 to 1879, during 
which time he founded and built the Blue Mountain University at 
La Grande. In 1880 he Avas elected editor of the Pacific Christian 
Advocate, which place he has filled to the present time. In 188*2 
Mr. Hines received the degree of D. D. He has occupied several 
public positions; served two years as a member and president of 
the upper house of the Washington Territory Legislature; and one 
year as chaplain of the House of Representatives. He was for four 
years representative of the Twelfth General Conference district of 
his Church, including all the Pacific Coast, Utah, Montana, Wyo- 
ming, Colorado and Nebraska in the General Missionary and 
Church Extensions Committees of the Church ; one of the most im- 
portant representative positions in that bod)-. 

HIGHFIELD. WILLIAM F. 

Born in London, England, December 16, 1818; came to Oregon 
in 1849; occupation, jeweler. Present residence, Oregon City. 

RIGGS, DANIEL L. 

Was born in Baskingridge, N. J., in 1815. Learned the car- 
riage blacksmith trade in Newark. Married Sarah W. Edwards 
in 1836. Removed to Xew Haven, Connecticut, in 1837, and in 
1838 to East Haven, where seven children were born to them — all 
but Theodore L. and Anna F. (Mrs. Geo. LI. Himes) being de- 
ceased. In April, 1853, Mr. Biggs came by steamer to Oregon, 
and built the first steam flouring mill in the Willamette Valley, 
if not in the State. Returned to Connecticut in 1855, and came 
back to Oregon in L858, bringing his family and settling at Eola, 
where he conducted a small machine shop until 1866, when he re- 
moved to Salem, where he lived until his death in 1883, carrying 
on the same branch of business. Mr. Riggs was an ingenious man, 
patenting several inventions, the most notable being that of a pro- 

- of mending broken bells so as to retain their original tone. In 
1876 he made a trip to Philadelphia with a view of mending the 
old Liberty bell, being inspired by the patriotic desire of hearing it 
peal forth once more. He had the support of Gen. Hawley and 



902 HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 

other influential men, but the city authorities, who had the custody 
of the bell, claimed that it had fulfilled its mission, and hence 
would not permit the repair to be made. 

ROBERTS, WILLIAM, L.L.D. 

Born in Burlington, New Jersey, in 1812; was admitted into 
the Philadelphia Conference of the Methodist Church in 1834. In 
1846 he was selected by the Board of Bishops as superintendent 
of the Oregon mission, and sailed from New York with instruc- 
tions from the Missionary Board to explore California. He stopped 
six weeks in that country and organized the first church in San 
Francisco, visiting San Jose, Monterey and other places, and 
reached Oregon in Jane, 1847, taking the place of Bev. George 
Gary as superintendent of the mission work on the Pacific Coast. 
In 1849, by direction of Bishop Waugh, he organized the Oregon 
and California Mission Conference, which was under his superin- 
tendency'four years, when the Oregon Conference was organized. 
In 1856 he was delegate to the General Conference at Indianapolis. 
For the next three years he was agent of the American Bible 
Society for Oregon and Washington Territory, after which he was 
stationed in Portland, and served as presiding elder of Portland 
district. He is still in the active ministry, and is stationed at 
Astoria, Oregon. 



GENERAL INDEX. 



A. 

Abernethy. George, 232, 250, 251, 252, 253, 286, 303, 
32>. 60S. 

Abdill, G. B.. 880. 

Aborigines of the Willamette Valley. 478, 401. 

Adams, E. M., 

Adkins, E.S.,795. 

Adventure, sloop, 121, 122. 

Airee, B. C. 700. 

Agriculture, the rirst beginnings of, 228: consid- 
ered iu general.. 518 to 500. 

Aguilar, .Martin de. discovers Cape Blanco, 40. 

Aiken. A. G., 705. 

Alarcon, Ferdinand de. 25. 

Alava, Gen. Jose M. de, Spanish Comm.. 12s. 129. 

Albany, railway celebration at, 494. 

Albatross. American ship. 145, 146. 

Albright, C, 750. 

Alcorn's Company, deeds of. 4<>1, 402. 

Alden, Capt. 6. R_ V. S. A., 339, 3.53, 3.54, .;.-,»;, 357. 

Alderman, A. I.., B51, 652. 

Alderman. <>.. 663. 

Allen, J. C, 70S. 709. 

Allen. N. EL., 881. 

Allingham, D. W., 751. 

American Hoard of Commissioners for Foreign 
Missions 208, 210, 204, 265, 3(»5. 

American explorations of the Northwest Coast, 

100, 101, 114. 

American Pur < lompany, inn. 202, 206, 212. 

American traders on the Northwest Coast, 117, 
et seq. 

American society for the settlement of Oregon 
Territory, the, 223. 224. 225. 

Andrews. David, 854. 

Angell, Martin, killed by Indians. 402. 

Anian, straits of. 2 

Ankeny Farm, the, 576. 

Antiquities of the valley, is,. 

Apperson. .1. T., 663; 664. 

Applegate Creek, siege of the cabins upon, 402, 
403. 

Applegate, Charles, 275, oil. 

Applegat. ? Jesse, 275. _'s7. 298, 299, 338, )'»2. .ill. 

Applegate, Lindsay, 275, (ill, 612. 

Applegate Route, set Southern Route, 

Apples, 566, 567. 

Aramazu, Spanish exploring vessel, 117. 

Argonaut, English ship, L05, 106, 107, 109, 111. 

Armstrong, William, S66. 

Arteaga, [gnacio, explorations of, 91. 

Arthur. David, 275, on-. 

Ashburton, Lord. English Ambassador, 264. 

Ashburton-Webster treaty, 270. 

Ashland, railway reaches, 503. 

Ashley, Gen. W.'lL. 191, 193. 

Astoria founded, and derivation of name, 15'.. 
156, 15, : custom house established at, 

Astoria and Willamette Valley Railroad Com- 
pany, incorporation of. }0.;. 

Astor, John Jacob, 164, 166, h>7. 

Atkinson, Lev. Geo. Ii 

Augur, Captain < '. C., U. 8. A.. 108. 

A revill. H. J. C.,751. 

I J. 

Babcock. Dr. J. L., 282, 213, 21 J, 261, 281. 
Baber, G. H.,631. 
Backenstos, E. D., 700. 



Bacon, J. M., 631. 

Bagley, O., 838. 

Bailey, Caroline E., 631. 

Bailey, H., murder of, 377. 

Bailey, Joseph, 877, S78. 
i Bailey, Captain Joseph, 399. 

Bailev. Dr. W. J., 220, 243, 244. 281, 280, 304. 
| Baker, A. B., 881. 
: Baker, Andrew J., 275, 012. 
i Baker, L. 51., 874. 
I Baker, John G., 275, 012, 613. 

Baker, John W., 796. 
■ Baker, Senator E. D., 202. 
: Baldra. William, 599. 
! Ballard, D. W., 751. 

Ball, Isaac 002. 

Barger, s. P., 847. 

Barley, 55s, 559; production of. in 1880, 550. 

Barlow. John L., 631. 

Barnes, F. P., 891. 

Barnum, E. M.. 351. 

Barrett, N. W., 832. 

Barrett, Richard A., 700. 

Basalt, 536, 537, 538. 

Batchelor, .lames, 891. 

Bales. .lame- M... .504. 595. 

Bauer. A.. 692. 

Baughman. J. H., 700. 

Bay icy. J. L.. 832. 

Bean, J.W.,841, 

Bean, L. S., 827. 

Bear, the, 516. 

Beaver, American ship, arrives at Astoria, I6t). 

Beaver money, 330, 331. 

Bedwell. E., 664. 

Beers, Alanson, missionary. 21b, 251. 

Beet Sugar, 571. 

Beets, 50!. 

Behring's discoveries. .VT to 59. 

Bell, G. G.,727. 

Bellinger, J. H., 004. 

Belt, A. M., 700. 

Belt, B. F., 751. 

Belt, George \\\. 827. 

Bennett, Captain, Ids, 413, 114; killed. 41S. 120. 

Bennett, Levi. 892, 003. 

Bent ley, L., 866,867. 

Benton, Thomas H.. services of, to Oregon, 245, 
246, 319, 320, 321. 322, 32-5, 32o. See frontispiece. 

•• Ben Wrighl Massacre," the, 439. 

Benyowsky, < iounl M. de. escapes from Siberia, 

01. 
Ber-man, M. L.. 886. 
Berries. 570. 
Berry. Joseph F., 796. 
Berry. S. J., 751. 
Besser, L., 7.52. 
Bettman, l... 867. 
Bevens, J. s.. 827. 
Sevens, T. I >.. 827. 
Bevens, W. P., 827. 
Bewley, T. R., 004. 
Biddle, Captain J., 105, 107. 
Big Meadows, battle of, 443, 414. 
Bill, Congressional, establishing territorial gOY- 

vernment in Oregon, 324, 327. 
Bills, Cincinnati, 798. 
Bilyeu, A. J., 752. 
Bilyeu, J. A., 752. 
Bilyeu, Peter, 752. 



11 



HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 



Bilyeu, William, 752. 

Bilyeu, W. R„ 848. 

Bingham, G. G., 871, 872. 

Bingman, J. K., 727. 

Bird, John, 664, 665. 

Black, survivor of the Umpqua Massacre, 198. 

Black, Captain, R. N., 163. 

Blain, Jay W., 796, 797. 

Blain, L E., 693. 

Blain, Wilson, 328, 333, 693. 

Blaine, James G., views upon the Oregon Ques- 
tion, 291-297. 

Blakeley, James, 652. 

Blanchard, J. P., 728. 

Blanchet, A. M. A., missionary, 305, 306, 307. 

Blanchet, Francois N., missionary, 74, 217, 243, 
244, 281, 305. 

Blossom, English man-of-war, 167. 

Bodega y Quadra, Lieutenant, explores the 
Tsorthwest Coast, 79, 80, 82, 107, 124, 125, 128. 

Bohemia mining district. 531). 

Boise, R. P., 350, 351, 728. 

Bolan, A. J., Indian agent, murder of, 386, 3S7. 

Bonham, B. F., 797. 

Bonneville, Captain B. L. E., 202-204. 

Bonney, Jairus, 652. 

Boon, H. D., 632. 

Boon, John D., 351, 632. 

Boothby, R. R., 700. 

Booth, Robert, 752, 753. 

Bounds, J., 652. 

Bowlby, Wilscn,753. 

Boyle, J. W., 632. 

Branson, B. B., 693. 

Branson, E. T., 728. 

Bridgefarrner, B., 665. 

Briedwell, George W., 83S. 

Briedwell, J. W., 709, 710. 

Briedwell, John W., 753. 

Briggs, J. J., 891, 892. 

Briggs, W. W., 797. 

Brink, Thomas, 878. 

Bristow, W. W., 693. 

Broadwell, J. C, 710. 

Brock, Mrs. Eunice, 652. 

Bronson, L., 865. 

Broughton, Lieutenant, second in command to 
Vancouver, 118, 126. 

Broughton, W., 753. 

Brouillet, Father J. B., priest, 308, 310, 311. 

Brown, A. C, 665, 666. 

Brown, E. M., 838. 

Brown, G. M., ,54. 

Brown, George, 665. 

Brown, George W., 890. 

Brown, J. H., 710. 

Brown, J. Henry, 283. 

Brown, Orus, 275, 613. 

Brown, Samuel, 710. 

Brown, W. C, 666. 

Brownsville Woolen Mill, 579, 5S0. 

Bruce, Major James, 396, 398, 399, 400, 403, 433, 434, 
437. 438, 442. 

Brush, J., 666. 

Brush lands, 519-522. 

Buccaneers, sketch of, 27, 28. Attack the Span- 
iards, 53, 54. 

Buchanan, Lieutenant-Colonel IT. S. A., 440, 441. 
442, 443, 444, 445. 

Buchtel, Joseph, 754. 

Buckingham, A. L., 835. 

Buck, W. W., 632. 

Buffum, W. G., 632. 

Bulletin newspaper, the, 502. 

Bump, W., 844. 

Burbank, A. R., 797. 

Burch, Benjamin F., 298, 313, 350. 633. 

Burial mounds, 487, 488. 

Burkhart, C. G., 832.' 

Burkhart, C. P., 728. 729. 

BurKhart, J. H., 729. 

Burnell. C. B.. 797, 798. 

Burnett, G. W., 652, 653. 

Burnett, Peter H., 273, 304, 328. 

Burns, D. N., 694. 

Burns, Hugh, magistrate, 257. 

Burns, John, 694. 

Burns, W. E., 694. 

Burrows, Lieutenant, killed, 417, 420. 

Burrows, Thomas, 854. 



Burton, J. J., 633. 

Bush, Asahel, 335, 351, 391, 710, 711. 

Butler, George W, 666. 

Butler, Isaac, 633. 

Butler, Ira F. M., 798. 

Butler, I. M., 711. 

Butler, J. B. V., 700. 

Butler, J. J., 711. 

Butler, N. L., 700. 

Butler, Sandford, 798. 

Butt, John, 633. 

Buxton, Henry, 606, 607. 

Byars, W. H, 798. 799. 



C. 



Caamano, Lieutenant J., explorations of, 117. 

Cabrillo, Juan Rodriguez, voyages of, 25, 26, 

Calapooia Indians, the, 480. 

Calbreath, J. F., M.D., 597. 

Caldwell, William, 754. 

California, discovery of, 24-26. 

California, Lower, colony planted in, 54. 

Campbell, George D., 890. 

Campbell, G. S„ 754. 

Campbell, Hector, 701. 

Campbell, H., 251. 

Campbell, James G., 799. 

Campbell, J. M., 799. 

Campbell, W. C, 754. 

Campbell, W. G., 799. 

Canon, W. R., 729. 

Canyon, the Umpqua, its difficulty, 299, 303. 

Cape Disappointment, seen by Vancouver, 119. 

Cape Flattery, discovered by Cook, 86. 

Cape Orford, named by Vancouver, 119. 

Capital of Oregon, location of 345, 346, 347, 348, 
349. 

Caples, L., 701. 

Caples, J. W., 711, 712. 

Carey, John, 667. 

Carlin, J., 653. 

Carmichael, — , 230. 

Carmon, Waters, 712. 

Carpenter, W. R., 712. 

Carpenter, Dr., 582. 

Carriere, Michael, 159. 

Carrots, 563. 

Carr, Sumner, 845. 

Carson, J. C, 729. 

Carter, W. D., 712. 

Cartwright, Theodore, 799. 

Carver, Captain Jonathan, travels of, 72-74. 

Cary, Cyrene B., 2,5, 614, 615. 

Cascades, Indians besiege the, 448-453. 

Cascade Mountains, the, 514, 515, 516, 517. 

Case, William M., 283, 621, 622. 

Casey, Colonel, U. S. A., 339, 426, 456. 

Cason, Adoniram J., 615. 

Cason, Fendal C, 275, 615. 

Cason, F. G, or James, 280. 

Casto, Joseph, 881. 

Caswell, murder of, by Indians, 116. 

Cather, Ezra, 890. 

Catholic Missionaries in Oregon, 74. 217-221, 232, 
255; stations of, 280, 281; progress of s., 305, 
306; aggravating behavior of m., 307, 308; 
their connection with the Whitman mas- 
sacre, 310, 311; influence over Flathead In- 
dians, 382; they labor to avert war, 470. 

Catron, Jonathan, 754. 

Cattle, 573-577; introduction of, 301, 573; im- 
provement of breeds, 574, 575 ; present status 
of stock-raising, 575 ; dairying, 575, 576; beef 
raising, 576; total number of cattle in 1880 
and 1883, 577. 

Caufield, R., 666. 

Cavallo, Juan, 98. 

Cave, Rev. James, 283, 615. 

Cave, Riley, 275, 615. 

Cavendish, Thomas, adventures of, 32. 

Cayuse Indians, the, 213, 259; attitude towards 
missionaries, 306; their murder of Whit- 
man, 309-311; war against, 312-317; hosta- 
ges of, executed at Oregon City, 335; treaty 
with, 381. 

Cayuse War, the, 312-317 ; organization of troops, 
313; fight at Well Springs, 314, 315 ; retreat to 
the Touchet, 316. 

Chadwick, S. F., 350, 730. 



GENERAL INDEX. 



Ill 



Chambers, Roland, 633, 634. 

Chambers, W. N., 730. 

Chatnpoeg, political meetings at— first, 242; sec- 
ond, 253; third. 

Chandler, Mrs. N., 730. 

Chapman, M. N., tit>7. 

Chapman, W. W.. 833, 399, 484, 436, 437, 488. 192, 
667, 668. 

Chapman, W., 667. 

Chapman, Wm.. 668. 

Charlton, A. D., N. P. R. R. Co., 511. 

Charlton, J. K., 862. 

Charman, Frederick, S35, 836. 

Charman, Thomas, 800. 

Charman, T. L., 843. 

Chenamus. brig, 603. 

Chenoweth, F. A.,701. 

Cherry, J. G., 838, 839. 

Chinese, the, 521. 

Chinn. Major M. A., 406, 407, 411, 412, U3. 

Chinook, name of Indian family, 482. 

Chisham. J. M., 712. 

Chrisman, J D.. 894. 

Chrisman, W. M. C., 894. 

( 'lackamas Indians, the. 479. 

Clark. General, U. s. A.. 473. 

Clark. J. C, B67. 

Clark. J. S., Sr.. 878. 

Clark. Stephen, 800. 

Clark T. Y\\, 854. 

Clarke, Emeline, 603. 

Clarke, Rev. Harvey, missionary, 232, 603. 

Clarke, John, 161, 162. 

Clarke, J. T., 755. 

Clarke, S. A., 713. 

Clarke. Captain Wm., 134. 

Clarke's Fork, 136. 

Clearwater River, Lewis and Clarke reach the, 
136, 137. 

Clerke. Captain Charles. 84. 89. 

Cloueh, A. M., 883. 

Clow, W. C, 884. 

Coast Range, the, description of, 516. 

Coast Reservation, Oregon Indians removed to. 
440. 

Cochran, Wm., 668. 

Cockstock, Indian chief. 279. 280. 

Coffey, James, 832, 833. 

Coffin, Stephen, 668, 669. 

Cole, Chauncey, 755. 

Coleman, D. C, 730. 

Coleman, James, 669. 

Collard, E. B., 669. 

Collier, Professor G. H., 524, 811. 

Collins, F. M.. 653. 

Collins, George, 863. 

Collins, J. L., 653, 654. 

Collins, J. X., 881. 

Collins, Smith, 654. 

Collins, W. W.. 654. 

Colnett, Captain, 105-108. 

Columbia Rediviva, ship, 100, 101, 103. 109, 116, 117. 
121, 122. 

Columbia River, intimations of its existence, 
63 , 68 : narrowly missed by Heceta, 80; 
by Vancouver, 119; discovered by Gray, 122. 

Columbia River Fishing and Trading Com- 
pany, 204. 

Colville, gold mines of, discovered. 382. 

Comcomly, Indian chief, 163, 164. 

Com ley, J. B., 833. 

condit. C, 

Condit, Ph.. 

Condit, 8.. 731. 

Cone, G. A., 731. 

Congle, J. B., BOO. 

Congress, its attitude towards Oregon, 224,211; 
fail- to pass essential laws, 318; delav of, 383. 

couklin, Charles, 669. 

connaway, W. P.. 881, 

Conner, Nathan. 670. 

Conners, R. By 836. 

Connett, I., W. L., and J., 755. 

Connor, J.. 

Conovcr, R. B., 874, 875. 

Conser, Jacob, 333. 

Constitution, State, 3-44, 845. 

Constitutional convention proposed, 344. 845. 
346, 349; meets at Salem, 350, 351. 

Constitutional election of 1855, 287. 



Cook, Captain, 62, 82, 84-89; killed in Hawaii, 

89 
Cook,' L. H., 886. 
Cook, J. W., 755. 
Cook, S. M., 755. 
Cooley, B. F., 718. 
Cooley, E. C, 634. 
Cooley, George C, 800. 
Coombs. Nathan, 249, 250. 
Cooper, E. W., 850, 851. 
Cooper, G. W., 884. 
Cooper, J. R., r56. 
Cooper, J. S., 854, 855. 
Corey, G. R., 756. 
Corker, D. I., 851. 
* lornelius, Jesse, 634. 
Cornelius, O. H. P., 701. 
Cornelius, Thomas R,, 407, 408, 413, 427,430,481, 

432, 447, 034, 635. 
Cornoyer, Captain, 411, 418, 114; elected major, 

427, 429. 
Cornwall, Rev. J. A. ('., (500. 601. 
Coronado, F. V. de. travels of, 25. 
Cortereal, Gaspar de, voyage of, 22-24. 
Corvallis, becomes capital of Oregon, 845, 894. 
( 'orwin, Thomas, great speech upon the pa-^a-jr 

of the Oregon bill, 325, 320. 
Cosgrove, H., 670. 
Coshow, O.P.,731. 
Cosper, David, 756. 
Cosper, Romeno, 845. 
Couch, John H., 328, 603, 604. 
Cougar, the, 517. 
Cow Creek, war on, 394. 
Cowls, J. W., 756, 757. 
Cox, A. M., 757. 
Cox, E., 757. 
Cox, Joseph, 350. 
Cozine, Samuel, 275, 615, 616. 
Crabtree, John J., 635. 
Craig, Col. William, trapper, 80s. 
Cranston, S. B., 781_. 
Crawford, G. F., ,57. 
Crawford, J. W., 862. 

Crawford, Medorem, 248, 249, 250, 808. 607, 608, 609. 
Crawford, R. H.. 758. 
Crawford, T. H., 758. 
Creameries, practicable in Oregon, 576. 
Croasman, A. B., 855. 

Crooks, Ramsey, in Hunt's party, 157, 158, 101. 
Cross, L. D., 758. 

Crow r ley, Solomon, 758. • 

Curry county, Indian war in, 438-442. 
Curry, George L., 304, 344, 345. 363, 388, 389, 390, 891. 

394, 405, 411, 427, 431, 432, 456, 6-54. 
Curtis, J., 758, 759. 
Cusick, Solomon, 801. 
Cusick, W. A., 801. 
Cyrus, Henry, 694. 
Cyrus, William, 670. 

D. 

Daedalus, English store-ship, 124, 12ti. 

Daniel, R. R., 875. 

D' Arcy, P. 1 1 

Dart, Anson, 338. 

Davenport, T. W., 782. 

Davidson, A., 654. 

Davidson, C. F., 759. 

Davidson, Elijah, ,18. 

Davidson, E. B., 713, 714. 

Davidson, H., 759. 

Davidson, I. G.. ,1 1. 

Davidson, I. X., ,59. 

Davidson, J. K., 670, 671. 

Davidson, J. ()., 671. 

Davidson, W. M., 759. 

Davies, Horace G., 801. 

Davies, Miles, 801. 

Davis, A. C, 654. 

Davis, E. E., 759. 

Davis, George, 731. 

Davis, George W.,872. 

Davis, H. A., 760. 

Davis, Jefferson, 732. 

Davis, Captain John, explorations of, 52. 

Davis, Governor John W. f 344, 345. 

Davis, J. W.,711. 

Davis, Joseph, 655. 

Davis, Levi T., 655. 



IV 



HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 



Davis, Mrs. Nancy, 635. 

Davis, N., 855. 

Davis, Samuel, 655, 894. 

Dawson, William, 655. 

Day, I. T., 581. 

Day, John, 157, 160. 

Day, Lieutenant, 388. 

Deady, Matthew P., 344, 350, 351, 358, 359, 701, 702. 

Dearborn, R. H., 802. 

Deardorff, A. G., 828. 

Deardorff, C, 714. 

Deckard, Anderson, 802. 

Deer, the, 516. 

DeLashmutt, J. K., 760. 

De Letts, J., 802. 

Demers, Rev. Modest, 217, 259. 

Dempsey, 1. 1., 848. 

Dennis, P. M., 886, 887. 

Denny, A. H., 732. 

Denny, O. N., 760. 

Denny, Robert, 702, 703. 

Desertion of United States troops from Oregon 
City, etc., 334. 

Deskins, D., 655. 

De Smet, Father P. J., missionary, 232, 305. 

Dice, E. C, 656. 

Dickey, I. C, 802, 803. . 

Dickinson, O., 803. 

Dierdorff, William, 828. 

Dinsmore, J. M., 895. 

Discovery and Chatham, British ships, 118, 124, 126. 

Districts, Oregon divided into, 281, 286. 

Dixon, Jesse, 732. 

Doane, Rev. N., 899. 

Dodson, McMinn, 803. 

Donation Law proposed, 246, 261. 

Donner Party, the, 298. 

Dorion, Pierre, 157. 

Dorris, J. J., 671. 

Dorsey, G., 769. 

Douglas, Jas., Hudson's Bay Co. Factor, 311, 312. 

Douglas fir, the, 524, 525. 

Douglas, Levi, 714, 715. 

Douglas, Stephen A., senator, 322. 

Douglas, Captain William, 98, 101, 103. 

Douty, Sylvester, 884. 

Dove, Bethuel, 635. 

Downing, Susan, missionary* 216. 

Dowell, B. F., 732, 733. 

Drain, Charles, 760 761. 

Drake, B. F., 733. 

Draksj, Sir Francis, 28; Hakluyt's account of, 
29; story of the pilot Moi'era, 30; did not dis- 
cover San Francisco Bay, 30; names the 
country "New Albion," 31; returns to Eng- 
land, 32. 

Drummond, Sir W., 213. 

Dryer, T. J., 335, 350, 363, 391, 715. 

Du Gas, E., 885. 

Dunn, John, author, 235, 245. 

Durham, D. O., 7(>J. 

Durham, G. II., 671. 



Earhart, R. P., 583, 833. 

Earnest, W. B., 761. 

East India Company, engages in the fur trade, 

96, 97. 
Eaton, Chas., 275, 899. 
Eaton, Nathan, 275, 900. 
Ebberts, George W., 232, 257, F>91. 
Eccleston, E., 761. 
Eccleston, H., 761, 762. 
Edinburq Review, opinions of, 235. 
Edwards, J., 733. 
Edwards, P. L., 208, 217, 230, 337. 
Eel Is, Reverend Cushing, 214, 265. 
Eight-Dollar Mountain, battle of, 435, 436. 
Eilers, G. H., 762. 
Election of 1844, 281. 282 (table) ; of 1845, 285, 286 ; 

of 1846, 300; of 1847, 303, 304; of 1849, 333; ol 

1850, 335 ; of 1858, 351. 
Elisa, Lieut. Francisco, voyages of, 114 to 117. 
Elkins, J. E., 635. 
Elkins, W. S., 762. 
Elliott, S. G., proposes a railway to California, 

492, 493. 
Elliott, W., 656. 
Ellis, M. M., 858. 
Ellis, Nez Perce chief, 258. 



Embree, C. D., 284, 622. 

Emerick, Solomon, 275, 616. 

Emmons, Lieutenant, U. S. N., 244. 

England, William, 762. 

English explorations of the Northwest Coast, 83, 

et seq. 
Ennis, A. ,733. 
Ennis, J. E., 763. 
Enos, renegade Indian, kills Ben Wright, 439, 

446. 
Epperly, George A., 844. 

Erb, Ira, 867. n : 

Ermatinger, Francis, H. B. Co. Factor, 246, 247. 
Evans' Creek, battle of, 356. 
Evans, J. G., 855. 
Everest, E., 890, 891. 
Ewing, F. Y., 217. 

F. 
Failing, J osiah, 733, 734. 
Farms, average size of, at various dates, 585 ; 

number of, 585. 
Faulconer, A. B., 656. 
Fawk, J., 734. 
Feller, Peter, 803. 

Felice Adventurer, ship, 98, 101, 105. 
Fenton, F. W., 858. 
Fenton, W. D., 858, 859. 
Ferguson, H. J., 884. 
Ferguson, J. L., 763. 
Ferrelo, Bartolome, successor of Cabrillo, 25, 26; 

discovers Oregon, 26. 
Ferrin, W. N., 887. 
Fickle, Abner, 803. 

Fidalgo, Salvador, explorations of, 118, 155. 
Fields and Cunningham, murder of, 370. 
Fields, A., 703. 
Fields, Hugh, 636. 
Fields, Thomas R., 763. 
Filipino, Spanish ship. See San Carlos. 
Financial history of Indian wars, 475, 476, 477. 
Finlayson, J. J., 763. 
Fishback, J. L., 864. 
Fisher, C. G., 859. 
Fitzgerald, J. J., 763. 
Fitzgerald, Major, U. S. A, 376, 399. 
Five Crows, Cayuse chief, 259, 308, 315. 
Flannery, Mrs. T. L., 803. 
Flathead Indians, romance of, 208. Treaty with , 

382. 
Flax, 560, 561; production of, in 1880, 561. 
Flickinger, H., 734. 
Flinn, M. A., 855, 856. 
Flood of 1852-53, 341, 342. 
Florida Purchase, 165. 
Flour, quality of, 541). 

Fonte, Admiral B. de, romance of, 42-44, 82. 
Foote, Senator, demagoguery of, 326, 327. 
Forbes, J. Alexander, 201. 
Ford, Nathaniel, 2*3, 284, 333, 622. 
Ford, Robert, 804. 
Forests of the Willamette Valley, 517, 518, 523- 

528 ; list of forest trees, 524. 
Forest fires, destruction wrought by, 526, 527, 528. 
Fort Boise, built by Hudson's Bay Co., 205. 
Fort Chipewyan, 131. 
Fort Clatsop, 138. 

Fort Defiance, built at Clayoquot, 116, 121. 
Fort George, 163 et seq. 
Fort Hall built by Wyeth, 205, 274. 
Fort Henrietta, 411. 

Fort Henry, on Snake R., established, 157, 191. 
FortUmpqua, established by Laframboise, 201. 
Fort Walla Walla abandoned, 409. 
Fort Williams on Sauvie's Island, 205. 
Fossils, 535. 
Foster, Philip, 281. 
Fouts, William, 715. 
Frazar, Thomas, 734. 
Fredericks, J. M., 672. 
PYemont, John O, enters Oregon, 277, 278. 
French and Indian war, results of, 71, 72. 
French explorations of the Northwest Coast, 93. 
French Prairie settled, 228 -230, 234, 249. 
Frink, W. S., 865. 
Frizzell, J. P., 763, 764. 
Frost, Rev. J. H., missionary, 232. 
Fruit and fruit-raising, 564-570; production in 

1880, 571. 
Fuca, Straits of, 99. 



GENERAL INDEX. 



Fulkerson, J. W„ 872. 
Fulkerson, W. H., 672. 
Funter, Captain Robert, 103. 
Fur-bearing animals. 517. 

Far trade, the, 55, oG, 63, 89, 90, 93-96, 132, 14(5, 186- 
194. 

G. 

Gaines, A. P., 715. 

Gaines, Governor J. P., 334, 335, 338, 342, 346, 362. 

Gale, Joseph, of the Executive Committee, 256. 

Galena. 539. 

Galice Creek, 394: battle with the Indians at, 395. 

Galiano and Valdez, explorations of, 118, 123. 

Galloway, Charles, 764. 

Galloway, William, 764. 

Game. 516, 517. 

Garrison, J. M., 657. 

Gary, Rev. George, missionary, 280. 

Gaston, Joseph, 848. 

Gay, George, 250, 595, 596. 

Gearin, J. M., 731. 

Geary, E. R., 735. 

Geer, F. W., 657. 

Geer, J. C, Sr., 672, 673. 

Geer, Ralph C, 301. 561. 

Geiger, William, M.D., 239, 599, 600, 601. 

Geisel family, the, murder of, 439. 

Geisy, August, 843. 

Gelston, Captain R., 321 ; duplicity of, 322. 

General Warren, steamer, wrecked, 339, 340. 

Geology, 535 to 546. 

George, M. C, 735. 

Gervais, Joseph, 199, 226, 244, 252. 

Gibbs, A. C, 715, 716. 

Gibson, Daviess, 703. 

Gibson, S. D., 764. 

Gibson, W. O., 673. 

Gilmore, John, 828. 

Gilmore, J. W., 836. 

Gilliam, A. J., 073. 

Gilliam, Cornelius, 283, 313, 317; killed, 316, 317. 

Glaciers, 538. 

Gleason, John E., 845. 

Goats, .581, 582. 

Godley, H. D., 828, 829. 

Gold discovered in California, 329, 330. 

Gold discovery, effect of, on Oregon, 330. 

Gold and silver veins, 538, .539. 

Goltra, W. H., 804. 

Good, D. H., 657. 

Good, G. E., 765. 

Goodman, A. J., 765. 

Gowdy, J. T., 765. 

Graf, Fred., 833, 834. 

Graham, George, 694. 

Graham, James, S87. 

Graham, J. K., 695. 

Grand Ronde Valley, battle in, 459-461. 

Grant, R. J., 765. 

Grant, Captain, of the Hudson's Bay Co., 274. 

Grasses, natural and cultivated, 562, 563. 

Grave Creek, 394; murders at. 359, 3(50. 

Graves, C. B., 657. 

Graves, G. W.. 673. 

Graves, J. B., 333, 673. 

Graves, Thomas N., 673, 676. 

Graves, Wesley, 765, 766. 

Graves, William, 844. 

Gray, G. W., 766. 

Gray, Captain Robert, arrives on the Northwest 

Coast, 100; his discoveries, 116 to 122. 
Gray, W. H., 251, 252, 254; his history of Oregon, 

195; becomes a missionary, 212, 214 ; story of 

Whitman's mission to Washington, 207, 2(58. 
Gregg, J. T., 850. 
Green, James, 674. 
Green, N. J., 869, 870. 
Greenwood, trapper, 288. 
Griffith, Elisha, 895. 
Griggs, A. B., 710. 

Griffin, Mrs. Desire, missionary, 232, 001, 602. 
Griffin, Rev. John Smith, missionary, 232, 388, 

601, 602. 
Grim, J. W., 333, 074. 
Ground, Luther, 804. 
Grover, Lafayette, 350, 851, 358, 476. 
Groves, J. F., 856. 
Guthrie, D. M., 657, 658. 
Gwin, J. L., 716. 



Hackleman, A., 674. 

Hackleman, T. P., 700. 

Hadaway, E. C, 766. 

Hagey, M., 695. 

Ha good, H., 695. 

Hakluyt, Richard, the geographer, 41. 

Hale, G. N., 848. 849. 

Hale, Milton, 030. 

Haley, P. W., SOI. 

Hall, B. F., 735. 

Hall, C. H., 836. 

Hall, E. C, 658. 

Hall, R. B., 658. 

Hall, R. P., (558. 

Hall, William, 716. 

Haller, Major G. P., U. S. A., 362, 363, 364, 388, 391, 
392, 408, 425, 448. 

Hallett, J. L., 575, 870. 

Hamilton, A. J., 870. 

Hamilton, Edward, 335. 

Hanna, James, engages in the fur trade, 93. 

Haney, John, 882. 

Hannum, L. L., 766, 767. 

Harbord, M. G., 875. 

Harding, B. F., 344, 345, 703, 704. 

Harding, S. F., 887. 

Hare, W. D., 805. 

Harger, L. W., 735, 736. 

Harmon, C. H., 865. 

Haro, Lieutenant Gonzalo de, explorations of, 
102, et seq. 

Harrel, D., 767. 

Harris, Mrs., heroic defense of, 375, 37(5. 

Harris, Hugh, 805. 

Harris, James, 862. 

Harris, Reuben, 674, 675. 

Harris, W. H., 767. 

Harritt, Jesse, 630. 

Hartman, B. F., 843. 

Harvey, Amos, 636. 

Harvey, Mrs. E. (McLoughlin), 593. 

Hastings, A. L., 767. 

Hastings, J. C, 767. 

Hastings, L. W., 248, 219, 2,50. 

Haswell, Robert, diary of, 110; commands the 
Adventure, 121. 

Hathaway, Felix, 283. 

Hawkins, J. S., 767. 

Hawkins, W. P:., 841. 

Hawley, J. H., 284, 623. 

Hawxhurst or Hawchurst, Webley, 230. 

Hay and grasses, 5(52, 563; production in 1880. 564. 

Hay, Jerry, 829. 

Hayden, B. B., 704. 

Hayes, Mrs. Sarah, 658, 659. 

Hayes, R. B., 767, 768. 

Hayes, S. W., 768. 

Hearn, E. J., 870. 

Hearne, Samuel, travels in Northwest America, 
76, 77. 

Heceta, Captain Bruno de, explores the North- 
west Coast, 79, 82 ; fails to explore the Colum- 
bia, 80, 81. 

Hedges, Joseph, 768. 

Helm, George R., 494. 

Helmick, Henry, 036, 637. 

Hembree, A. J., 300, 304, 333. 10S; killed, 428, 429. 

Hembree, J. J., 704. 

Hembree, J. M., 675. 

Hembree, W. C, 616. 

Hemstock, William, 875. 

Henderson, J. F., 805. 
j Henderson, J. J., 050. 
! Henderson, L., 859. 

Henderson, T. B., 768, 700. 

Henderson, W. G., 862. 

Hendrecson, O. P., 829. 

Hendrex, J. P., 851 . 

Hendricks, Thomas G., 095. 

Henry, A. B., 769. 

Herren, Dosha R., 037. 

Herren, W. J., 289, 637. 

Hess, Daniel, 695, 090. 

Hewitt, Henry, 895. 

Hiashaw, S., (537, 638. 

Hiatt, William, 849. 

Hicks, Mrs. E. P., 736. 

Hicks, Urban E., 730. 

Higgins, S., 737. 



VI 



HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 



Highfield, W. F., 898. 

Hill, Almeran, 276, 616. 

Hill, Henry, 675. 

Hill, Dr. J. L., 487, 488, 805, 806. 

Hill, Tom, renegade Indian, 306, 307. 

Hiltibrand, Paul, 637. 

Himes, George H., 806. 

Hines, Rev. Gustavus, missionary, 232, 243, 251, 
255, 900. 

Hines, Rev. H. K., 900. 

Hinman, Alanson, 284, 623, 624. 

Hirsch, Leopold, 769. 

Hodgin, W. L., 841, 842. 

Hogg, Colonel T. Egerton, energy of, 509. 

Hogs, 580, 581 ; number of, in 1880 and 1SS3, 581. 

Holden, Horace, 285, 624. 

Holladay, Ben, 494. 495, et sea. 

Holland, H. B., 769. 

Holman, D. S., 276, 616, 617. 

Holman, George P., 609. 

Holman, Hardy, 675. 

Holman, Mrs. Joseph, 232. 

Holman, Joseph, 561, 602, 008. 

Holman, J. D., 333, 659. 

Holman, J. S., 675, 676. 

Holman, Nathaniel, 676. 

Holman, Preston, 676. 

Holman, Thomas, 875. 

Holmes, H. R., 829. 

Holmes, W.H., 716, 717. 

Holmes, William L., 275, 617. 

Hooker, D. D., 696. 

Hoover, Jacob, 284, 624. 

Hope, trading vessel, 122. 

Hopkins, Henry, 862, 863. 

Hops, 561, 562; production of, in 1880, 562. 

Horner, John B., 845. 

Horses, number of, in 1880 and 1883, 577. 

Hosford, E. F., 638. v 

Hosier, W. H., 890. 

Hoult, Enoch, 350, 806, 807. 

Howard, A. D., 893, 894. 

Howard, D. C, 882. 

Howe, J. M., 851. 

Howell, Jones, 872. 

Howison, Lieutenant. See Shark. 

Howitzer, Captain Judah's, 400. 

Howland, J. S., 638. 

Hubbard, G., 676. 

Hubbard, T. J., 226, 233. 

Huck, or Houk, James, 275, 617. 

Hudson's Bay Company, the, 170 to 178, 259, 298, 
578; commencement of, 54, 55; powers and 
privileges of, 55; policy of, 55, 76, 83, 133, 203, 
204,233,234,235,241; servants of, 188,189; be- 
havior toward Americans, 186 to 189, 258; re- 
lations with Indians, 379. 

Hudson, Captain Henry, explorations of, 58. 

Hudson, Captain Thomas, 105. 

Hudson, W. S., 878. 

Hulery, J. M., 807. 

Humason, O., 737. 

"Humbug war" in California, story of, 371. 

Humphrey, J. A., 882. 

Humphreys, George, 859, 860. 

Humphreys, T. D., 676, 677. 

Humphreys, T. M., 807. 

Hungry Hill, battle of, 396 to 398. 

Hunt, J. A., 677. 

Hunt, G. W., 677. 

Hunt, Wilson Price, leads a party to Oregon. 
157 to 160, 164. ° ' 

Hurley, A. M., 597. 

Huston, Walter, 561. 

Hutchinson, Thomas H., 807. 

Hutchinson, T. O., 834. 

Hyde, E. O., 878. 

Hyde, H. O., 863. 

Hyde, Perry, 737. 

J. 

Ide, W. B., 288. 

Her, W. E., 677. 

Imbrie, James, 659. 

Immigration of 1841, 245, 246,247, 606, 607 
—1842, 247-250, 607-610. 
—1843; described by J. W. Nesmith, 273-276- 

list of arrivals, 275, 276, 610-621. 
—1844 ; lists, 283, 234, 621-631. 
-1845,288,289,290, 631,651. 



Immigration of 1846, 297, 298, 651-663. 
—1847, 301-303, 663, 692. 
—1848, 692-700. 
—1849, 700-708. 
—1850, 708-727. 
—1851, 727-750. 
—1852, 340, 341, 750-795. 
—1853. 795-826. 
—1854, 827-832. 
—1855, 832-835. 

Independent Protestant Missionaries, 232. 

Indian corn, 558 ; production of, 559, 585. 

Ingalls, General Rufus, 476. 

Ingraham, Captain, 124. 

Inland explorations by Portala, in California, 
64, 65; by La Hontan, Marquette, La Salle, 
and others, 66; by the Verendryes on the 
upper Missouri, 69-71 ; by Carver, 72, 73 ; by 
Hearne in British America, 76, 77 ; by Mac- 
kenzie, 131, 132 ; by Laclede, 189. 

Iphigenia, ship, 98, 101, 103, 104, 105. 

Iron and iron smelting, 540-542. 

Irvine, E. L., 842. 

Irvine, J. D., 769, 770. 

Irving, Washington, author, 245. 

Isaac Todd, English ship, 162. 

Isom, John, 807, 808. 



Jackson, David, 193, 201. 

Jacksonville, troops, muster at, 394. 

James, W. H., 770. 

Janney, P., 887. 

Jarnigan, A. J., 845, 846. 

Jeannette, schooner, 328. 

Jefferson, Thomas, opinion of, regarding Ore- 
gon, 133, 134, 150. 

Jeffries, F. S., 770. 

Jennings, B., 677. 

Jenny, English brig, 126. 

Jessup, Gen., U. S. A., proposes a chain of forti- 
fications, 181. 

Jessup, S. R., 851, 852. 

Jesuits, the, in Lower California, 64. 

Jette, A., 770. 

John, Rogue River Chief, 402, 403, 442, 444, 445, 446. 

Johnson, Daniel, 284, 624, 625. 

Johnson, David, 284, 625. 

Johnson, Elvira, missionary, 216. 

Johnson, H. A., 678. 

Johnson, Rev. Hezekiah, 638. 

Johnson, H. V. V., 770. 

Johnson, James, 284, 625. 

Johnson, L., 737. 

Johnson, Mrs. P. O., 770. 771. 

Johnson, Walter, 829. 

Johnson, W. C, 638, 639. - 

Johnson, William, 243, 244, 607. 

Johnson, W. P., 876. 

Johnston, John, 717. 

Johnston, W. B., 887. 

Jolly, W. B., 678. 

Jones, Ben., achievement of, 158. 

Jones, D. M., 771. 

Jones, Harvey L., s08. 

Jones, John, 771. 

Jones, M. L., 808. 

Jones, S. T., 696. 

Jones, W. T., 659, 660. 

Jory, H. S., 678. 

Joseph, chief of the Nez Perces, 358, 382. 

Juan de Fuca, claims to have discovered the 
Straits of Fuca, 37, 38; discussion of his 
claims, 39-42. 

Judah, Captain H. M., 899. 

Judson, Rev. L., missionary, 232, 251, 257, 604. 

K. 

Kama-i-akun, chief of the Yakimas, 380, 381, 
429 458. 

Kautz' Lieutenant A. V., U. S. A., 396. 

Kay, Thomas, 852. 

Kearney, Philip H., 338. . 

Keene, Granville, murder of, 370. 

Keene, P. T., O. R. & N. Co., 511. 

Keith, agent Northwest Company, 167. 

Keizer, T. D., 280. 

Kelley, Hall J., proposes the occupation of Ore- 
gon, 223, 225, 226. 

Kelly, Andrew, 771. 



GENERAL INDEX. 



Vll 



Kelly, E. D., 806. 

Kelly, J. K.,350,351, 106, ill. U3, 114,415, LL6, 427, 
737, 738. 

Kelly, Penumbra. 696: 

Kelsay, John, 350, 434, 136, S7, 808. 

Kendricks, Captain John, arrives on the North- 
west Coast, KM). LOS. 

Kennedy. Barney, 678. 

Kennedy, M., 808. 

Ketehuin, W. M., 678. 

Keyt, E. C., 717. 

Kins: George's Sound i !ompany, 95. 

Kinney, R. (".. 333. 350, 678, 670. 

Klnsey, Anson, 660. 

Kinsey, James, 679. 

Kizer. P. M., 800. 

Kliekitats, the, 481, 182. 

Knapp, George W., 800. 

Knight, Charles, 867, 868. 

Knight, Joseph, 809. 

Knight, Rev. P. S., 809. 

Knight. William, 852. 

Knight en, Thomas. 679. 

Knighton, H. M., 328. 

Koehler, II.. manager 0. & C. R. R. Co., 504, 510, 
511. 

Kone, Rev. \V. W., missionary, 232. 

Koontz, M. V., 772. 

Kriesel. William, 885. 

Runoff, J. W., 562. 

Kutch, \V. T., 856. 



Laehapelle, Andre, 592. 

Ladd, W. s.. 737. 

Lady, John T., 809, 810. 

Larfi/ Washington. American ship, 100, 101 , 107, 

108, 115, 116, 118, 120. 
Lafollett. Charles. 810. 
Lafollett, D. H.. 717. 
Laframboise, Michael, 201. 
Lame, J. H., 737, 

Lamerick, John K.,339, 398, 134, 436, 137, 442, 445. 
Lam kin, J. C, 882. 
Lancaster, ( 'olumbia,_24.S,.. 333. 
Lancefield. A. J.. 660. 
Lance, J. W., 852. 
Land grants to railroads, 500, 510. 
Lane county, volunteers from, 394. 
Lane, Joseph. 327. 328, 331. 337. 338,344, 345, 346, 351, 

354. 356, 357. :\r^, 359, 360, 475, 704. 
Lanning, E. J., 887. 888. 
La Perouse, French navigator, 93. 
Lapwai. mission at, 214, 306. 
Large, Francis, 717,_ « 18. 
Laroque, George, 679, 680. 
Laughlin, Lee, 680. 
Laughlin, Samuel, 680. " 
Laughmiller. J. A., 882, 883. 
Lava, 536, 537, 538. 
Lawyer, Nez Perce chid', 211. 382. 
Lead, 539. 
Le Breton, George, 243. 252, 254, 255, 257 ; killed at 

Oregon City, 280. 
Ledford, G. T., 820, 830. 
Ledyard, John, proposes to explore Northwest 

America, 133, 134. 
Lee, A., 772. 

Lee, Ann Maria 1'., missionary, 232, 596. 
Lee. Rev. Daniel, 208, 210. 

Lee. H. A. G., 312, 313; appointed colonel, 317. 
Lee, Rev. Jason, 208. 231,242. 213, 250, 251, 573; his 

attitude upon the question of local govern- 
ment, 253. 
Lee, J. D., 697, 698. 
Lee. Nicholas, 680, 881. 
Lee, P., 681. 
Lee, Thomas •!., 846. 
Leese [Lease], Jacob p., brings the lirst sheep to 

Oregon, 577, 578. 
Legislative Committee, meeting of, 283. 
Legislature, members of, of L84tt, 300; of Is 17, 303, 

301: of 1848, 304. 
Leininger, W. 1L. 852. 

fsaac, . is. 
Le Mahieu, Isaac. 
Lennox, David T., 017. 
Lennox, Louise, His. 
Leonard, author, his statement regarding the 

wheat crop of 1844, 547. 



Lesley, George, 772. 

Leslie, Rev. David, missionary, 217, 233, 251, 596. 

Lewellimr. or Luelling, 566. 

Lewis and Clarke's expedition, 131 to L43. 

Lewis, clerk of ship Tonquin, See Tonquin. 

Lewis. B. P., 772_, ,73. 

Lewis, Isaac. 697. 

Lewis, Joe, renegade Cndian, 307,308,309,310; de- 
serts his friends, 317. 

Lewis, .1. YW.773. 

Lewis, Captain Merriwether, L34. 

Lewis, w. H., 639. 

Lewis, W. P., 773. 

Linn countv, volunteers. from, 3! I. 

Linn, Senator, 240. 241, 245, 216. 

Linville, 11., 304, 660. 

Linville, W.S., 705. 

Literature, early, treating of < >regon ; its effeel . 
261. 

Llewelyn, A. \\'., S10. 

Logan, David, 350. i IS. 

Long, A. H., 810. 

Long, Gabriel, 773. 

Looking Glass, Nez Perce chief, 382. 

Loring, Colonel, 334. 

Lot Whitcomb, steamboat, built at Milwaukie, 
336, 337, 341. 

Loughary, L. W., 811. 

Loveioy, Asa Lawrence, 248, 249, 263.264, 269, 286, 
300,303,304,609; accompanies Dr. Whitman 
to the East, 269,270. 

Lovelady, T. J., 661. 

Lownsdale. D. H., 300. 639. 

Lucier, Etienne, 199, 226, 22s, 229, 243. 

Luelling, Henderson, nursery of, 301, 302. 

Lumber, varieties and amounts of, 525, 526. 

Lupton, James A., killing of, 372, 373. 

Lydia, American ship, enters the Columbia, 138. 

Lyman, Horace, 705, 706. 

Lyons, H. W., 895. 

M . 

Mackenzie, Alexander, discovers Mackenzie's 

River, 131. Crosses the American continent, 

131, 132. 
Mack, W. O., 773. 
Madonna, bark, 604. 
Magers, J. E., 773, 774. 
Magers, W. B.,774. 
Magistrates, the first. 233,. 
Mail service provided by Government, 310. 
Malaspina, Captain Alejandro, explorer, 115. 
Maldonado, Captain L. P. de, claims to nave 

found the Northwest Passage, 33-36. 
Maloney, H. S., 876. 
Mammoth, remains of the, 536. 
Mandan, Indians, 135. 
Man is, W. R., 774. 
Mansneld, D., 718. 
Maquinna, Indian chief of Nootka, 98; grants 

land to the Americans, 1 hi. 
Marshall, .1 . W., discovers gold in California, 329. 
Marsh, Joseph W., 811, 861. 
Marsh, S. EL, 811, 812. 
Martinez, Estevan, 78, 79, 102-107. 
Martin, J. L.. 718, 719. 
Martin, J. M., 849. 
Martin, Thomas J., 812. 
Martin, Thomas, 860. 
Martin, William J., 396, 399, 133. 
Martin, W. W., 860. 
Marvin, A. M., 738. 
Marvin, Mrs. L., 681. 
Mary Dacres, American brig, 201. 
Maryland, American brig, 213, 211, 603. 
Mary's Peak, 516. 
Mason, I). ('., 856,857. 
Mason, I. T., 883. 

Massacre of October ninth, 1855, 374-376. 
Massacre, the Ward, 361, 362. 
Massacre, the Whitman. See Whitman. 
Mathieu, Francois X., 24S, 210, 256, 609, 610. 
Mathiot, Jean J., 812. 
Matt ice, murder of, 385, 886. 
Mattoon, C. H., 730. 
Maurelle, Antonio, 79, 81. 
Mauzey, William, 276, 618. 
May field, W. I., 774. 
May, George E., 562. 
May, H. B., 681. 



Vlll 



HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 



/ 



May, Thomas W., 681. 

McAdams, Fred, 872. 

McAfee, W. E., 830. 

McBean, Wm., of Fort "Walla Walla, cowardice 

of, 311. 
McBride, George W., 830. 
McBride, James, 328, 639, 640. 
McBride, John R., 350. 
McBride, T. A., 681. 
McCain, J., 739. 
McCain, Paris, 682. 
McCarty, E. W., 682. 

McCarver Morton M., 276, 283, 287, 399, 618. 
McClain, Daniel, 860. * 
McClane, John B., 276, 618. 
McCord, J. S., 719. 
McCormick. M., 719. 
McCown, F. O., 774, 775. 
McCown, William, 775. 
McCully, A. A., 775. 
McDaniel, Elisha P., 284, 625. 
McDonald, H., 719. 
McDonald, N. G., 895, 896. 
McDougal, Duncan, 160. See Pacific Fur Co. 
McDowell, F. D., 834. 
McElroy, E. B., 876. 
McFadden, O. B., 812. 
McGrew, J. W., 849. 
Mcintosh, J. M., 885. 
McKay, A. and J., 248. 
McKay, Alexander, 151, 153. 
McKay, Charles, 609. 
McKay, James, 682. 

McKay, Thomas, 195, 263, 307, 308, 309, 313, 315. 
McKenzie, Donald, 157. See Pacific Fur Co. 
McKenzie River, 520, 521, 539, 562. 
McKinney, Charles, 640. 
McKinney, E. E., 697. 
McKinney, J. N., 640. 
McKinney, William, 682. 
McKune, Robert, 775. 
McLaughlin, Robert, 812, 813. 
McLean, John, 335. 

McLellan, Robert, in Price's party, 157, 159, 161. 
McLench, B. F., 719, 720. 
McLeod, Alexander R., ti'apper, 199, 213. 
McLeod River named, 200, 213. 
McLoughlin, Eloisa, 593. 
McLoughlin, Dr. John, 214, 259, 593, 594; locates 

at Willamette Falls, 233; character of, 197, 

213, 236-239. 
McLoughlin, Joe, 199, 249. 
McNary, Alexander, 640. 
McNary, A. W., 640. 
McNary, Hugh, 641. 
McNemee, Job, 641. 
McPherson, M. S., 894. 
McPherson, W. H., 879. 
McTavish, J. G., 162. 
Meade, N. B., 896. 
Mead, J. E., 739. 
Mead, M. M., 739. 

Meadows campaign, the first, 399, 400; the sec- 
ond, 436-438. 
Meares, Capt. John, explorations of, 95, 97-110. 
Medical Lake, battle of, 473, 474. 
Meek, Courtney, 598. 
" Meek's cut-off," 289, 290. 
Meek, Joseph L., 232, 246, 254, 257, 281, 288. 300, 303, 

328, 335, 597, 598 ; delegate to Washington, 322; 

his journey eastward, 323, 324; return, 328. 
Meek, Stephen Hall, trapper and guide, 248, 289, 

290,516. 
Meek, William, 566. 
Meldrum, John, 641. 
Meldrum, John W., 641, 642. 
Memorial, Mr. Thornton's, to Congress, 322. 
Mendenhall, W. F., 876. 
Menes, Francois, 706, 707. 
Meredith, J. W., 813. , 
Merwin, M., 863. 
Meteorological tables, 534, 535. 
Methodist Board of Missions, 208 
Mexico, conquest of, 19. 
Michaux, Andre, botanist, 134. 
Mickels, P., 865, 866. 

Military company enrolled at Champoeg, 280. 
Milne, John, 868. 
Miller, A. H., 839. 
Miller, C. M., 740. 



Miller, D. A., 776. 

Miller, F. M., 839. 

Miller, F. M., 885. 

Miller, G. A., 720. 

Miller, H. B., 720. 

Miller, J. D., 720. 

Miller, Captain John F., 354, 356, 360, 740. 

Miller, J. F., 720. 

Miller, Joseph, in Hunt's party, 157. 

Miller, J. P., 776. 

Miller, J. R., 836. 

Miller, J. W., 720. 

Miller, Louis, 834. 

Miller, M., 720. 

Miller, R. B., 721. 

Miller, Samuel, 721. 

Miller, S. E., 776. 

Miller, W. C, 813. 

Miller, William P., 612. 

Milwaukie, rivalry with Portland, 333 ; orchard 

at, 566. 
Minto, John, 284, 515, 574, 577, 625, 626. 
Minto Pass, the, 515. 
Missions, 258, 280, 281, 487 ; backward state of, 305 ; 

missionaries favor a local government, 245; 

hostility of, to Catholics, 258. 
Missionaries— the Jesuit, in Lower California,64. 

—the Dominican, do, 64. 

—the Franciscan, do, 64, 65. 

—Methodist, 204, 208-210, 216, 217, 232, 233, 249, 
250. 

—American Board of, 214-216. 

—Influence of Protestant, 207. 
Missouri Fur Company, formed, 145. 
Mitchell, M., 842. 

Molalla River, mines on, 539. » 

Molallas, the, 481. 
Monroe Doctrine, the, 180. 
Montana explored by the Verendryes in 1743, 

69, 70. 
Montanye, L. H., 879. 
Monteith, Thomas, 682, 683. 

Montgomery, Capt., U. S. N., takes Mr. Thorn- 
ton to Boston, 323. 
Montgomery, J. A.. 683. 
Montgomery, R. M., 813. 
Montgomery, William, 683. 
Moody, Z. F., 740, 741. 
Moore, M., 284, 626, 
Moore, P. M., 891. 
Moore, Robert, chairman of the first legislature, 

254, 2.55. 
Moores, C. B., 776. 
Moores, I. R., 350, 776, 777. 
Moreland, J. C, 777. 
Moreland, S. A., 777, 778. 
Morgan, J. W., 857. 
Morris, Daniel, 813. 
Morris, H. Tavlor, 707. 
Morris, John S., 813. 
Morrison, R. W., 284, 626. 
Morse, Capt. F., killed by accident, 336. 
Moss, S. P., 778. 
Moss, Sydney W., 249, 610. 
Mount Edgecombe, 82. 

Mount Fairweather, discovered by Cook, 87. 
Mount Hood, named by Vancouver, 126; alti- 
tude of, 515. 
Mount Jefferson, 515. 
Mount St. Elias, discovered by Behring, 58; by 

Cook, 87. 
Moyer, J. M., 778. 
Mudge, N. F., 721. 
Mulkey, J. L., 333. 
Mulkey, M. F., 683. 
Mulligan, Robert, 741. 
Multnomah Indians, the, 479, 480. 
Multnomah River. See Willamette. 
Munger, Rev. Asahel, missionary, 232, 601. 
Munson, Captain, 411, 417. 
Murphy, J. M., 741, 742. 
Murphy, J. T., 778. 
Murphy, W. P., 778. 
Myer, Henry, 683. 
Myers, George 779. 
Myers, David, 837. 



Narrow- gauge railroad. 
Company. 



See Oreg&aian Railway 



GENERAL INDEX. 



IX 



Nathman. r. a.. 

Nay lor. T. G.,604. 

Neah Bav, a port of the Spaniards, in, 12SL 

Neal. Olday or Attey. 2S4. 626. 

Nealv, Nelson, 721. 

Neibert. C, i 

Nelson. George - 27. 

Nelson. J. - ,284, 27. 

Nesmith, J. W., 2 

. KJ7, 4"s. 411. 118, 42.">. 427. 618, 619. 
Newbill, B. H.,73 
Xewhv. W. T.. 271 

Newell, Dr. Robert. 232, 246, - 7, «: 304. 

New Georgia, name applied by Vancouver, 123. 
Newman. Alexander. 888. 

Nez Perees Indians, 141, 1 ■ : i) 1. 213, 214, 

_ : called Chopunnish, 

141, 142. 

Nichols. B. F., 284, 827. 

Nichols. M., 742. 
n. Joseph. 

Nolan d. N. 

Nookamis, Indian chief, 153. 

:a Convention, the. Ill, 112. 12::. ._ 

Nooka Sonud. discovered by Perez, 78] re-dis- 
covered by Cook, 87. 

Nerthrup, E. J.. 

Xoff . schooner, 100, 101, 103, 105. 

IP'. 

Northwe> 'lored by Heceta. -m-s;: by 

Qnadra. 7'.', 8": by Cook, 86-88; by A 
Ml ; by Ba Perouse. 93 : by Mearc 
by K.isa. 114: by Malaspina and Bustam- 
ente. 115; by Caaman Galianoand 

Valdez, 11^: by Van 

Northwest Pa->aue. search for, 21-115; reward 
for its discover- nish opinion on. 

Northwest Fur Company formed, 131 : >^rablish 
stations beyond the Rockies. 144. 14 5 
dition to Columbia River, 162, 163, I 
109, 17n : consolidated with H. B. Co., 171. 

Norton. E. I 

Notre Dame. Bisters of the order of. 281. 

Noyer. P. 8., 

Nursery, traveling, bronght in l->47. 301, 

O. 

Oak Flat. < "ouncil of. 442. 44:;. 

< »atman. H. B.. narrow escape of, ;.". 

< »ats, 558; production of in 18* 

'» Bryant. H. D.. in cayuse war. 
O'Connor, Frank. 
Odell. W. H 
Odeneal. T. B.. >14. 
O'Donald, Jonathan. .-\. 

-en, English Hudson's Bay Co. 
Factor. 2' - 3 Americans, 312. 

Olds. J. H„ 7 42. 7 4::. 

Olds, y 

Olley. Rev. A. P.. missionar 

< Uney, Cyrus, ::44. 7 43. 

y, Nathan, exploit ot. . 2, ,410,414,415. 
ira, .lames 

_ _ •: presides at -Wolf meet- 
ins. 
Onions 

. American man-of-war. 165, 107. 
Ord, CapT. E. O. I .. D M0. 

. newspaper, established at Portland. 

3. 
tinel, newspaper. 

lished, 300. 

-on and California Railroad, the, 192,501,510; 
land grant, 
« >rejron central Railroad < o.. organisation of, 

->n Pacific Railroad Co., difficulties in iis 

way. 509. 

gon Railway and Navigation ' '<>.. 511. 

• ire^onian Railroad Company. 5 <^. 509. 

- n— American titles to. 105, 166. 

—British titles to. 168. 

—Derivation of nam 

—Its former boundaries. 144. 
Oregon Bills, of Senator Finn, 240, 2»i. 



Oregon City, Indian flght at. 279, 280; execution 
of five Cayus* 
in City Woolen .Mills. 
'i Fever." the. described, 2 
l Institute, .v < Willa 
I iregon Mining Bureau forjned, -540. 

s n Question, the. 165, 186, 107. 10S, 179-185, 

a in Rifles/ 1 militia. 312, 

sro, iron mines of, >40. 
Otondo, Admiral Isidro de. " 
t Uitratres against Indians. 35 
Owens, Thomas, 27-:. 62 . 



Pacific Fur Company, organization of, 150-164, 

Pacific Telegraph Company. uph. 

Pacific University, th 

Palmer, Gen. Joel L., 83, 142. 642, 

Pambrun, P. _ . . . 247. 
Panth 
Parker. All- 
Parker. Rev. Samuel, 210-212, 213; intolerance 

Of, 2. 

Parrish. L. M. 

Parrish, J. L., missionary, 232, 24;, 251 

Partlow, W. B.. " 

Patterson, F. a.. 
Patterson, Jerry M.. - 
.. Thomas McF., 

Paul, 1 
Payne, J. M 

Pearce, Thomas, .43, 744. 
Pearl. J. A.. 781. 
Pearl. James. 781. 
Pearl. Josei 

Peck. G. W 

. American brig, 104. 

Peebles. Georse A.. - 

Peeble-. J 

Pennington, s. M., 683, 684. 

Pentland. Robei 

Peo-peo-mox-mox. Indian chief. 259, 381, 40*.t, lit: 
killed bv whites. 41s. 

Percival, R. C v 814. 

Percival. William, B14. 

Perez. Captain Juan, explorations of, , ■*. ,<>■. dis- 
covers ><ootka Sound. 78. 

Perkins. H. K. W., missionary, 21,. 

Perrine. F. C. B 

Peterson, A. H.. 643. 

Peterson, H. J., 044. 

Peterson. W. A.. 044. 
, Pettin-ill. W.. 1 

Pfau. Jaeo 

Philippi, Anton 

Philip II. orders a survey of t lie Pacific coa-st of 
North A mere 

Phillips, D. T.. B 

Phillips, Edward, murder 01. 389. 

Phillips. G. W.. 

Phillips. John, iV44. 

Pierce. A.. 084. 

Pierce. 8. \ 

Pilcher, Major, leads a band of trappers to < >re- 
gon,200,201, 213. 

Pilsbury. 8. G. 

Pioneer oil Works. -,.; », 561, 

Pitman. Anna Maria, 218 

Plum~ 

Point of Rocks. Jicrht at. 220, 227. 

Polk. President, si>ns Thornton s bill, 327. 

Pollock. Robert 

Pomeroy, F. F.. 661. 

Pomeroy. F. F.. Jr.. 

Pomeroy, Lyman, 782. 

Pomeroy Walter, 249. 

Pope, T. A., 744. 

Poppleton, Edgar. B15. 

Population of Oregon— In 1835, - 
—In 1840, 232. 233. 239. 

-in a ... _--. 

—Table of. 
Porter, J. A 
Porter, R. M.. 722. 



HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE TALLEY. 



Porter, Thomas L., 815. 

Porter, W. I)., 815. 

Porter, William, 697. 

Porterfield, J. E., 723. 

Port Montgomery, 122. 

Port Nunez Gaona. See Neah Bay. 

Portsmouth, American ship-of-war, 322. 

Potatoes, 563, 564, 572; production of, in 1880, 564. 

Potato starch, a possible industrial product, 572. 

Potter, J. M., 810. 

Potter, Robert, 782. 

Poujade, L. H., 684. 

Powell, A. T., 782, 783. 

Powell, F. S., 744. 

Powell, J. A., 744. 

Powell. J. M., 837. 

Powell, L. J., 684, 085. 

Powell, W. S., 783. 

Prairies, 518,519. 

Prather, W. B., 284, 627, 628. 

Pratt, L. C, 810. 

Pratt, O. C, 328. 

Precious metals, the, 538, 539. 

Prescott, C. H., manager O. R. & N. Co., 511. 

Prettyman, D. D., 685. 

Prevost, J. B., U. S. Coram., 165, 167. 

Price, Nimrod, 841. 

Price, W. L., 723. 

Rrincesa Real, Spanish ship, 102, 103, 107. 

Princess and Favorita, Spanish ships, 91. 

Provisional Government, 233, 240-215, 251-257; 
meetings preliminary to organization, 251- 
255 ; election of 1841, 281, 282, 280, 287 ; election 
of 1847, 303, 304; election of 1848, 304. 
—The Legislative Committee, 254; first legis- 
lative session, 254; officers of, 256, 257. 
—Dissolution of, 328. 

Prunes, 568. 

Puget Sound Agricultural Company, organized, 
234, 217, 578. 

Puget Sound, derivation of name, 123; first 
American settlement at, 285 ; Indian troubles 
at, 426, 468, 469. 

Purvine, A. J., 697, 698. 

Purvine, J. L., 698. 

Putnam, R. B., 837. 

Putnam, D. B., 685. 

<>• 

Queener, J. P., 857. 

Q,uick, D. O., 849, 850. 

Quimper, Lieut. Alferez M., explorations of, 114. 



Raccoon, English man-of-war, 163. 

Railways, treatise upon, 491-513. 

Raines, Major, U. S. A., 362, 386, 391, 393, 405, 406, 

407, 408, 411, 412, 425, 426. 
Rainfall, 526, 530, 533-535. 
Ralph, Walter, 748. 
Ramsby, R. C, 723. 
Ramsey, David, 685. 
Ramsey, W. M., 685. 
Randle, S. A., 879. 
Ranes, J. T., 815. 
Ray, Charles, 723, 724. 
Ray's Landing, 508. 
Raymond, H. C, 783. 
Reams, H., 868. 
Redfield, F. M., 888. 
Redmond, F. W., 885. 
Red River Immigration, 234, 247, 606, 607. 
Reed, C. A., 724. 

Reed, John, 159, 162; killed, 164. 
Reed, S. G., 575. 
Reed, W. H., 707. 
Rees, Willard H., 283, 284, 303, 304. 
Resolution and Discovery, Capt. Cook's ships, 84, 

90. 
Revilla-Gigedo, Viceroy of Mexico, 107, 115, 127. 
Rhoades, T. W., 841. ' 
Rice, J. N., 724. 
Rice, Samuel, 744. 
Rice Settlement, descent upon by Indians, 400, 

401. 
Richards, Rev. G. P., missionary, 232. 
Richards, James, 815, 816. 
Richardson, A. J., 837. 
Richardson, E. H., 837. 
Richardson, Enoch, 745. 



Richardson, N. C, 686. 

Richardson, John, 745. 

Richardson, John W., 745. 

Richmond, T. G., 816. 

Rickey, James, 724. 

Ridgeway, William, 644. 

Rigbey, Francis, 872, 873. 

Rigdon, W. T., 724. 

Riggs, Silas T., 745. 

Riggs, Daniel L., 898. 

Riley, J. B., 725. 

Rinearson, Capt. Jacob, engages in the Rogue 

River war, 379. 
Rinearson, P. M., 563, 644. 
Risley, Jacob S., 645. 
Risley, Orville, 645. 
Ritner, S. B., 645. 
Robertson, L. W., 873. 
Robertson, R. M., 783. 
Robinson, B. M., 896. 
Robinson, J. B., 645. 
Rock, John, 873. 
Rockenfield, C. S., 868,869. 
Rocky Mountain Fur Co., 192, 193, 201, 202. 
"Rocky Mountain Retreat," 602 
Rogers, Cornelius, 214. 
Rogers, J. L., 843. 
Rogers, J. W., 645, 
Rogue River Indian Wars ; war of 1853, 353-360; 

war of 1855-6, 367-379, 394-404. 433-446. 
Rogue River Valley, 503. 
Roland, David, 783. 
Roork, J. H., 853. 
Root, L., 896. 

Roseburg, railway reaches, 502. 
Ross, George W.. 888. 

Ross, John E., 312, 339, 356, 357, 358. 361, 378, 396. 
Roth, Charles, 686. 
Rowell, J. M., 686. 
Rowell, Z. M., 816. 
Rowland, Jeremiah, 284, 628. 
Rowland, J. O., 784. 
Rowland, L. L., 628. 629. 
Ruble, William, 552. 
Rudder, M. C, 888, 889. 
Rush, American Commissioner, 181. 
Russell, Osborn, 281, 286. 
Russia, her subjects in America, 56; fur trade 

of, 56-63; explorations, 56-63; activity of, 77 ; 

treatment of natives, 149. 
Russian explorations of the Northwest Coast, 

92, 93. 

— Claims to the Northwest Coast, 180. 
Ryswick, treaty of, 65. 

S. 
Salmon, and Salmon fishing, 204, 484, 485 
Sampson, J. K., 784. 

San Carlos, Spanish ship 65, 79, 102. 103, 101. 
San Francisco, bay of, Drake's proximity to, 30; 

discovered by Portala, 64, 65. 
Santiago, Spanish ship, 78, 79. 
Santiam mines, 539. 
Sappington. G. W., 645, 646. 
Sappington, J. A., 646. 
Sappington, J. M., 646. 
Savage, E., 816. 
Savage, H. W., 888. 
Savage, William, 646. 
Say lor, A. L., 784. 
Schieffelin, Clinton, 374. 
Scheurer, W. R., 830. 
Schmeer, John, 814. 
Scholfield, Benjamin, 842, 813, 
Schooling, J. P., 784, 785. 
Schwatka, F., 816, 817. 
Scoggin, W. G., 629. 
Scott, Harvey W., 817, 818. 
Scott, John T., 785. 
Scott, Levi, 298. 
Scott, L. S., 846, 847. 
Scott, T. B., 818. 
Scottsburg, foundation of. 337. 
Scovell, L. C, 818. 
Scurvy, description of the, 49. 
Second Regiment, O. M. V., organization of, 433. 
Seguin, Louis, 885, 886. 
Semple, General, speech by, 262. 
Serra, Father Junipero, 65. 
Shadden, Thomas J., 249, 250, 620. 



GENERAL INDEX. 



XI 



Shark, schooner, U. S. N., shipwrecked, 300. 

Shasta, Mt., first named McLoughlin, 200. 

Shattuck, E. D., 818. 

Shaw, A. C. R., 578. 

Shaw, B. F., 284, 629. 

Shaw, Joshua, 578. 

Shaw, J. R., 785. 

Shaw, Thomas C, 284, 629. 

sheep, 577-580; number of, in 1880 and 1883, 580. 

Shelley, R., 698. 

Shelton, Harvey, 686. 

Shelton, H., 686. 

Shelton, Isaac, murdered, 374. 

Shelton, J. W., 661. 

Shepard, Cyrus, 208, 210, 217. 

Sheridan, Lieut. Philip, U. S. A., 407, 408. ' 

Sheriff, Capt., R. N., English Comm., 167. 

Shields, James, 785. 

Shively, J. M., U. S. official, 319, 321. 

Shobe, L., 892. 

Shuck, Andrew, 686, 687. 

Shuster, H. S., 873. 

"Siege of Galice Creek," 395, 396. 

Simms, H. H., 725. 

Simpson, Ben., 661, 662. 

Simpson, G. B., 818, 819. 

Simpson, Isaac N., 646, 647. 

Simpson, Sir George, 195, 227, 247. 

Sippy, John, 819. 

Sitton, N. R., 620, 621. 

Skinner, Alonzo A., 328, 339, 344, 647. 

Slaughter, Lieutenant, 387, 425. 

Slavery, Oregon's firm stand against, 350, 351. 

See Bill, Congressional. 
Sloan, Joseph, 896, 897. 
Sloan, Mrs. S. A., 847. 
Slocum, Lieut. W. A., U. S. N., assists Orego- 

nians, 230. 
Small, I. H., 830, 831. 
Smith, Rev. A. B., missionary, 214, 258, 358, 371, 

Smith, Capt. A. J., 396, 399, 434, 435, 413, 476. 

Smith, A. T., 606. 

Smith, Benj. P., 745, 746. 

Smith, B. F., 662. 

Smith, B. M., 819. 

Smith, D. A., 889. 

Smith, Damon, 785. 

Smith, David (of Forest Grove), 746. 

Smith, David (of Lebanon), 785, 786. 

Smith, Delazon, 350, 351, 786. 

Smith, Delevan, 786, 787. 

Smith, Elijah, President O. R. & N. Co., 511. 

Smith, Mrs. E. M., 662. 

Smith, G. H., 597. 

Smith, George N., 869. 

Smith, Hiram, 647. 

Smith, Hiram (of Harrisburg), 819, 820. 

Smith, I. L., 869. 

Smith, J. D., 662. 

Smith, Jedediah S., first overland journey by, 

192-195; battle on the Umpqua, 194, et sen., 

200, 201. 
Smith, J. S., 647, 648. 
Smith, John T., 787. 
Smith, L. S., 662. 
Smith, S. A., 787. 
Smith, Solomon, 226. 
Smith, S. W., 820. 
Smith, Sydney, 232, 249, 597. 
Smith, T. C, 871. 
Smith, Thomas, 303. 
Smith, \V. P., 746. 
Snake River Indians, murder by, 164 ; hostilities 

with, 361-364. 
Soils, discussion of the, 542-546, 552, 553. 
Sonora, Spanish ship, 79, 80, 81, 83. 
Southern Route, explored by the Applegate 

party, 298, 299; its subsequent use, 302, 303. 
Southern Oregon, discovery of gold in, 330, 337, 

338. 
South Sea Company, its monopoly, 94; its fall, 95. 
Spain— Commerce of, 27. 

—Policy of its government, 17. 

—Conquests of, in the New World, 17-129 ; in 
the Philippine Islands 27. 

—Apathy in making scientific explorations, 
77. 
Spalding, Rev. H. H., missionary, 212, 214, 308, 

310, 311, 335. 



Spanish Voyageurs— Unscientific methods of. SI . 

— Adventurers in xVmerica, character of, is. 

—Explorations of Northwest Coast, 102-107. 
Sperry, T. B., 746. 
Sportsman, Wm., 298. 
Springer, B. H., 725. 
Spring Hill Farm, 870. 
Staats, Isaac, 648. 
Staats, Stephen, 649. 
Staiger, J. F., S53. 
Staiger, Wm., 853. 
Stanton, W. G., 787. 
Stapleton, J., 892. 
Starkweather, W. A., 725. 
Starr, I. W., 820. 
State Election, the first, 351. 
State House, the first. 257; at Salem, burned, 

347. 
State Insurance Company, 749, 762. 
Statesman, newspaper, 346. 
Stearns, L. B., 820. 
Stephenson, John, 820. 
Stephenson, William, 820. 
Steptoe, Col., U. S. A., 4.53, 456, 463, 470, 471. 
Steptoe's Retreat, 471-473. 
Stevens, Isaac I., 343, 424, 425, 426, 427, 456, 457, 163. 

468; letter by, 464-467 ; attacks Gen. Wool, 423 

et seq.; makes treaty with Yakimas, 380, 381, 

382, 383; indiscretion of, 382. 
Stewart, B. E., 687. 

Stewart, Capt. See Drummond, Sir W. 
Stewart, Capt., U. S. A., killed on the Rogue 

River, 338. 
Stewart, James, 821. 
Stewart, P. G., 281. 

St. George Sound. See Nootka Sound. 
Stillwell, L. L., 831. 
Stimpson, George W., 834. 
Stites, T. J., 850. 

St. Louis (Fort), established, 189. 
Stock Whitley, chief of the Des Chutes, 420. 
Stolz, G., 877. 
Stone? Samuel, 821. 
Stott, J. M., Sr., 747. 
Stott, J. M., Jr., 831. 
Stott, John S., 834, 835. 
Stott, Raleigh, 747. 
Strahan, R. S., 857. 
Straight, Hiram A., 276, 621. 
Strang, Ben.,787. 
Stratum, C. P., 821. 
Stratum, J. A., 831. 
Stratton, R. E., 351. 
Strong, J. E., 847. 
Strong, William, 335. 

Stuart, David, 161. See American Fur Co. 
Stuart, Robert, 161. See American Fur Go. 
Stump, David, 649. 
Sublette, William, 193, 201. 
Suiter, L. T., 837, 838. 
Summerville, H. B., 747. 

Sutil and Mezicana, Spanish schooners, 117, 123. 
Sutter, John A„ 829. 
Suver, Joseph W., 620. 
Swaflord, Elias W., 787. 
Swafford, J. L., 821. 
Swearingen, Isaac S., 787, 7SX. 
Swegle, Charles, 698. 
Swick, B. F., 821. 
Swick, L., 822. 
Swick, Minor, 822. 



T. 



Talkington, F. P., 891. 

Ta-ma-has, a bad Indian, executed at Oregon 
City, 318. 

Tam-su-ky, Indian chief, 306, 309, 317, 318. 

Tanner, A. H., 885. 

Taylor, Anderson, 7SS. 

Taylor, Christopher, 6s7. 

Telegraph, 317. 

Territorial Government, petition for, 240, 241; 
Thornton's bill, 324 ; its passage, 325-327 ; first 
election, 32S, 329 ; organization of, 333. 

Tetherow G. A., 707. 

Tetherow, T. B., fi4«). 

Thayer, A. J., 492, 822. 

The Dalles Mission, 217, 220, 258; bought by Whit- 
man, 805, 307. 

—Taken possession of by American troops, 
312. 



xn 



HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE VALLEY. 



Thomas, D. C., 831. 

Thomas, E. N., 822. 

Thomas, F., 649. 

Thompson, D. M., 707. 

Thompson, Jacob, 788. 

Thompson, James I., 843. 

Thompson, John, 844. 

Thompson, J. M.. 822. 

Thompson, T. W., 841. 

Thorn, Capt. Jonathan. See Tonquin. 

Thornton, J. Q,uinn, 328; extract from writings 
of, 2J0; concerning- the Applegate Route, 299; 
his errand to Washington, 321 ; presents me- 
morial to Congress, 322. 

Thorp, Major, 283. 

Thurston, Samuel R., 302, 304, 333, 387. 

Tibbetts, , 230. 

Tiffany, G. W., 879, 880. 

Tilleson, Ed., 860, 861. 

Tillotson, George, 788. 

Tipsu Tyee, Indian chief, 361, 369. 

Tonquin, American ship, 151, 152; taken by In- 
dians, 153-156. 

Townsend, Ira S., 687, 688 

Townsend, J. H., 831. 

Townsend. J. M., 687. 

Townsend, W. M., 861. 

Tozier, C. T., 853. 

Train, S. S., 886. 

Transcontinental Company, lease the O. & C. R. 
R., 503, 504. 

Trappers, American, character of, 188. 

Traveller, IT. S. steamer, fires upon hostiles, 469. 

Treaty of Ghent, 164. 

Trees, forest, list of, 524. 

Trinidad, Bay of, 79. 

Truitt, Warren, 871. 

Tshimikain mission, 306. 

Tualatin Plains, 249 ; panic of the people of, 392. 

Tucker, H. B., 788. 

Tucker, Thomas. 788, 789. 

Turner, George ft., 789. 

Turner, John. 199, 226, 227, 230, 231. 

Turnips, 563. 

Turpin, D. L., 850. 

T'Vault, W. G., 300, 339. 

Tyler, Asher, 877. 

U. 
Umatilla Indians, treaty With, 881. 
Um-how-lish. Cayuse chief, 307. 
Umpqua massacre, 194. 
Umpqua River, tradition of galleons in, 51. 
Underwood, William, 838. 
Uzafovage, C, 789. 

V. 

Vacant lands, 519-528. 
Van Buskirk, Daniel, 789. 
Van Buskirk, John, 789. 
Van Buskirk, Joseph, 789, 790. 
Van Buskirk, William, 790. 
Van Buskirk, William, Sr., 790. 
Vance, William, 822, 823. 
Vancouver Island, how named, 125. 
Vancouver (Fort), named and founded, 175 ; de- 
scription, 176-178. 
Vancouver, Capt. Geo., R. N., voyage of, 118-128. 
Vanduyn, I., 747. 
Van Horn, D., 889. 
Vaughan, H.. 578. 
Vaughn, J. W., 873, 874, 
Vegetables, garden, 563, 564. 
Venner, J. F., 883. 

Verendryes, the, explorations of, 68, 69. 
Villard, Henry, 506, 507, 511. 
Viscaino, Sebastian, voyage of, 46-49. 

.W. 

Waggener, R,, 874. 

Waiilatpu Mission, 213, 214; condition in 1847, 

306, et seq. 
Wait, Aaron E., 688. 
Wait, T. B., 823. 
Waite, E. M., 748. 
Waldo Hills, soil of the, 541. 
Waldo, William, 276, 621. 
Walker, C. C, 650. 
Walker, Courtney M., 226. 
Walker, Rev. Elkanah, missionary, 214, 598. 



Walker, Capt. Jesse, commands emigrant escort, 
361. 

Walker, J. H., 650. 

Walker and Jamison, murder of, 387. 

Walker, Louis, 897. 

Walker, Mrs. Mary, missionary, 214, 298. 

Walker, S. A., 823. 

Walker, W. W., 698, 699. 

Walla Walla, council of, 382; settlers in, in 1856, 
379, 380 ; battle of, 417-422. 

AValla Walla Indians, 139, 140, 141, 160, 259, 409, 413, 
415-420 ; kindness of, 160 ; alarm of, at stories 
of American intentions, 259; treaty with, 
381 ; attacked by whites, 413; hostilities with, 
413, 420. 

Wallace, C. A., 790. 

Waller, A. F., missionary, 232, 897. 

Waller, G. T., 688. 

Waller, H. M., 688, 689. 

Waller, O. A., 621. 

Waller, T. O., 708. 

Walling, J. D., 689. 

Walling, N., 689. 

Walters, Harry, 853, 854. 

War Eagle, Cayuse chief, killed, 315. 

War of 1812, effect of, 162. 

Warner, Arthur. 823. 

Warren, A. J., 725, 726. 

Warren, Henry, 689. 

Warrener, Thomas, 284, 630. 

Warrinner, W. C, 823, 824. 

Washburn, James H., 790. 

Washington Territory, moves for self-govern- 
ment, 343; Territory organized, 343, 344. 

Waterhouse, Warren, 791. 

Waterman, John Orvis, 335. 

Waters, Abner W., 726. 

Waters, James, 313 ; elected colonel, 317. 

Waters, W. H. H., 791. 

Watkinds. Wm. H , 791. 

Watson, E. B., 824, 825. 

Watt, John, 699. 

Watt, Joseph, 283, 284, 579, 630. 

Watts, F. A., 690. 

Watts, J. W., 791, 792. 

Watts, M. M., 726. 

Waymire, John, 650. 

Weatherford, J. K., 857, 858. 

Wehrung, H., 748. 

Well Springs, battle of, 314, 315. 

Wells, D. R., 869. 

Wells, G. A., 825. 

Wells, John C, 792. 

Wells, R. F., 825. 

Wells, W. A., 557, 792, 793. 

Wells, William, 793. 

Western Star, newspaper, 335, 336, 337. 

Weston, David, 249, 610. 

Wheat, 547-559; table of production of, 559, 585. 

Wheeler, Almon, 854. 

Wheeler, James, 662, 663. 

Wheeler, Jason, 690. 

Wheeler, John, 663. 

Wheeler, L. M., 690. 

Wheeler, Solomon, 630. 

Whitcomb, Lot, 240, 335, 336. 

Whiteaker, Benj., 699. 

Whiteaker, D. J., 699. 

Whiteaker, John, 351, 793. 

White, Ashley, 889. 

White, E. D., 748. 

White, E. N., 650. 

White, Dr. Elijah, 216, 247, 248, 249, 252, 253, 258, 
289; offers reward for Indian depredators, 
280, 287: memorial episode of, 287, 288. 

White H. B., 748, 749. 

White, J. H., 861. 

White, L., 690, 691. 

White, W. L., 726. 

Whitlock, E. H., 726. 

Whitlock, W., Sr., 708. 

Whitlock, W. T., 708. 

Whitman, Marcus, missionary, 210-214, 234, 246, 
247, 249 ; energy in inducing immigration to 
Oregon, 258, 262, 263-275; estimate of his ser- 
vices, 266, et seq. ; his journey to Washington, 
269,270,271; writes a descriptive pamphlet, 
271, 274, 275; affairs of, in 1847, 306, 307, et seq. ; 
days preceding the massacre of, 308-310; 
murder of, by Indians, 310, 311. 



GENERAL INDEX. 



Xlll 



Whitman, Perriu B., 307. 
Whitman, Ch., 889, 890. 
Whitman, J. J., 861. 

Whitman, William. 891, 

Wilcox, David. 874. 

Wilcox. G. W., 691, 

Wilcox, Ralph. 650, 651. 

Wilcox, S. E., 691. 

Wiley, R. E.. 651. 

Wiley. Mrs. R. K.. 599. 

Wilkes, Captain Charles, U. S. X.. 244, 245. 

Wilkins. Caleb. 246, 217, 596. 

Willamette Cattle Co., 230, 231. 

Willamette Falls. 479, 480; settlement proposed 

at, 227, 228, 233, 230, 252; political meeting at. 

253. 
Willamette River, discovered by Lewis and 

Clarke. 138, 139: derivation and corruption 

of its name, 139, 4S8, 189: other names of, 479, 

189. 
Willamette University, 250, 251. 
Willamette Valley, its extent and boundaries, 

518,514; its streams, 514: general description 

of, 513-547. 
Willamette Woolen Mills, 579. 
Williams. C. O. T., 793. 
Williams, E. C, 898. 
Williams, George, 749. 
Williams, George H., 344, 823. 
Williams, J. J., 284. 680, 631. 
Williams, L. L... 882. 
Williams, Robert L., 433, 434. 
Williams, P. W., 651. 
Williams, Samuel, 607. 

Willson, Dr. W. H., 216. 887 : treasurer of Or., 257. 
Wilmot, R. P., 726, 727. 
Wilson, Alfred, 727. 

Wilson, Andrew, 880. • 

Wilson, A. E., first supreme judge. 257. 
Wilson, B. W., 727. 
Wilson, Capt., 411, 417. 
Wilson, John, importer of stock. 301. 
Wilson, Joseph G., 794. 
Wilson, J. q., 794. 
Winship, Nathan, forms a station at Oak Point, 

146. 



" Wolf Meetings," 251, 252. 

Wolverton, C. E., 826. 

Wolverton. John, 826. 

Wood, Frank D., 865. 

Woodin, A. B., 880. 

Woods, George L., 691, 692. 

Woodworth, C. S., 749. 

Woodworth, John, 226. 

Woolev, Jacob, 651. 

Wool, Gen. John E., 363, 368, 869, 385. 389. 390, 391, 

412, 417, 421, 422, 428, 425. 
Wortman, Jacob, 794. 
Wortman, John, 794. 
Wright. Ben. 339. 
Wright, Col., U. S. A., 426, 447, 453, 454, 4-55, 456, 468, 

46- , 473, 474 ; lost at sea, 475. 
Wright. E. J., 794,795. 
Wright, .1. G.. 825,826. 
Wright, W. P., 835. 
Wrightman, F. T., 874. 
Wyeth, Nathaniel J., fur trader and explorer. 

197, 202, 204-206. 213, 225, 226. 

Y. 

Yakima Indians, treaty with, 380, 881. 

Yakima River, battle at, 407, 408 ; retreat from, 

411. 
Yakima War, the, 38-5-393, 405-432, 447-478. 
Yamhill Indians, the, 481. 
Yantis, W. W., 795. 
Yeaton, A. T., 866. 

Yellept. Indian chief. See Walla Walla Indian*. 
Yocum, Franklin, 750. 
Yocum, H.. 750. 
Yocum, Thomas J., 692. 

Young, Ewing, 201, 226, 230, 242', 243, 578, 577. 
Young, Isaac, 826. 
Young, S. E., 795. 



z. 



Zieber, A., 750. 
Zinne, George, 892. 
Zumwalt, C. P., 651. 
Zumwalt, Isaac, 663. 



ERRATA. 



Page 10. line •>, for Nuevo Wspanola, read Hispaniola. 

Page 24, line 29, for " conquesitador," read conquistador. 

Page 2S7. lines 14 and 15, for NesmUh and members, read Nesmith and all the 
members. 

Same page lines 15 and 16, for delegated all the to convey, read delegated to 
con 

Page 264. line 20, for publicalfy, read publicly. 

198, line 25, for La Rimer de Caqucain, read La Riviere des Coquins. 

!48, line 20, for Salem, read Corval/is. 
Page 358, line 14, for Salvator Boss, read Salvator Rosa. 
Page 397, line 34, for Tager, read Yager. 
Page 598, line 32, for Walker's Claims, read Walker's Plains. 



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